Mike Burton

Sport is a physical activity involving skill and competition. It brings happiness, it brings tears. But strip away the sweat and the game plays; sport has the power to define a person. To define the way they think, how they see the world, the experiences they have and the people they meet.

Teacher and basketball coach Mike Burton mused: “I wake up thinking about basketball. If my eyes are glazed over, my wife will say, “What are you thinking about?” and I reply, “What do you think?”" But you have to ask, where does a man get such a passion from?

Mike Burton grew up in Ellesmere Port and never touched a basketball until he went to America to coach football in 1970. Ever since, his ‘basketball CV’ has grown from a local P.E teacher, to British Basketball League (BBL) head coach, and then assistant coach for the England squad. Mike is now retired, but he still gives up a lot of his time to coach youngsters and revels in the satisfaction of seeing them pick up the game and develop.

Burton’s first success as coach came in 1979 when four of the 15-year-olds he taught made it into the England schools team after taking them on a basketball tour in America. He remembers ferrying pupils from his school to watch their debut game: “I took two coach loads to watch the first England schools game against Ireland’s school boys and all four players started. I was so proud.”

One of these players was Iain Rooney, whose brother Keith followed Mike into PE teaching, then basketball coaching. Keith said: “Burt was always an inspiration; he had an energy and enthusiasm that went beyond mere teaching and coaching. Could I ever hope to match his ability, his commitment and inspiration? Not a chance.”

Mike has now coached over 30 players who have gone on to play for their country or professionally. Some of these include Joanna Leedham. She is on the starting five for the GB Women’s team and will play in the Olympics next year. Also, he coached John Amechi who had four years in the NBA.

Despite these outstanding contributions to the game, Mike remains an extremely modest and grounded man. He sits in his armchair, slippers on, mug of tea in hand and the Channel 4 racing on mute in the background. Although, as a self-proclaimed ‘noisy coach,’ he recognises that different players respond and warm to different styles of coaching: “If the coach is really dedicated, then he’s got a chance of motivating players.”

Keith shakes his head at the thought of Mike just having a chance of motivating players. “Any Burton coached team is going to be the best drilled and best motivated outfit ever” he says: “When I coached teams playing against Mike’s Jets he always knew what I was going to do next, usually before I’d even know! He’s that good.”

In the mid 90’s, Burton was approached to coach the Chester Jets who were at the bottom of division two. Gradually, they edged their way up the leagues. One of Mike’s highlights of his career was winning all four BBL trophies in 2002 whilst working with Robbie Peers. “I knew [Robbie] was an outstanding talent; but no one would give him a job at that point because everyone had American coaches except us. I decided to let him coach and he won everything. That was a huge, huge high.”

He admits that it is difficult to say where basketball is heading in this country. There was a huge surge in the 80’s – but it never quite took off. Mike insists that live, terrestrial television coverage and basketball’s popularity go hand in hand. The players are not as good as they used to be either: “It’s not great at the top. It’s a fact now. There isn’t the crowd there used to be. But below that basketball is really strong.”

Mike always has his own mascot in the shape of his wife, Diana. She may not run around in a squirrel costume and perform slam dunks on a trampoline at half time, but she always helped out where she could. Mike describes her as a ‘basketball widow’ rather than a basketball WAG, but is so pleased of how she embraced the game.

As well as his work with junior basketball in this country, Mike works with the Nyakatukura Memorial Secondary School in Uganda. He built a basketball court out there for the 450 orphan children who attend – most of whom are HIV positive. Mike is travelling out again in March 2012 and taking lots of second hand kit for the students, which are currently stored in his garage.

Mike Burton is admired and respected throughout the basketball community from junior programmes, to BBL and international level. Keith added: “It is impossible to estimate how many people Mike has inspired over the years, although he is still an awkward, argumentative s**t when you play against him!”