Johnie Logue
Sports Reporter
The 2022-23 Lincoln Cardinals basketball team had an amazing season going 28-1, losing only to the eventual state champion Salisbury, 52-45 in sectional play of the MSHSAA State Basketball Tournament. They broke numerous records and held teams under 36 ppg. Coach Tyler Burke earned All-District and All-Conference Coach of the Year awards. They defeated Sacred Heart three times which is a pretty good feat in and of itself. They won three tournaments, Warsaw, Clinton and the Kaysinger Conference tourney
With the success of their football team, the bulk of their team missed several practices. I had a chance to interview the man that coached, planned, organized and executed this extraordinary season.
JL-You went undefeated in the conference so being named Coach of the Year was no surprise. What does this mean to you.? It is your second such award.
Burke-It means a lot because you only win coach of the year when you have good teams. We had a great team, so it's a result of the kids playing well.
JL-Salisbury won the state championship and was the only team to beat you. They had a tragedy in the death of one of their players a few days after the game. We extend our sympathy to them. Does their title victory make the loss more bearable since they were truly a good team?
Burke-I don't know if it makes it any more or less bearable. I know that we got beat by the best team in the state. We were right there in that mix and that's where you want to be.
JL-Was there a certain time that you decided to make defense your greatest strength?
Burke-I don't think you just decide to make defense your strength. You have to have athletic, competitive kids to be a great defensive team and that's what this group was. We became good at defense because of those kids.
JL-You have been around these kids for a long time How was it to coach them and watch them grow up.?
Burke-I loved coaching this particular group of seniors, along with the guys they played with. I've really had a lot of coachable, driven players in the last few years and that is a lot of fun. They never argued over who deserved credit. I'm really proud of their growth and I'm really going to miss watching them play the game together.
JL-You had several injuries over the four years and had to adapt to different situations. Also, the obstacle with the success of the football team cutting into your practice time. Care to comment.
Buke-Lots of teams battle injuries. We were very fortunate this year that we maintained the health of our core players until the final quarter of the season.
JL-There may never be a 28-1 basketball team in Benton County ever again, or at least for a long time to come. We hope there is. Do you think the players really understand what they accomplished.?
Burke-I hope they do. If they don't now, they will some day. In a competitive conference where we had a lot of good teams with successful seasons. We had 20 win teams and quarterfinal teams in our conference. 28-1 is something they can always be proud of.
JL-You had a good group of freshmen this year. How were they affected by the varsity's success and what expectations do you have for them?
Burke-I have high expectations for all of our underclassmen. I hope that the experience they gained from this year will set them up to be successful.
JL-We watch them do extraordinary things on the court. Do we ever forget that most of them are just still kids? As a reporter, I do.
Burke-That's what makes their accomplishments even more impressive is that they did it every single day, they showed up and faced the challenge every time.
JL-What have you learned from this season to help you in the future.?
Burke-I learned that sometimes it's more stressful to be really good than to be an average team. Handling the expectations you hold for yourself can be a challenge. Our kids were so impressive in their ability to handle expectations.
JL-So now they will play baseball and golf and then graduate. This group of seniors has to be special to you. What are some of your favorite memories of this group looking back?
Burke-It's a great group. They won two district titles, played in three district championships. They won 65 games in three years. 2 conference tournament titles and an undefeated conference championship. I'll just miss watching them play the game and those will be my memories.
JL-Stats don't tell the story but they are nice after the season is over. Do you think your pace of play and sitting out the starters in blowouts will hurt their post season awards?
Burke-I hope that people recognize their body of work.
JL-What advice and life lessons did you try to pass onto them.?
Burke-I hope that when they look back they think about how much fun they had. We talk about how it isn't a lot of fun doing what it takes to win. Most kids don't want to do what it takes to be a great team. I hope they are glad they did.
Thanks Coach.
