Cierra Burdick took the long route to Knoxville this weekend. With the recent rock slide interrupting I-40 traffic, the women’s basketball prospect estimated that the revised trip from Charlotte took an extra two hours.
After visiting, she chose a shortcut in her recruitment.
Burdick, a 6-foot-2 junior wing player and one of the top prospects of the 2011 graduating class, verbally committed to Tennessee. She made her choice after completing an unofficial campus visit this weekend.
Burdick said she picked the Lady Vols over South Carolina. The two schools had been the finalists on her list for several months.
“I didn’t plan on committing,’’ Burdick said. “I was going to visit South Carolina one more time and compare the two. I thought this was the best decision.”
Her announcement occurred before this year’s recruiting class for Tennessee became official. Senior guards Lauren Avant and Meighan Simmons are expected to sign letters of intent with UT in the fall signing period, which begins Wednesday.
As a sophomore, Burdick started 29 of 32 games for Butler High in Mathews, N.C., last season, averaging 12.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.8 assists per game.
This summer she played for the USA U16 national team, which won the FIBA Americas tournament in Mexico City. In five games, Burdick averaged 6.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. She shot 44.1 percent from the floor (15-for-34) and recorded 18 assists.
Burdick’s mother, Lisa, and her grandparents accompanied her this weekend and were factors in UT’s favor.
“My family has a big influence on me,’’ Burdick said. “They thought it was the right decision for me.”
The rerouted journey notwithstanding, UT being relatively near was a plus for Burdick, along with the team itself.
“The biggest thing with me is getting better and better so I can compete at the next level,’’ she said. “That coaching staff can bring the full potential out in me.”
Another look at Knoxville also was worthwhile for Burdick, who conceded that she “didn’t want to be out in the boondocks.”
“I was thinking there was going to be nothing but the University of Tennessee,’’ said Burdick, who also attended the Lady Vols’ summer camp. “I was very surprised when I came and saw all the views. The (Women’s Basketball) Hall of Fame, the river. That was a huge surprise.”
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
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Comments » 12
sandiegovolunteer writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
tennesseekilt#206652 writes:
Number 6 overall for the 2011 class - great pickup!! We need to pick up a few more like this to get back to the top - nice start.
volfan2002 writes:
This is a sensational pickup. She has been rated as high as number 2. Great pickup.
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
sounds like a winner!!
CTOWNICON writes:
She made the best decision coming to UT! With a coach like Pat and a team with the history of UT she will have a big bright orange future here!
CladnBigOrange writes:
for her to be rated so high....one would think she would be a very good player. uconn is "rated" #1... so i would assume that they are a very good team...same difference.
tennesseekilt#206652 writes:
Do you remember the Geno press conference after they won the championship they won before Parker & Co. came to UT? He knew the tables were going to turn for a few years and he said as much. Why? Because the 'inept' recruiting services rated UT's class #1, and #1 recruit Candace Parker as the best thing to come out of HS and play at UT since, well, another highly rated recruit named Holdclaw. UT had like 5 of the top 8 recruits that year, and they won 2 national championships with them. UConn has had similar experiences over the years with their recruiting classes. Don't tell me ratings mean nothing. They don't mean everything, but they do mean a lot, and Tennessee MUST sign top 10 recruits or they can forget keeping up with the likes of UConn, who will.
There will always be projected 5 stars who flop, and projected 2 and 3 stars who shine, but the rankings still get the overall picture right more often than not.
Scott
VolunteerLifer writes:
Didn't PAT SUMMITT rate her before offering her a slot on the 2011 recruiting class? Didn't PAT SUMMITT offer her a scholarship? And does PAT SUMMITT have 8 national championships?
So, IF PAT SUMMITT offers a player a scholarship, YOU CAN BE ASSURED THAT THE PLAYER HAS BEEN RATED BY THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS!!!!!!
Get it??????????
reachkim00 writes:
Great pickup! The tables are turning once again in our favor. I'm watchig the Delta State game, Kelly Cain is kicking A_S_S!! GO LADY VOLS!!!
reachkim00 writes:
GREAT response VolunteerLifer. Pat was estatic that we got the RATED #1 player in the country Candace Parker when she signed here. Ratings do matter and they are usally right on. Coach knows this and she recruits accordingly.
reachkim00 writes:
Oh brother, long_winded strikes again.
GO LADY VOLS!!!!
reachkim00 writes:
lol.. just love getting under your skin dumb a_s_s, that's all.
GO LADY VOLS!!!!!
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