UH assistant coach Burke
expected to leave for NBA

Hawaii basketball coach Riley Wallace leaves for a recruiting trip next week. When he comes back, he'll need to fill a vacancy on his coaching staff as well.

Bob Burke, an assistant coach for the past three seasons, is expected to leave UH to pursue a job in the NBA. Burke and Wallace both declined comment yesterday.

Burke was hired by UH in 2002 and joined Wallace and associate coaches Bob Nash and Jackson Wheeler with the Rainbow Warriors coaching staff, filling the spot left by Scott Rigot's departure to Kentucky. He had spent the previous 22 years as head coach at Chowan College in North Carolina, where he compiled a 454-258 record.

He began his coaching career at age 25, taking over at Greensboro College in 1971. He was a three-time NJCAA Region X coach of the year pick and his Chowan teams posted 12 consecutive 20-win seasons.

He helped UH to a 56-37 mark over the past three seasons in assisting with the Rainbows' offense.