Colorado State University Athletics
Women's Basketball
Burkett, Rico
Rico Burkett
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- rico.burkett@colostate.edu
Burkett File:
Colorado State, Assistant Coach – 2018-Pres.
Northwest HS, Women's Head Coach - 2015-18
Northwest HS, Men's Assistant Coach – 2013-15
Wayne State, Men's Head Coach – 2000-09
Wayne State, Men's Assistant Coach – 1997-2000
Stetson, Men's Assistant Coach – 1995-97
Wayne State, Men's Assistant Coach – 1994-95
North Dakota, Women's Grad Assistant –1993-94
Rico Burkett joined the Colorado State women's basketball staff in May of 2018 as an assistant coach.
Prior to Colorado State, Burkett was the head men's basketball coach at Wayne State for nine seasons (2000-09), finishing his tenure with the Wildcats with the third-most wins in program history (111). Burkett's nine-year stint also ranks as the second-longest tenure in program history, behind only W. Ray Hickman, who served as WSC head coach from 1927-38.
Burkett spent 13 seasons total with the Wayne State men's basketball program, previously serving as an assistant coach (1997-2000) under current Creighton head coach Greg McDermott for four seasons before being promoted to head coach upon McDermott's departure.
During his tenure at Wayne State, Burkett recruited and developed 19 All-NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) players, including nine first-team All-NSIC selections, five second-team All-NSIC picks, three third-team All-NSIC honorees and two All-NSIC honorable mentions. He also coached 1998 All-American Tyler Johnson, as well as All-America honorable mention Brad Joens in 2000-01.
Academics were a point of emphasis for Burkett at Wayne State, and he served as academic coordinator for all basketball student-athletes during his WSC tenure. His teams boasted a 100 percent player graduate rate, a 3.0 team GPA or better in 15 of his 18 semesters as head coach and two NSIC Britton Award honorees, the only two in school history. The Britton Award is given annually to the conference's top male scholar-athlete.
Burkett has 16 seasons of collegiate coaching experience in all before arriving in Fort Collins, including a stop as an assistant coach for two seasons at Stetson (1995-97) and his first coaching job as a graduate assistant for the women's program at his alma mater, North Dakota (1993-94).
As a player, Burkett led North Dakota to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances from 1989-91 with no fewer than 28 wins each season and a combined four North Central Conference regular-season and region titles. In 1991, Burkett served as UND's captain, and was named the North Central Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He remains UND's all-time single-season record holder in assists (232) and second in steals (75). Burkett graduated with a bachelor of science in physical education/secondary education (1993).
The Colorado State position marked a return to the collegiate coaching ranks for Burkett after a nine-year hiatus from the game. In between college coaching stints, he has served his community in various positions in Grand Island, Neb. First, he was involved at Boys Town (2010-13; shelter school/youth care worker), and then the Department of Health and Human Services as a child and family services specialist (2013). He got back into basketball at Northwest High School where he was an alternative education specialist and assisted the boys basketball program from 2013-15 prior to becoming the girls' basketball coach for the three preceding seasons.
Notably, the careers of Williams and Burkett overlapped for eight years at Wayne State, as Williams held the head coaching job for the women's program during Burkett's tenure as men's head coach.
Burkett married Mandy on August 11, 2001 and the couple have two children, Taryn and Marcus. Taryn is a track and field student-athlete at Grand Canyon.
Colorado State, Assistant Coach – 2018-Pres.
Northwest HS, Women's Head Coach - 2015-18
Northwest HS, Men's Assistant Coach – 2013-15
Wayne State, Men's Head Coach – 2000-09
Wayne State, Men's Assistant Coach – 1997-2000
Stetson, Men's Assistant Coach – 1995-97
Wayne State, Men's Assistant Coach – 1994-95
North Dakota, Women's Grad Assistant –1993-94
Rico Burkett joined the Colorado State women's basketball staff in May of 2018 as an assistant coach.
Prior to Colorado State, Burkett was the head men's basketball coach at Wayne State for nine seasons (2000-09), finishing his tenure with the Wildcats with the third-most wins in program history (111). Burkett's nine-year stint also ranks as the second-longest tenure in program history, behind only W. Ray Hickman, who served as WSC head coach from 1927-38.
Burkett spent 13 seasons total with the Wayne State men's basketball program, previously serving as an assistant coach (1997-2000) under current Creighton head coach Greg McDermott for four seasons before being promoted to head coach upon McDermott's departure.
During his tenure at Wayne State, Burkett recruited and developed 19 All-NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) players, including nine first-team All-NSIC selections, five second-team All-NSIC picks, three third-team All-NSIC honorees and two All-NSIC honorable mentions. He also coached 1998 All-American Tyler Johnson, as well as All-America honorable mention Brad Joens in 2000-01.
Academics were a point of emphasis for Burkett at Wayne State, and he served as academic coordinator for all basketball student-athletes during his WSC tenure. His teams boasted a 100 percent player graduate rate, a 3.0 team GPA or better in 15 of his 18 semesters as head coach and two NSIC Britton Award honorees, the only two in school history. The Britton Award is given annually to the conference's top male scholar-athlete.
Burkett has 16 seasons of collegiate coaching experience in all before arriving in Fort Collins, including a stop as an assistant coach for two seasons at Stetson (1995-97) and his first coaching job as a graduate assistant for the women's program at his alma mater, North Dakota (1993-94).
As a player, Burkett led North Dakota to back-to-back Elite Eight appearances from 1989-91 with no fewer than 28 wins each season and a combined four North Central Conference regular-season and region titles. In 1991, Burkett served as UND's captain, and was named the North Central Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He remains UND's all-time single-season record holder in assists (232) and second in steals (75). Burkett graduated with a bachelor of science in physical education/secondary education (1993).
The Colorado State position marked a return to the collegiate coaching ranks for Burkett after a nine-year hiatus from the game. In between college coaching stints, he has served his community in various positions in Grand Island, Neb. First, he was involved at Boys Town (2010-13; shelter school/youth care worker), and then the Department of Health and Human Services as a child and family services specialist (2013). He got back into basketball at Northwest High School where he was an alternative education specialist and assisted the boys basketball program from 2013-15 prior to becoming the girls' basketball coach for the three preceding seasons.
Notably, the careers of Williams and Burkett overlapped for eight years at Wayne State, as Williams held the head coaching job for the women's program during Burkett's tenure as men's head coach.
Burkett married Mandy on August 11, 2001 and the couple have two children, Taryn and Marcus. Taryn is a track and field student-athlete at Grand Canyon.
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