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When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Australia had some of the strictest lockdown restrictions in the world. Sophie Burrows spent much of her time at home, training in her yard in order to improve, despite limited basketball opportunities away from home.

Whether she ran simple form-shooting drills for hours on end or simulated in-game shots, Burrows, a Syracuse women’s basketball commit, was always trying to improve. She often practiced alongside her two older sisters, Anna and Ruth, and continued to develop her game back in her native Australia, where she played at the school, club and youth national levels.

Her siblings were Burrows’ earliest inspirations. As a kid, Burrows attended her sisters’ basketball games and begged her parents to let her join on the court. Although she couldn’t play with her sisters as teammates, Burrows’ backyard battles built her focused mindset.

“I’ve always been competitive with them,” Burrows said. “When we would play in the backyard, I always wanted to beat them and show them up a little bit. I guess my competitiveness comes from them.”

Those months spent practicing at home during the pandemic showed immediate results when she returned to the court. When playing for Victoria Metro U16 back in 2019, Burrows averaged only six points and four rebounds per game. Following the pandemic, those numbers increased to nearly 12 and 10, respectively.

Similarly, while playing for the Diamond Valley Eagles in the NBL1, an Australian semi-professional league, Burrows averaged over 15 points per game, including a 33-point game.

“She came back from COVID probably more passionate than she was, and her skills had increased a lot,” Eagles teammate Hayley Sparks said. “(In practice), there’s a lot of moments when she’s having an absolutely crazy shooting night. There’s moments when I’m training with her and thinking ‘you can’t stop her.’”

Sparks has known Burrows since they were preteens. Back then, Burrows played for the Eltham Wildcats while Sparks was a member of the Eagles. Sparks always remembered Burrows as the curly-headed girl from Eltham who “always wanted to come and play hard and train hard.” Once they became teammates, Sparks and her coach used a new nickname for Burrows: “Buzz.” She hated it, Sparks said.

Dee Butler, who recently joined the Diamond Valley organization as head coach back in 2022, created the nickname. One of the first tasks that Butler gave Burrows was to transition from playing a traditional small forward role into more of a stretch-four. Butler believed Burrows could be extremely effective in that role due to her versatility on both ends. Burrows, however, wasn’t so keen on that idea.

“(Burrows) was very resistant to training or playing anything but a 3, and it was the first time I actually saw some real emotion from her,” Butler said. “Initially, she was getting frustrated because it wasn’t comfortable for her, and there were times at practice you could see she was disappointed.”

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Eventually, Burrows realized she created a difficult matchup as a stretch-four, and started to enjoy the role. Butler said the role allowed her to develop “wrinkles” in the offense, allowing her to shoot from beyond the arc and complement her skillset.

College coaches all over the United States noticed Burrows’ adaptability. Santa Clara and St. Mary’s were near the top of Burrows’ list, but ultimately, Syracuse stood above. Finding the right coach was a top priority for Burrows, and after meeting with head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, she knew SU was the right fit.

“I was really looking for a coach who had a good balance between being tough on court, but also being understanding,” Burrows explained. “I wanted a coach both as a player and as a person, and I think (Legette-Jack) embodies that perfectly.”

Burrows said her approach on the court won’t change once she arrives in Syracuse. Both her coach and teammate talked about her in-game intensity and ability to impact the game in different ways. That includes shooting the 3 at a high efficiency and making plays as a distributor or defender.

“I like to think I take the right shots when I’m open, find my teammates when they are open,” Burrows said. “A lot of coaches have told me I’m calm on the court. So even when the game is close and I have free throws, anything like that, I’m a calm presence on the court.”

Published on March 22, 2023 at 9:53 pm