Robert B.

Hello,
My name is Robbie Burke. I am currently attending graduate school at Springfield College in Springfield, MA. I am in the school counseling program. Counseling is a huge passion of mine, however my main passion is basketball. I graduated college in 2014, which ended my collegiate playing days. I transitioned straight into coaching basketball to keep my passion for the game moving. I've discovered that I enjoy coaching just as much as I enjoy playing. I was always a very hard working player on the court, so that style has mirrored my coaching approach. Last year, I coached a 5th and 6th and a 7th and 8th grade team. Coaching two teams in one season allowed me to stay busy with the game I love. When the season ended, I began doing individual workouts with players in the Springfield, East Longmeadow, and Longmeadow area. I enjoyed these workouts almost as much as I enjoyed coaching in the game. I'm a stern believer that workouts in the off season will determine success when the season rolls around in the winter. I love to research drills and workouts that are fresh and new to the game. I am a huge scholar to the game of basketball, so I always want to keep a variety drills to keep the player interested. As a counselor, I enjoy motivating students. This motivational tactic translates into my coaching style. I have very high expectations for my players in that they can reach levels they never dreamed of.
On top of doing individual sessions, I was involved in many camps this past summer. I was a coach at the Basketbull Hoop Dreams Camp at Westfield State University for three separate weeks. I also was a coach at the Western New England University Camp.

In high school, I was named back to back county MVP my junior and senior year. I led my team to the state championship my junior year, and to the Western Mass championship my senior year. I am a thousand point scorer at the high school level and at the college level. I played college ball at Springfield College. I was the captain my senior year. My junior and senior year we made it to the NCAA Tournament. I was also named 1st team all conference my senior year. My latest and most proud honor was being inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame this past summer. I received this honor due to prolific high school and college play.

In the first meeting with a player, I try to get to know the player. I want to know the player's weaknesses and areas they want to improve on, so that by the end of our sessions they are more well rounded than when they began. I was an undersized power forward in college, so I needed to rely on post moves to be successful. I would consider my best strength being technique with post players. However, I am not only limited to knowledge of down low players. I very much enjoy dribbling, shooting, and defensive drills. I have drills for every skill in the game. Once I get a feel for the player I am working with, I prepare before each session to develop a workout to benefit the player to their upmost potential.