The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904, and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have now won 17 gold medals in the 20 tournaments they have participated in during the past 88 years, while the women have won 10 gold medals in the 12 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 48 years. While we must wait 3 years until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will fill the void by interviewing as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible. We continue our coverage by chatting with Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Holly Warlick about her former college teammate Cindy Brogdon’s time in Knoxville and the silver medal she won in 1976.
Cindy was named state tournament MVP during each of her 4 years at Greater Atlanta Christian School: how big a deal was it when she became the 1st woman in the state of Georgia to receive a full college athletic scholarship in the 1970s? I did not meet her until she arrived here, but I am not surprised that she was the 1st.
Most female players of that era used a 2-handed set shot: why did she decide to use a 1-handed jump shot? It was unique: it seemed like anyone who shot from long-range used 2 hands back then, and very few people strayed away from that.
She won a silver medal with Team USA at the 1976 Olympics: what did it mean to her to represent her country, and what did it mean to her to win a silver medal? I know that she was extremely honored to be on that team at such a young age. It was well-deserved because I know her talent: she was proud to represent our country.
She began her college career at Mercer: why did she decide to transfer in 1977, and what made her choose Tennessee? She chose Tennessee due to her experience with Pat Summit, who was her teammate on the Olympic team. She wanted to be on a bigger stage and it was a huge get for our program. She was a scoring machine who elevated our team.
In the 1979 AIAW tourney you and Cindy helped the Lady Vols reach the Final 4 before losing to Louisiana Tech: how close did you come to winning it all? Every year we came close but could not get over the hump. Cindy was huge in us getting that far and a big reason why we competed for titles.
Her 3204 career PTS ranks 2nd in AIAW history: what was her secret for being such a great scorer? She was a fantastic offensive player who had 3-PT range even before the 3-PT line existed. Not too many people back then had her range.
She also had 1028 career REB: how did she balance her scoring with her rebounding? Pat believed in defense/rebounding so it was just expected of Cindy in addition to her scoring ability. She was big/stocky and knew how to position herself to get rebounds. She was expected to do that every day.
She was a 3-time All-American: what did it mean to her to receive such outstanding honors? That was a reward based on the time that she put in at the gym. It did not happen overnight: she took a lot of shots and did a lot to become an All-American. To do it 3 times was the ultimate goal, in addition to trying to win a title. She was proud of that and we were all proud of her: she helped put Tennessee on the map early in Pat’s career.
After graduating she became an All-Star with the New Orleans Pride of the Women’s Professional Basketball League, and in 2002 she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does she rank among the greatest players in school history? I consider her 1 of the best because I played with her and knew her ability. Now the sport has gotten more athletic with people playing different positions, but she was really good at her craft and was 1 of our best forwards in addition to Tamika Catchings/Candace Parker. She did so much for our team to help us win.
After retiring as a player, she became a high school teacher/coach: when people look back on her career, how do you think that she should be remembered the most? As a prolific scorer: that was her thing. I am a PG so I tried to find her every time we came down the court because she made me look good!
