Though her time in the Maroon and Gold may be done, 2018 graduate Shay Burnett is not ready just yet to hang up her basketball shoes.
On August 4, 2018, Burnett’s new team in Sweden, the Norrköping Dolphins, announced that the five-foot, nine-inch guard joined the squad. In a statement, Burnett said she is very excited to begin this new chapter of her career, and extended a very special thank you to her former head coach.
“I would like to thank Charlotte Smith for being my mentor and pushing me to achieve my ultimate goal since Day 1 at Elon,” Burnett said, before also thanking her family.
Coach Smith said she is “beyond proud of Shay,” before commenting on the quality of Shay’s character and wishing her well in the overseas journey ahead.
Shay Burnett '18 shares a hug with former Elon President Leo Lambert during College Coffee in Alumni Gym on Tuesday Feb. 27. [Abby Gibbs].
Burnett had quite the busy summer. After finishing her career at Elon, Burnett competed at the WNBA Combine in Columbus, Ohio. After that she earned her spot on Team USA for the FISU America Games, hosted this year in San Paulo, Brazil. While at the games, Burnett helped guide the team to a perfect 4-0 record, en route to a gold medal.
Burnett added gold to an already very impressive resume. Burnett is a back-to-back CAA champion, a three-time First Team All-CAA selection; as well as being named the 2018 CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and four times being honored as the CAA Player of the Week.
The Graham, North Carolina native joins the Dolphins who play in a 4,500-seat arena located about 100 miles from Sweden’s capital of Stockholm. Norrköping competes in the Basketligan, Sweden’s top league. The Dolphins have won the league five times, including this most recent season.
Burnett is the first Women’s Basketball graduate to sign a professional contract since Ali Ford ’13 signed a deal with Hamar in Iceland in January, 2016.