Santa Clara University

Will Burkett is entering his ninth total season with Santa Clara men's basketball. The 2025-26 season will be his first in the role of assistant coach after serving as the program's director of operations for the previous four years.

In 2024-25, he served multiple roles as both an assistant coach and the director of operations. The upcoming season will see him shift his workload solely to coaching. 

Prior to his stint as the director of operations, Burkett spent two seasons as the team's video coordinator. Before that, he spent two years as a graduate assistant coach.

Burkett graduated from Santa Clara in 2017 after spending two years with the basketball program. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard saw action in six games as a senior in 2016-17 following one year as a practice player. He joined the staff following graduation with a bachelor's degree in management.

The native of Watsonville, Calif., played two seasons at Monterey Peninsula College where he earned All-California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) honors as a sophomore in 2014-15 by averaging 10.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Burkett was a two-year starter at St. Francis Central Coast Catholic. He was a first-team All-Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League selection as a senior when he averaged 16.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.7 blocks per game. He also lettered two seasons on the golf team. 

Burkett is married to Michelle (Gajdka) Burkett, a fellow graduate of Santa Clara, who played for the Broncos' volleyball program for four seasons from 2016-19.