New Vikes basketball head coach is changing the game
Photo courtesy of Murphy Burnatowski.
Former Dalhousie basketball coach Murphy Burnatowski claims “the stars aligned” when Sam Maillet, a varsity athlete, inspired Burnatowski to apply for the head basketball coach position here at UVic.
Since his takeover in June of this year, Burnatowski seems to shake the “pressure from the inside” as he hopes he can further the past successes of the team. Now, halfway through the season, the Vikes have found themselves on an eight-game winning streak.
With a national championship in sights for the end of the season, the men’s basketball team seems to have the right foot forward. Victoria’s star player Diego Maffia states, “everything is for that last game … [and] a national championship would cement what we’ve been doing for the past few years.”
When players were asked about the change in coaching staff, they found common ground, claiming Coach Burnatwoski’s change in pace is “refreshing and exciting”.
Dylan Gage, a first-year student, says he likes Murphy’s coaching approach because he is “transparent with his players, and younger,” which Gage thinks helps relate him to his players. “He played not very long ago, so he knows the modern way that the game is played, and he knows what we’re going through as players as well.”
Before his coaching career, Burnatowski played basketball himself, beginning at the age of 13. The coach, now 33, has played for Colgate University in the NCAA, and even went professional in Europe and Asia. It is safe to say that Burnatowski is more than equipped for his new role at UVic.
Burnatowski said that the coaching aspect of the game was “the next gradual step after playing,” as it “felt like [he] was acting as a coach on the court with teammates…when [he] was in Asia [he] had to coach the younger guys, and when [he]e was in Europe [he] had older guys help coach [him] so it was also just that natural progression…”
Although it is hard to deny the Vikes’ continued success so far this season, the coach likes to remind his players: “ It’s just a game, and it’s just a stepping stone in something that’s more important that’s coming later on in their life. You can learn a lot of good personality traits and a lot from the connections that you make throughout basketball, but at the end of the day, it’s just one small piece of your life moving forward.” Burnatowski himself has a wife and an 18-month-old son, and shares that they are his “whole world.”
Diego Maffia, star player who recently smashed the UVic all-time scoring record, says the new coach “brings the competitive fire with us and within us.… guys respect him.”
To keep his players motivated, Burnatowski says he tries to make things fun.
“I try to jump in and compete against the guys, or we do three-on-three competition. Try to switch it up, to kind of keep it less mundane.”
His players also note that Burnatowski is not solely focused on basketball. Dylan Gage shared that the coach has helped him learn that “[they] are not taking any day for granted, [and] every day is an opportunity for [them] to get better and work towards [their] goal of winning a national championship.”
The Vikes haven’t won a national championship title since the 1996-97 season, but this year they are working towards winning the W.P. McGee trophy. Maffia, nearing the end of his USports career, says it’s “the only thing left [he wants to] do. That’s the only goal [he has] individually.”
The men’s basketball team has undeniable chemistry on the court, which Maffia says is because of their friendships.
“One through 15, we have a good group of guys off the court,” he says. Burnatowski adds: “Obviously it’s a talented group, and that’s a luxury for any coach … but on top of that, these guys are some of the nicest guys I’ve met … Not having to worry about anything outside of basketball is a luxury for a coach.”
The men’s basketball season will resume on Jan. 10, when they face off against Trinity Western University.
