RIGBY, Idaho (KIFI) — A summer trip that started with an unexpected Instagram message turned into the experience of a lifetime for Rigby graduate Lauren Burnside.
The former Rigby High School basketball standout helped Team USA win a gold medal at an international tournament in Spain, representing not only the United States but also her hometown.
Burnside said she almost didn’t believe the opportunity was real when she first received the invitation.
“At first I was kind of like, ‘Is this even real?’ I had to look into it,” Burnside said. “But I love to travel, and being able to combine basketball and travel together… I just thought it was such a cool opportunity.”
The opportunity had come once before. Last year, Burnside had to turn it down because it conflicted with her local basketball season. When she received another invitation this spring, she decided she couldn’t pass it up.
As the only player from Idaho in the tournament, Burnside said wearing the USA jersey carried extra meaning.
“It was cool because I wasn’t just representing the U.S., I was also representing Idaho and my small town of Rigby,” she said. “I think that made it really personal to me.”
She also noticed the attention her PhD Hoops USA Team received throughout the tournament.
“It was interesting. People have kind of a love-hate relationship with the U.S. We’d play some teams and after the game they’d ask for pictures with us just because we were from the U.S. Even walking around in our USA jerseys people would look at us. It was really interesting to see how people reacted to where we were from.”
The experience wasn’t without challenges. Burnside said adjusting to Spain’s summer heat was one of the biggest obstacles.
“The second I stepped foot into our practice gym… the heat wave hit me,” she said. “I was like, this is definitely not what we’re used to. It was definitely a big adjustment.”
After dominating the early rounds of the tournament, Team USA found itself trailing by 15 points in the championship game. But Burnside said the team never lost confidence.
“We were down by like 15… after halftime we kind of switched gears,” she said. “The gym was so loud, and most of the teams were cheering against us. I think it was motivation because we were like, ‘We can’t let that happen.'”
Her squad completed the comeback to capture the gold medal.
“I think the medal and the trophy are just a physical emblem of what we accomplished,” Burnside said.
While the championship was the highlight of the trip, Burnside says the friendships and life lessons she gained may be even more valuable.
“The thing that we all connect through is basketball,” she said. “I made friendships that I’ll probably keep my whole life, and I think that really helped settle me going into college.”
Burnside will now begin the next chapter of her basketball career this fall as a freshman at Central Washington University, bringing with her international experience and a gold medal earned on the world stage.
