HS Boys’ Basketball: Burke takes over as new coach at Nativity

Nativity boys' basketball coach Brady Burke

POTTSVILLE — Brady Burke has plenty of championship-level basketball experience.

The task at his new job is to add to it.

The former Pine Grove standout was hired Monday as the new head boys’ basketball coach at Nativity. The school made the announcement after Burke met with his team Monday afternoon.

Burke, 32, takes over for Mike Walborn, who was not retained after nine seasons at the helm. The Hilltoppers went 16-11 this past season, qualifying for the Schuylkill League playoffs, finishing third in the District 11 Class A Tournament and winning a play-in game to make the PIAA Class A field.

Burke becomes the Schuylkill League’s fifth new coach for next season, joining Anthony Agosti (North Schuylkill), John Rizzo (Pine Grove), Tyler Heffner (Pottsville) and Chris George (Minersville). Nativity’s girls’ basketball position remains unfilled.

“I’m super excited to be here,” Burke said. “Very thankful for the opportunity that (principal) Mrs. (Lynn) Sabol and (athletic director) Mrs. (Ruth) Weidman have provided me.

“Last season, we were in the league playoffs, district playoffs and state playoffs, so all those goals will be the same to get back to those levels. We just don’t want to be there, we want to be in contention for winning those things.”

A 2011 Pine Grove graduate, the 6-foot-5 Burke was a standout player for the Cardinals, helping the Cards to the 23-6 mark his senior year that included trips to the Schuylkill League title game, District 11 Class AA championship game and the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals. He went on to play collegiately at Mansfield University.

One of the Schuylkill League’s bright young assistant coaches, Burke began coaching in the Pine Grove Biddy Basketball program before entering the high school ranks three years ago.

Burke served for two seasons under George during his tenure at Northern Lebanon, then last season was the junior varsity coach at Minersville under Dave Mullaney. The Miners were the Schuylkill League and District 11 Class 3A runners-up, qualifying for the PIAA Class 3A playoffs.

Burke said he learned a lot of key traits from being on the staffs of George and Mullaney that will help him at Nativity.

“Chris George runs a phenomenal program from the youth on up,” Burke said. “He’s super involved with all that stuff. He taught me how to game plan, do scouting reports, things of that nature.

“Dave Mullaney … the biggest thing I took away from Dave Mullaney and his excellent staff was the ability to delegate certain roles to each one of your coaches. Every coach on your staff is valuable, everyone serves a purpose and the best way to utilize your staff is to define roles for each one of those guys.”

Burke is also the director and head coach of the PA Flight ZGXL travel basketball program, which fields 15U, 16U, 17U and select teams that play in high-profile tournaments across the Northeast.

He’s already had the chance to coach two of Nativity’s returning starters, Trey Keating and Layne Pasker, in the PA Flight program. Pasker plays with the 16U team, while Keating is on the PA Flight 17U squad.

Burke said he’s really looking forward to coaching Keating, a two-time Schuylkill League Player of the Year and three-time scoring champion who compiled 668 points this season, averaging 25.7 points per game.

Keating enters his senior season with 1,580 career points, looking to become only the third Schuylkill League boys’ player ever to reach the 2,000-point plateau. Tri-Valley’s Bob Felty Jr. (2,419) and Saint Clair’s Dave Delenick (2,018) are the others.

“He’s one of the best players, not just in the league, but the entire state. His scoring ability is unmatched,” Burke said of Keating.

“He’s not just a scorer, he’s a willing defender, plays hard. On offense he never stops moving. Great offensive rebounder, especially at his size. All that is a tribute to his work and his stamina, everything that he does with basketball on the court and the strength and conditioning that he puts in.

“He’s a phenomenal kid, great student and he’s really fun to be around. I’m super excited to get the chance to coach him.”

Burke said he was drawn to Nativity by its family culture. The Pine Grove resident already coaches a team of his own at home as he and his wife Tanya have six children: Owen (15), Everly (11), Avelyn (9), Asher (6), Ace (3) and Elias (2).

“The main thing that intrigued me about Nativity is the family culture,” said Burke, who works as a machine operator at Jeld-Wen in the Highridge Industrial Park. “A lot of their values align with my own. It’s a place where not only I can grow and prosper as a coach, but it’s some place that I can see my family being a part of and my kids eventually coming here one day.

“… Nativity is a place that can set you up for life,” he continued. “It’s a family-oriented school and the people here really care and are really invested in what you do after you leave here. We have a high rate of kids going to two- and four-year colleges and the military. Our education here is second to none.”