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GREENVILLE, SC – After leading Chowan University to tying a record for the number of single-season wins at the NCAA Division II level, Rob Burke has been named as the Coach of the Year in Conference Carolinas.

Burke, the son of legendary Chowan coach Bob Burke who played for his now late father, guided the Hawks to 19 wins during the 2023-24 regular season.

Since arriving at his alma mater in 2021, Burke has watched the Hawks improve each season: eight wins his first season, then to 14 (2022-23) and now 19 victories thus far this season.

The Hawks, who were picked eighth in the conference’s pre-season poll, finished in third place, including an upset of pre-season favorite UNC-Pembroke on the road in the regular season finale.

Conference Carolinas unveiled its men’s basketball awards on Thursday morning, ahead of the start of the 2024 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship.

In addition to Burke’s honor, Chowan earned two other selections on the all-conference list as Daylan Askew was named First Team All-Conference while RJ Wilson earned Second Team honors.

Askew, a product of Hertford County High School, grabbed the program’s first ever First Team All-Conference selection in the Conference Carolinas after a record-breaking season. The junior guard finished with 19.6 points per game, third in the league in scoring. Askew’s record-breaking season set three new single-season records at Chowan: points (352), scoring average (19.6) and field goals made (175).

Wilson earned Second Team All-Conference honors after becoming the second Hawk to average a double-double in a season with 13.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Wilson averaged 10.9 rebounds in league play to lead the conference in that category while posting 14.1 points per game in league play. The redshirt senior forward posted 14 double-doubles this season, tying him for the most in a single-season.

Chowan wrapped up the regular season with a 19-8 overall record with a 13-5 record in league play and a 6-2 mark in the East Division to finish second in the division and the third seed overall in the conference tournament.

The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of the Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship will be held March 8-10 at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, SC. The men’s final will feature a 1 p.m. tipoff on March 10, while the women’s final is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tipoff.

The 2023-24 all-conference awards were chosen by the league’s head coaches and included KJ Jones II of Emmanuel as the Player of the Year and Elijah Cobb of UNC Pembroke as the Defensive Player of the Year.