Joe Burke took over the Skidmore College men’s basketball program in 2010.
Under Burke, Skidmore has won five Liberty League conference championships (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2019) four Liberty League regular season titles (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) and made six NCAA tournament appearances (2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019). Burke has also coached 27 All-Liberty League players and two All-Americans.
In 2022-23, the Thoroughbreds rattled off four wins in give games, including a pair of one-point thrillers over defending champion Vassar and Ithaca, to help propel the team back into the postseason. The year saw Tautvydas Kupstas '23 and Greg Skoric '23 become the 19th and 20th players to join the program's 1,000-point club. Additionally, Skoric broke the all-time career rebound record, concluding his career with 581 boards.
Burke's 2021-22 squad returned to the Liberty League Championship game for the first time since 2019 and sixth time overall after going on the road for a first round win at St. Lawrence before upsetting top seed and final four host RPI in the semifinal.
The 2018-19 team finished the season with 19 wins, advancing and winning the Liberty League Championship game for the fifth time. The Thoroughbreds appeared in their sixth NCAA tournament and added a fourth Liberty League regular season title to their repertoire.
Senior guard Edvinas Rupkus finished his college career in record-breaking fashion. Rupkus finished with 2,128 points, breaking the program’s scoring record. In addition, he was named National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) East District Player of the Year, NABC All-American, Google Cloud Academic All-American, and Liberty League Player of the Year. He is the first two-time All-American in program history. Sophomore guard Noah Meren capped off an impressive season with NABC All-East District and D3hoops.com honors, as well as multiple Liberty League Performer of the Week awards throughout the season.
The 2017-18 team won 15 games, advancing to the Liberty League Championship game for the third time in four seasons. Along the way, the Thoroughbreds began the season with a 6-0 start, its best in program history, breaking into the d3hoops.com national polls for the first time. The Thoroughbreds were ranked as high as 18th nationally.
Individually, junior guard Edvinas Rupkus was named as the Liberty League Player of the Year and became the program's second National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-American. He was also named as a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Division III Academic All-American selection. Rookie guard Noah Meren was named to the All-Rookie team, Burke's fourth all-rookie selection in the last four seasons.
The 2016-17 squad tied a program record with a 20-8 season, winning the Liberty League regular season title with a program-best 14-2 mark in league play, and advancing to the NCAA second round for the third season in a row. Skidmore defeated #24 New Jersey City 75-57 in the opening game of the tournament and took eventual National Champion #3 Babson to the wire in the NCAA Round of 32 game.
Senior guard Aldin Medunjanin became the program's first All-American and was named the Liberty League's Player of the Year. Medunjanin joined sophomore guard Edvinas Rupkus as All-East Region honorees from D3Hoops.com. Freshman forward Pat Gallagher was named to the Liberty League All-Rookie team, while Burke and his staff were named the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year.
The 2015-16 team won a second straight Liberty League regular season title and advanced to the NCAA second round for the second year in a row. The Thoroughbreds beat #21 Franklin & Marshall 83-72 after trailing by 19 points in the second half to move into the NCAA Round of 32. Burke and his his staff were named Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year.
Freshman guard Edvinas Rupkus was the Liberty League Rookie of the Year and a First-Team All-League selection.
In the 2014-2015 season, Skidmore won its first ever Liberty League regular season title, en route to its third conference championship and NCAA tournament appearance in five seasons. The Thoroughbreds also won the program’s first ever NCAA tournament game, knocking off NESCAC champion Wesleyan (Conn.), 81-66, in the first round. The team’s 20 wins broke the program’s previous record set in the 2011-12 season. Burke and his staff were named the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year.
Junior guard Aldin Medunjanin was named the Liberty League Player of the Year, headlining a group four Skidmore players named to All-Liberty League teams. Medunjanin was also a D3hoops.com All-East Region First Team selection. All-Liberty League First Team honoree Connor Merrill, one of Burke’s first recruits at Skidmore, became the program’s first ever selection to the Reese’s Division III All-Star game.
Under Burke’s tutelage, the Thoroughbreds established one of the top defenses in the country, ranking 4th in Division III in field goal percentage defense, 11th in blocked shots per game, 20th in defensive rebounds per game and 38th in scoring defense.
In the 2011-12 season, Skidmore won its second straight Liberty League title, beating Hobart on the road to clinch a second straight NCAA Tournament bid. The team established a new program-high with 19 wins, breaking the record set the previous season. The Thoroughbreds ranked 21st nationally in assist/turnover ratio, 12th in turnovers per game, 15th in turnover margin and and 17th in 3PT FG/Game.
