Former Butler girls basketball coach Jonna Burke enters college ranks at Bethany
BETHANY, W.Va. — Sitting on 597 career high school wins, former Butler girls basketball coach Jonna Burke won’t be seeing 600.
Burke, who won 123 games with the Golden Tornado from 1995-2003, recently accepted the head women’s basketball coaching position at Bethany College of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
Her venture into college coaching leaves behind a high school coaching career that included a 597-220 overall record, numerous playoff appearances at Butler, a WPIAL championship at Bethel Park and two WPIAL titles at Shady Side Academy, including one earlier this year.
“It’s hard. It’s a milestone,” Burke said of 600 wins. “But it’s a round figure, that’s all. I got close enough. This is an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
Burke admitted coaching college basketball “has been in the back of my mind” ever since graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, where she was a standout player in her own right.
“Butler took a chance on me as a 22-year-old fresh out of school and I will never, ever forget that,” Burke said. “Some of those kids still keep in touch with me. I learned about coaching and loved high school coaching. The competition for girls basketball in Western Pennsylvania is fantastic.
“But I missed playing so much. I played at the Butler YMCA with guys just so I could stay on the court. When I went to my alma mater (Bethel Park) to coach and began having my kids, the idea of college coaching had to go on the back-burner.”
Burke’s youngest son is a junior at Bethel Park High School. She said she never considered relocating for a possible college job while he was still in school.
That’s what made the Bethany job so attractive.
“All of the PAC schools are in close proximity. There are no overnight trips involved,” se said. “I can sleep in my own bed and we can stay where we’re at. I’d been applying for some other (college) jobs and was always told I had no collegiate coaching experience.
“Now I’ll be getting that college experience and I’m excited about it.”
Burke is taking over a Bethany team that finished 17-10 in 2025-26, losing to Saint Vincent in the PAC semifinals. She succeeds coach Mikayla Lopez, who left the Bison to take over as head coach at Lake Erie College.
Lopez was 54-52 in four years at Bethany. The Bison’s 17 wins marked the program’s most in a single season in 14 years.
Bethany returns four of five starters next season.
“I’m walking into an established program,” Burke said.
Noah Gill, Bethany’s Director of Sports Information, said the college received 30 applications for the opening and interviewed eight. Burke was one of three applicants to interview on campus.
Bethany has hired coaches with no prior collegiate experience before.
“Coach Burke has been successful everywhere she’s been,” Gill said. “I think that’s what put her over the top. She has an outstanding record, is very personable, knows the game and knows how to win.
“We feel like she can elevate our program to the PAC championship game, win conference titles. That’s our vision.”
While Burke will be in the position to recruit players for the first time, it’s an element of the job she’s looking forward to.
“For the first time in my life, I’ll be a full-time basketball coach,” she said. “You can’t make a living just coaching high school ball, you have to do something else with it. Now I can devote all of my focus toward coaching a successful program. I want us to be a consistent contender.
“I know the type of players I like, the kind of players I want. I know a lot of people through my 31 years in coaching and I hope to use that to my advantage. As for now, I just need to get to know the players (now at Bethany) and they need to get to know me.”
Getting the Bison to the NCAA Division III Tournament is on Burke’s bucket list as well.
“I never reached the NCAA tournament as a player at Pitt,” she said. “I definitely want to get there as a coach.”
