Friar Legend Sticks with Hoops

Like most people, former Providence College Women's Basketball Player, Mary Burke '87 looks back on her time as a Friar nostalgically.

A two-sport athlete in high school-basketball and volleyball-Burke chose to focus on basketball when it came time to think about college. As a native Rhode Islander, Burke drew attention from scouts from a number of New England schools like the University of Connecticut, the University of Massachusetts, and Boston University. However, when Burke visited PC, she knew that it was the place for her.

"One of my former teammates from high school was at PC playing volleyball," Burke said. "I saw her play and I knew it was the right place. It was a weird feeling."

After playing out her high school days, Burke enrolled at Providence in the fall of 1983. As with most Division I athletes, Burke found it necessary to adjust from high school ball to college and stepped up her game accordingly.

"It was a transition," Burke said. "There was a difference in quality, speed, and level of play. Everyone was a star at their high school before coming here."

Once in college, not everyone can be the star that he or she was in high school, but Burke became one of those select few who shined at the next level. She ranks fourth all time on the PC women's scoring list with 1,672 points and seventh in rebounding with 740 boards.

"I was very fortunate to play on a team that was the best in the Big East," said Burke. "Our biggest competitors were Villanova and St. John's. These were the teams we were constantly competing with."

The Friars were good enough to earn a berth to the 1986 NCAA Tournament after making it to the Big East Tournament Championship game. The Friars hosted a home game against Vanderbilt.

"Although the results of that game were not as positive as we would have liked, the fact that we hosted a game spoke volumes about our commitment to the team," said Burke.

Though the 1987 team failed to make it back to the Big Dance, it did qualify for the NIT. In addition, Burke was named to the All-Big East Team at the end of the season.

As the basketball season ended and graduation approached, it came time for Burke-a liberal arts major-to begin contemplating life after PC.

"I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do, maybe sales," said Burke. But as it turned out, even though her playing days were over, it was not time for her to walk away from the game.

In the spring of 1987, Ralph Tomasso, the head coach of Bryant University-then Bryant College-contacted Burke about joining his staff as an assistant coach.

"After four years, I was pretty tired," Burke said. "I wasn't sure coaching was the direction I wanted to go in, but it was an option to explore."

In the end, Burke took the job. She spent four years as an assistant under Tomasso and also two seasons as the women's volleyball coach. Like most new jobs, Burke had to make some adjustments in transitioning from player to coach.

"You can no longer go out on the floor," said Burke. "You have to know how to motivate and teach players. You have to make things easy and relate with various personalities. And there's the recruiting aspect."

Burke was named the head coach of the Lady Bulldogs in August 1991 when the position opened and she has been there ever since. In 17 seasons, the Bulldogs have gone to four NCAA Division II Tournaments, most recently this season when they were knocked out in the first round by Stonehill College.

After 17 successful seasons, Burke and her staff at Bryant will face a new challenge this season as the Bulldogs begin the transition process to move up to Division I.

"It's a great opportunity," said Burke. "There are always growing pains but we're excited for the new competition and different arenas. Our staff has recruited for this."

Though the move will likely bring some trials and a few losing seasons, Burke is not about to walk away.

"I want to stay in coaching and college athletics as long as possible," Burke said. "I really enjoy the college environment."

The college atmosphere seems to agree with Burke as well. Last month she was honored as the Division II Coach of the Year by the Rhode Island media. In addition to that honor for coaching, she was inducted to the Providence College Athletics Hall of Fame in February after being inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.

"That was a great honor," said Burke of her PC induction. "Being from Rhode Island, I am familiar with the other names in the hall. It was very humbling. I appreciate PC respecting me as a player. I never could have done it without the other players and the coaches in those years."

Though more than 20 years have elapsed since Burke last took the floor in Alumni Hall as a member of the Women's Basketball Team, and she has had many unforgettable experiences at the helm of the Lady Bulldogs, she still looks back on her days as a Friar very fondly.

"As I said at the dinner, those years were definitely some of the best times of my life," Burke said.