Villanova’s Maddie Burke ‘excited to be here’ after transferring back home from Penn State

At 17 years old, it’s easy to think you have it all figured out. But oftentimes, a few years down the road things may look a little different. This is the case for Villanova junior guard Maddie Burke, who is entering her first season with the Wildcats after transferring in from Penn State.

When Burke was in high school at Central Bucks West, she was a coveted recruit with more than 30 scholarship offers, including one from Villanova, but she ultimately decided to attend Penn State.

“It was a very hard decision,” Burke said of choosing Penn State over Villanova. “I was also in a very different time in my life. Being in high school and then actually going through being a student-athlete in college is very different.”

The situation at Penn State ultimately wasn’t the right fit for Burke, largely due to it being about 200 miles from home. The Doylestown native is now just 30 miles from home and she already feels the difference.

“Being close to home has helped a lot,” Burke said. “Just being close to family, being familiar with the Philly area. I grew up working out around here and everything.

“Even starting in the summer, being home and being able to go to the beach with my family and little things like that.”

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Family is paramount for Burke. With a father who played professional basketball overseas and a twin sister, Allie, who plays volleyball at American University, sports have always been something the family has bonded over.

The twins went to rival high schools — Allie went to Central Bucks South — but they always made sure to balance their competitiveness with support. Allie has the perfect opportunity to show her support when the Wildcats host American in December.

“It’s really cool how that worked out,” Maddie said of playing American this year. “She’s going to bring a few [volleyball] teammates to stay at our house and come see the game.”

In the stands next to Allie will be their father, Chris, who coached his daughters in any and all sports growing up.

“He always encouraged me to be better,” Burke said. “Be better school-wise and obviously basketball. He loves basketball, so just teaching me what he knows.”

That support has helped Burke succeed on the court. In her freshman season at Penn State, Burke averaged 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and shot 36% from three-point range. She was named the Big Ten’s sixth player of the year, an accomplishment that she humbly called “pretty cool.”

Burke’s sophomore year, however, did not go quite as well. She averaged 2.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and shot just 19.5% from distance, all while playing 12 fewer minutes per game than her freshman season.

“I just wasn’t performing,” Burke explained. “It wasn’t anything personal. I was just going through some mental struggles and my coach was there for me the entire time.”

Despite those struggles, Burke proved herself as a freshman, and her Central Bucks West coach, Zach Sibel, is confident that she will find success again at Villanova.

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“I think her knack for understanding the game really puts her above other players and puts her in a position to be really successful,” Sibel said. “She has a high IQ and allows that to go with her talent.”

While Sibel couldn’t say enough about Burke’s skills, calling the former Pennsylvania Class 6A player of the year’s shooting ability the “best I’ve seen or coached,” he said it’s the little things that make her so special.

“I think there’s just a leadership that she has,” Sibel said. “It’s doing those other things and keeping other players calm.”

Burke’s focus has never been on individual statistics. In fact, both Sibel and Villanova coach Denise Dillon agree that Burke can sometimes be too selfless.

“She’s selfless to the point we beg her to shoot the ball because she’s such a great shooter,” Dillon said.

Burke highlighted her shooting ability as a freshman at Penn State when she knocked down 58 triples, which ranked 38th nationally.

“I think she fits perfectly with our style of play and she’s a great teammate,” Dillon said. “She was an easy pickup for us.”

Burke joins a Villanova team with major expectations. The Wildcats are coming off a 24-9 season and their first NCAA tournament win since 2018. After the transfer of Lior Garzon, Burke will likely fill Garzon’s role as the team’s second scoring option behind All-American Maddy Siegrist.

With the Wildcats just as excited for Burke’s arrival as she is, she has quickly settled back near home.

“I’m really excited to be here,” Burke said. “You only get so many years to play basketball and I think it’s something people take for granted. I try to remind myself every day to just be grateful for it.”