In his first season, Burke led the Thoroughbreds to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in the program's 26-year history. Burke also led Skidmore to its first Liberty League title and set program records for wins in a season (18) and league wins (10).
Prior to Skidmore, Burke completed his sixth year as an assistant coach at the U.S. Naval Academy after four years on the Cornell University staff.
Burke was instrumental in the resurgence of the Navy program, serving as one of its top recruiters. He brought outstanding talent that immediately contributed to Navy’s improvement on the court. Five of Navy’s recruits earned Patriot League All-Rookie Team honors over the past six seasons.
In the 2008-09 season, one of Burke’s earliest recruits, Kaleo Kina, was a first-team All-Patriot League selection after leading the Midshipmen to a 19-11 record that equaled the most wins for Navy since the 1999-2000 season.
A 1996 graduate of Ursinus College, Burke sees Skidmore as the perfect place for his first head coaching position.
Prior to Navy, Burke coached at Cornell from 2001-04, serving as the team’s top assistant in the 2003-04 season. He was responsible for recruiting, practice planning, and game strategy. After leaving Cornell, his recruits helped the Big Red continue their upward trend toward their recent dominance of the Ivy League.
Burke was an assistant coach at Philadelphia University from 1998 to 2000. A 1992 graduate of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken, N.J., he served as an assistant at his alma mater from 1996-1998.
Burke and his wife, Victoria, are the parents of a son Alec and three daughters, Elena, Olivia Grace, and Maria.
Coach Burke’s Career At A Glance
Assistant Coach
1996 - 1998 (Bishop Eustace Prep, Pennsauken, NJ)
1998 - 2000 (Philadelphia University)
2000 - 2004 (Cornell University)
2004 - 2010 (United States Naval Academy)
Head Coach - Skidmore College
| COACHING RECORD BY YEAR |
|
|
OVERALL |
CONFERENCE |
|
| YEAR |
SCHOOL |
W |
L |
W |
L |
POSTSEASON |
| 2010-11 |
Skidmore College |
18 |
10 |
10 |
4 |
NCAA Tournament 1st Round, Liberty League Champions, School Record for Wins |
| 2011-12 |
Skidmore College |
19 |
9 |
11 |
5 |
NCAA Tournament 1st Round, Liberty League Champions, School Record for Wins |
| 2012-13 |
Skidmore College |
15 |
11 |
9 |
7 |
Liberty League Semifinal |
| 2013-14 |
Skidmore College |
16 |
10 |
10 |
6 |
Liberty League Semifinal |
| 2014-15 |
Skidmore College |
20 |
8 |
14 |
2 |
NCAA Tournament 2nd Round, Liberty League Champions, Liberty League Regular Season Champions, First NCAA Tournament win, School Record for wins, Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year |
| 2015-16 |
Skidmore College |
19 |
9 |
11 |
5 |
NCAA Tournament 2nd Round, Liberty League Champions, Liberty League Regular Season Champions, Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year |
| 2016-17 |
Skidmore College |
20 |
8 |
14 |
2 |
NCAA Tournament 2nd Round, Liberty League Regular Season Champion, School Record for wins, Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year |
| 2017-18 |
Skidmore College |
15 |
12 |
9 |
9 |
Liberty League Championship game, ranked in d3hoops.com poll for first time (ranked as high as 18) |
| 2018-19 |
Skidmore College |
19 |
9 |
15 |
3 |
NCAA Tournament 1st Round, Liberty League Champions, Liberty League Regular Season Champions, most Liberty League wins in program history |
| 2019-20 |
Skidmore College |
7 |
18 |
6 |
12 |
None |
| 2020-21 |
Skidmore College |
|
|
|
|
Season Canceled |
| 2021-22 |
Skidmore College |
15 |
11 |
9 |
8 |
Liberty League Championship game |
| 2022-23 |
Skidmore College |
13 |
13 |
11 |
7 |
Liberty League 1st Round |
| 2023-24 |
Skidkmore College |
4 |
20 |
2 |
16 |
None |
| 2024-25 |
Skidmore College |
6 |
19 |
2 |
16 |
None |
| 15 SEASONS |
TOTAL |
206 |
166 |
133 |
102 |
|
|
PERCENT |
.554 |
.566 |
5 Conference Championships
6 NCAA Tournament Appearances |
