Butler High alum Burdick helps USA to 3x3 World Cup

USA BASKETBALL

Butler High alum Cierra Burdick helped the United States to the FIBA World Cup 3x3 title with seven points in a 16-12 upset of France.

Former Butler High basketball standout Cierra Burdick helped the United States to the women’s FIBA 3x3 World Cup.

The USA upset France 16-12 to take the gold medal Sunday in Vienna, Austria. It’s the third world championship for the Americans and second for Burdick, who was on the USA’s winning team the last time they topped the podium in 2014.

The USA men finished second, losing to Serbia 21-19 in the final. Both results qualify the USA men and women into the FIBA 3x3 Olympic qualifying tournament, to be held in 2024 prior to the Paris Olympics. Three-on-three basketball debuted at the 2020 Tokyo Games where the USA women won gold while the men did not qualify.

Games are played to 21 points with a 10-minute limit and a 12-second shot clock. Winning scores may be less than 21. Each team has four players. Teaming with Burdick were Cameron Brink, Linnae Harper and Hailey Van Lith. The team was coached by Jen Rizzotti, the former Connecticut and WNBA great who is president of the Connecticut Sun.

In the gold medal game, the USA got seven points and six rebounds each from Burdick and Van Lith. Brink, in her first 3x3 tournament, was named MVP after averaging 4.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks over eight contests. Burdick averaged 3.6 points and 5.6 rebounds.

Burdick, who has been playing 3X3 for over a decade, in addition to the 5v5 game, even has her own FIBA 3x3 Mixtape on YouTube.

This is the third FIBA 3x3 Women’s World Cup for Burdick, who competed on her first USA 3x3 national team in 2009. She also won gold medals in the 5v5 game with the USA junior national teams in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Cup, 2010 U17 World Cup, and 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

Most recently, Burdick, 29, has been playing in Spain. She also played in Italy, Israel, Russia, Poland and France. From 2015-17 and 2020-21 she played in the WNBA for seven teams as well as Force 10, the first professional U.S. women’s 3x3 team.

“I just think about my resilience,” she told USA Basketball last year before the 2022 3x3 World Cup, “being in and out of the WNBA, being on the bubble. I could make a whole list of trials and tribulations that I’ve had to overcome in the WNBA and on the pro circuit. But I’m grateful for everything — for all the ups and downs — because they made me the player I am today.”

Burdick, a Tennessee alum, played at South Mecklenburg and Butler high schools and was a finalist for the Naismith National High School Player of the Year award in 2011.

“Any time you have the opportunity to represent your country, it is special,” she said. “In high school, you’re representing your neighborhood. In college, it’s your state. With USA Basketball, you’re representing your country on the world stage. It’s an honor and a privilege. And now it’s up to us to make most of this opportunity and to remain humble and grateful.”

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