Dan Burke
Dan Burke
Title: Head Men's Basketball Coach
Phone: (302) 356-2026
Email: daniel.j.burke@wilmu.edu

Dan Burke begins his 10th year as the head coach of the Wilmington University men’s basketball program in 2023-24. Burke was hired in June 2014 and began his collegiate head coaching career with the Wildcats in the 2014-15 season.

In his first season with the Wildcats, Burke led the team to the most wins in its NCAA era, advancing all the way to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Championship game for the first time in program history. It was also only the second time in program history the team reached the CACC Tournament. The team defeated the North Division’s top seed, Dominican, with a last second shot in the CACC Quarterfinal before upsetting South Division third seed Holy Family. The run came to an end against South Division No. 2 Philadelphia on its home court in the CACC Championship.

Since then, Burke has helped lead the Wildcats back to the CACC Tournament in all by one year as the head coach, including five straight seasons (minus the COVID-19 pandemic season in which the Wildcats did not participate), including earning the first ever postseason home game in 2016-17 with a 14-5 CACC mark, finsihing second the South Division.

Burke took over the Wildcats after successful assistant coaching stints at Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference foe Chestnut Hill College and at Camden County College.

Most recently, Burke helped lead Camden County College to a 20-8 record last season, taking the team to the NJCAA Region XIX semifinal game. Camden County College was ranked as high as 11th in the country during the 2013-14 season.

Prior to his season at Camden County College, Burke spent four seasons on the bench at Chestnut Hill, playing against the Wildcats. He coached under current Griffin head coach Jesse Balcer in all four seasons, helping the Griffins to the CACC Tournament Semifinals in the 2010-11 season.

During his time at Chestnut Hill, Burke assisted in the development of four 1,000-point scorers while also helping a pair of student-athletes continue their basketball careers at the professional level.

Before heading into his current coaching career, Burke played four years at Chestnut Hill under Balcer. He was named a team captain as a senior and was awarded the Presidential Leadership Award in 2008, given to five graduating students based on leadership and contributions to the college community.

Burke’s wife, Bethann, is the head coach of the women’s basketball program at CACC rival Goldey-Beacom. The two reside in Woodstown, N.J., and have two daughters.

 

Year

Record

Conference Record (Finish)

Highlights

2014-15

11-20

8-11 (4th South)

CACC Finalists

2015-16 9-19 4-15 (T6th South) -
2016-17 19-10 14-5 (2nd South) CACC Quarterfinalists
2017-18 16-13 11-8 (3rd South) CACC Quarterfinalists
2018-19 12-17 9-10 (4th South) CACC Quarterfinalists
2019-20 11-19 8-11 (3rd South) CACC Semifinalists
2020-21 DNP COVID-19  
2021-22 11-18 8-10 (4th South) CACC Quarterfinals
2022-23 16-13 8-9 (4th South) CACC Quarterfinals

Totals (9 years) 

105-129 (.449)

70-79 (.470)

-