Nita Margaret Burke (''née'' French - born 27 April 1937) is a retired Australian women's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player.

Biography

Burke was born in Ulverstone, Tasmania. After starting out playing

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

, she switched to basketball, playing for

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

at the 1956 National Championships.Department of Premier and Cabine
''Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame. Nita Burke (nee French)''
Retrieved 2017-08-06. Burke was selected for the

Australia women's national basketball team The Australian women's national basketball team is nicknamed the Opals, after the brightly coloured gemstone common to the country. From 1994 onwards, the Opals have been consistently competitive and successful having won nine medals at offic ...

, representing her country six times in international competition. She was captain of the national team during their 1963

Asian tour The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. Official money events on the tour count for Wor ...

, when they won 14 of the 15 games played. At official

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...

events, Burke played at the 1957 World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Burke moved to coaching and

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

after retiring as a player in 1966. She was inducted into the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame in 1991. Burke is one of only three basketballers inducted into the Hall of Fame.Basketball Australia
''Basketball Tasmania Induct Hollie Grima into Sports Hall of Fame''
Retrieved 2017-08-06.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Nita 1937 births Living people Australian women's basketball players People from Ulverstone, Tasmania Sportswomen from Tasmania