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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Burke Joins Seahawk Men's Hoops Staff as DOBO

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – New UNCW men's basketball head coach C.B. McGrath has completed his staff with the appointment of Rob Burke as Director of Basketball Operations for the Seahawks.
 
Burke, 41, served as Director of Basketball Operations the last two seasons at Georgia Southern under former Seahawk guard Mark Byington. He previously spent five seasons as an assistant coach at The Citadel.
 
In his five seasons at The Citadel, Burke recruited a pair of 1,000-point scorers in Ashton Moore and Brian White. Moore, who is concluding his second season with BC Beroe in the Bulgarian National Basketball League, finished sixth in Bulldog history with 1,399 points and ranks as the only player in The Citadel's history with 1,300 points, 400 field goals, 200 three-point field goals and 200 free throws.
 
White is the only player in The Citadel's history to win the Southern Conference's Player-of-the-Week award on three occasions in one season, earning All-Freshman honors in the SoCon in 2013-14.
 
"I'm excited to have Rob part of our staff," said McGrath. "Rob has a ton of experience and came highly recommended. He has held every position as a college coach. Rob is a people person, organized and great with the players. He also has a tremendous reputation in this region."
 
Burke's background also includes a six-year stint as head coach at Spartanburg Methodist College. He piloted the Pioneers to a 112-67 (.625) record and averaged 19 wins per season during his time in Spartanburg.
 
"This is a great opportunity to learn and grow in this profession under one of the more experienced coaches in the business," said Burke. "It's an honor to join a school with such a great basketball tradition and one that has a great commitment to basketball."
 
Burke posted a winning record in every year at SMC, reaching the 20-win milestone in 2005-06 (22-11) and 2007-08 (24-8). He was named Region 10 Coach of the Year in 2008-09 and coached four First-Team and eight Second-Team All-Region performers.

Overall, Burke graduated 94 percent of his players at SMC, including NCAA Division I players Terrence Grier (Charleston Southern), John Anderson (Bethune-Cookman), Brendon Knox (Auburn), Chad Dewitt (Winthrop) and Vernon Taylor (Troy). Taylor is still playing professionally for Okapi AAlstars in the Belgium Euromillions League.

Knox, who spent the 2010-11 season playing for the Dakota Wizards of the NBDL, also served as an assistant coach at Campbell from 2002-04 and as junior varsity coach at Limestone from 2000-02.
 
In addition, Burke spent the summer of 2008 at the Nike National Skills Academy, working with former Seahawk Ganon Baker Basketball as a pro staff skill development trainer. He had the opportunity to work with WNBA stars Brittney Greiner, Brianna Stewart, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Odyssey Sims, Chiney Ogwumike and Shoni Schimmel.

Burke earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Sports Management with a minor in Business Administration at Chowan in 1998.
 
He and his wife, Neily, are the parents of Mina, 20, and Marissa, 10.
 
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