PARIS — Something was missing from the Tokyo Olympics, and Cierra Burdick noticed immediately.
The 2015 Tennessee graduate, an All-American forward for the storied basketball program, couldn’t believe it. For the first time in Olympic history, there were no Lady Vols on the USA Basketball rosters at the Tokyo Games, either in traditional 5×5 or 3×3, the newest hoops event.
Burdick has remedied that at the 2024 Paris Olympics as a member of the four-player women’s 3×3 team, which plays its second game, against Azerbaijan, on Wednesday. The Americans lost their opener against Germany.
“I’m super grateful to be able to bring the Lady Vol sisterhood back to the Olympic Games, it’s not something I take lightly,” Burdick said. “I know Pat (Summitt) is smiling down on me for sure. The Lady Vol sisterhood, and just the support system we have in Knoxville — and honestly worldwide, the Tennessee community is everywhere — to be able to represent them in the Games is incredible. Orange runs through me, and I’m gonna do my best to represent Rocky Top.”
Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports’ WhatsApp Channel
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
It’s not a destination Burdick expected, and she’s the first to admit it.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be here at the Olympics,” she said. “I was very realistic with my skills. I knew I wasn’t one of the best 12 in the U.S. in five-on-five. I played on U16, U17 and U19 teams but I knew my chances for making the Olympic team were slim to none.
“Then 3×3 came on the circuit and I was like, ‘OK this I might be able to go to the Olympics in.’ ”
She’s thrived in the newer event, helping the U.S. to 3×3 gold medals at the 2023 Pan American Games, the 2023 FIBA World Cup and the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
When the Charlotte, North Carolina, native was picking a college, she had three criteria: be within four hours of home; play for a staff that would make her better; go somewhere that developed pros.
She got that in Tennessee and Summitt, a famously demanding coaching legend who many believe built the foundation for what women’s college basketball is today. Summitt won eight national championships in her illustrious 38-year career, sending dozens of players to the pros and Olympics. For decades, the Lady Vols set the standard in college hoops.
But when the iconic coach announced in 2011 that she’d been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 59, everything slowly unraveled. Summitt stepped down after the 2011-12 season, Burdick’s freshman year, and longtime assistant Holly Warlick took over.
By its standards Tennessee has struggled since then. The Lady Vols haven’t been to a Final Four since 2008, their last national championship, and haven’t gotten past the Sweet 16 since 2016, the year Summitt died. In April, the school surprised many in women’s basketball when it fired alum Kellie Harper, who won three national championships as a player and had a 108-52 record over five seasons as head coach.
“Obviously we’re all hungry for the Lady Vol program to get back to where it was,” Burdick said. “Our program has definitely gone through some transitions but you know, there’s not a book written on how to handle what happened. We tried to manage as best we could.
“I think everything cycles, sports cycle. UConn won four national championships in a row with Stewie (Breanna Stewart) and they haven’t won one since. They’re trying to get back to that as well.”
As Tennessee’s program dipped, its production of All-Americans — and Olympians — slowed, too. Summitt’s influence isn’t as obvious either. With the retirement of seven-time All-Star Candace Parker before the 2024 WNBA season, there’s now just one former UT player left in the league who played for Summitt, Isabelle Harrison of the Chicago Sky. Burdick has not played in the WNBA since 2021.
While Lady Vol alums still populate WNBA rosters, they’re not as common as they once were, and certainly not as prevalent as players from their longtime rival, UConn. There are just six former Lady Vols in the league this summer compared to 16 from UConn; there are also three former Huskies on the women’s 5×5 team at these Olympics in Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Diana Taurasi.
Before Burdick, the last Lady Vol to be an Olympian was Tamika Catchings, who won four gold medals with Team USA (2004, ’08, ’12 and ’16) and is widely considered one of the best two-way players in the history of the game.
Burdick’s role on the 3×3 roster is unique. She’s the only veteran player who’s not in the WNBA (guard Hailey Van Lith is still in college). This roster hasn’t played together before Paris, and its other two players, Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby, have limited 3×3 experience. Howard, the 2022 WNBA Rookie of the Year, has never played a 3×3 tournament outside, which happens at the Olympics.
‘That’s the OG,’ Howard said of Burdick. ‘She knows a lot beyond her years. Just having her makes our jobs a lot easier. She’s always saying what she wants from us and what she needs us to do to continue to be better.”
Burdick is happy to shoulder the leadership responsibility. She’s leaning on what she learned under Summitt and her famous “Definite Dozen” to help the U.S. defend gold over the next couple weeks.
“I’m gonna take the backseat to my teammates at all times,” Burdick said. “My role (is) just to make sure I can lead them, to make their job as easy as possible, to try to keep the team together and be the glue. Making sure I’m putting the team first at all times, I definitely learned that from Pat. It was never about the individual (player) with her. Her humility was on another level.”
Burdick also thinks she won’t be the last Lady Vol in the USA Basketball pipeline.
“I think (WNBA rookie) Rickea Jackson will be an Olympian at some point,” she said. “Hopefully I got us back, and it’ll just keep rolling from that.”
She’s positive it’s exactly what Summitt would demand.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
