The Becky Burke era in Tucson is officially underway. After three years at Buffalo, she is trading in snow and buffalo wings for triple digits and tacos. Becky Burke was formally introduced as the 10th head coach in Arizona program history on Friday, outlining her career path to ultimately get to Tucson, her current assessment of the program and vision go forward, and the identity that her and her players will have on the court and sidelines.
While this is Burke’s fifth stop as a head coach, it’s her first at the power conference level. She understands that, and said that it is an honor and privilege to lead the Wildcats.
“People in my profession, they work their entire life to get a job at this level, but I didn’t want a job. I wanted the job. Being the head coach at the University of Arizona is the job.”
And while she is excited, she also understands the history of this program, and the expectations the City of Tucson has for the Wildcats. Becky Burke says that the expectations are clear for her as she begins her power-conference head coaching journey, and that during her interview, she sured up with athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois what the vision for Arizona Women’s Basketball is in the not-too-distant future.
“Hey, like next three to five, what do you – where do you want this program to be? Looks me dead in the face, no smile, ‘competing for a national championship.’ I don’t want to be anywhere where that’s not the standard and the expectation.”
A message to Wildcat Nation
But what about Becky Burke the coach? Burke says there are three key things Arizona fans need to know about her: her competitiveness, her work ethic, and her drive.
“I am in the top 1% of competitive people on the planet. Okay, that comes down to winning national championships or eating dinner. I mean, it doesn’t – I don’t turn it off. I don’t know anything different. So that’s what – you’re getting a high level competitor. I’m the same way as a coach, as I was as a player. You can go back and watch the film of me on the court, it’s going to look very similar what it looks like on the sideline.
Secondly, no one will ever outwork me. I am going to be the hardest worker in the room, every room I walk into, and I take a tremendous amount of pride in that. And no one’s ever going to outwork us. Because I’m hoping that, you know, our team takes a little bit of the personality that I have in terms of just work ethic, right?
And then I think the last thing, the key thing that people need to know about me, and what I’m promising you guys that I’m gonna bring here, is I have one speed, and that’s full speed. I have one speed, that’s full speed, and I have one way, and that’s all in, you know we’re gonna hit this thing the ground running.”
But actions speak louder than words, and the proof is ultimately in the pudding for Burke. After a successful playing career at Louisville, she said it would have been easy to reach out to Cardinals head coach Jeff Walz for help landing a high-level assistant coaching job. But Burke didn’t take the easy route, and didn’t want to be fed with a “silver spoon.” So instead, Burke began her head coaching career a few hours north of Tucson at Embry-Riddle in Prescott, a NAIA school that did not have a women’s basketball program when she arrived as a 24-year-old rookie head coach.
Burke joked about recruiting aeronautical business majors that could make layups, but in all seriousness described the experience in Prescott as “arguably the most valuable three years of my entire career.”
Rebuilding the Roster
Because of experiences like the one she had at Embry-Riddle, Becky Burke says she understands the current state of the roster in Tucson, but also believes she has the support and resources to be successful in her first season at Arizona.
“I’m very aware of what I walked into. I’m very aware of the roster situation, and I’m very aware of the support. And I wouldn’t choose to be here and be standing in front of you guys if there was not the support needed to help us be competitive this season.”
Desireé Reed-Francois added some insight regarding the current financial support the athletics department and University of Arizona are providing to the women’s basketball program. Per Reed-Francois, Arizona is number one in assistant coaches salary pool, and in the top third of the Big 12 in both operating budget and overall revenue sharing and NIL.
As of right now, the only two players on the roster are Montaya Dew, who is recovering from a knee injury suffered late last season, and Buffalo transfer Noelani Cornfield, who committed to Arizona hours before Friday’s press conference.
Sometimes though, the most important recruits are the ones already in the building. And while a number of players from last year’s roster, including Jada Williams and Skylar Jones, have already found new homes, there are others, like Lauryn Swann and Breya Cunningham, who are still in the transfer portal. Whether or not players like Swann and Cunningham give Burke a chance, she wants them to know they are always welcome at Arizona.
“This is home for them. They are welcome here, you know, just wanting them to know that, and wanting them obviously, first and foremost, thank them for everything they’ve done during their time here. Support them in coming back if that’s what they choose to do, and obviously supporting them and moving on if that’s what they choose to do.
Ultimately, you know, just making sure they know they have a home here. They’re appreciated, they’re respected, and whatever decision they make, that we support that moving forward. But yeah, that’s it’s important thing to make sure that you do reach out to the to the current players in there and the ones that are back, and we’ve done that, and yeah, so fully supportive and appreciative of all those guys.”
Burke says she is attacking recruiting aggressively, and that she started reaching out to prospect “before my voicemail was changed.” Her youth, as well as her experience as a player, which included leading Louisville to a National Championship game appearance in 2009, give her an advantage as she looks to build a roster from the ground up.
“100 percent, you know, being one of the youngest head coaches in the country, and maybe the youngest at this level, and [the] ability to relate and talk about things that other people can’t talk about because I’ve been there, I’ve done it, I’ve lived it, I’ve experienced it. It’s extremely valuable.”
“Bear Down, Baby!”
While competing in a league with TCU, Kansas State, Baylor, and others won’t be easy, Burke has the excitement and passion to make an immediate impact in the Old Pueblo. And while ultimately it will be her recruiting and performance on the court in Year 1 that folks will judge her trajectory on, her message of “Bear Down, Baby!” to a crowded room at the McKale Center on Friday is exactly the kind of energy Wildcat Nation wants to see from new Arizona Women’s Basketball head coach Becky Burke.