PORT ANGELES — It didn’t take long for the Port Angeles girls basketball coaching staff to realize what they had in freshman Eve Burke.
“We knew quite a bit before she got to us, [but] what we didn’t know was how quickly and confidently she would convert her abilities to a varsity level,” head coach Michael Poindexter said. “It took all of a few practices that first week to know she’d be fine.”
Burke, an undersized post at 5-foot-6, has provided just what the Olympic League champion Roughriders (17-3) have needed all season long — rebounding and a steady scoring presence inside.
And when Port Angeles finally gets back on court tonight against Franklin Pierce in the Class 2A West Central District Tournament for the Riders first game in 13 days, Burke will be in the starting lineup.
She’s transitioned from a reserve role to a starting spot and puts up 9.1 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per outing, good for second on the team.
“Yeah, I’ve done way more than I thought,” Burke said of her first season, pointing to her role on the offensive and defensive glass as most encouraging.
“My rebounding. I feel like I’ve done pretty well this year even though I’m shorter than most players. I’ve turned more into more of a post-ier person because we’ve lost so many posts [with injuries to senior Aeverie Politika and sophomore Myra Walker].
“I’m comfortable with that.”
And Burke became comfortable with her spot on the varsity right from the start. She scored the go-ahead basket in a win over Class 3A Bainbridge in the season opener and had 14 points in the Riders’ second game against No. 2 Lynden.
“I feel like it made me see that I really belonged,” Burke said of her early play.
Much of her scoring and rebounding prowess stems from Burke’s ability to find room to maneuver.
“I said [at practice] your sense of spacing and your cuts to get open are just beautifully timed,” Poindexter said. “If they were works of art they would be in an art museum. She gets space. She understands space. We see that in game and out but especially in the Sequim game [Jan. 31] she got some nice assists from Bailee [Larson] and Madi [Cooke]. She just understands space and fills it well.”
And Burke takes advantage of her opportunities inside.
“She has the second-highest field goal percentage on the team,” Poindexter said. “Madi is at 49 percent and Eve is at 48 percent. She finishes well, she understands where she needs to be on the court and that’s really what has set her apart offensively.”
Burke also is an all-around athlete — a standout in the high jump, long jump and 100 meters who has competed in Junior Olympic competitions around the Pacific Northwest.
Her leaping ability has obviously translated to the basketball court.
“Add to that her athleticism, and her athleticism is what she makes her the second-leading rebounder on the team at 6.1 boards per game behind Madi,” Poindexter said. “She had 13 boards against Sequim and their bigger posts.
“She has great timing. We like multiple-sport athletes here and she also excels at track. Same thing with Millie Long with the hurdles and with soccer — we feel like we benefit from our athletes playing multiple sports and bringing that all-around athleticism to their games.
“Her defensive footwork is outstanding. You’ll rarely see her get out of position by jumping early and allowing the girl to beat her on the dribble. She keeps rock solid defensive positioning.”
Burke and the Riders are hard at work at developing her jump shot.
“My shot for sure,” she said. “It wasn’t very good at the beginning and its slowly getting better. I like the corner and up by the free throw-line at the elbow.”
Poindexter said that work is meant for now, not for the future. That’s how valuable Burke has become this season.
“From 15 feet and in she is great and we are looking on expanding that range this year, not next year,” Poindexter said.
