Heidi Burge
Encyclopedia
Heidi Ann Horton (born November 11, 1971 in Fairfax, CA) is a former professional basketball
player and is the twin
sister of Heather (Burge) Quella
.
. Although Burge was not originally interested in playing basketball, as she preferred theater and volleyball, after being asked to tryout by the ladies basketball coach her freshman year, she quickly fell in love with the game. Burge also brought success to the team, transforming the Sea Kings into Southern Section 3-A champions in 1987 and concluding her high-school career second on the school's all-time list of girls' scorers with 1,183 points. After graduation, both sisters accepted scholarships to attend the University of Virginia
and play for the Lady Cavaliers basketball team. Although the pair would attend the same school, they did not live together or even have the same circle of friends. The Burge's also did not play the same position on the court as Heidi preferred the outside game and Heather (who is 6 minutes older than Heidi) played inside, was the go-to scorer in the paint, and banged against the opposing team's center.
championships (in 1990, 1992 and 1993) and Women's NCAA Final Four appearances (1990–1992). Following the school year in 1989 and 1990, Burge was asked to play for USA Basketball
U18 and U19 basketball teams
and won a gold medal at the 1990 US Olympic Festival. Things did not always go smoothly for the Burges in their freshman and sophomore seasons as the pair were frequently in foul trouble, rarely played at the same time on the court (due to their foul situation), fought with teamamates and each other, and were considered by their teammates to be both "soft" and prone to mistakes and turnovers.
However during their time with UVA, the pair averaged 24 points and seven rebounds per game and teamed with NCAA All-Americans Dawn Staley
and Tammi Reiss to lead the Cavaliers to three consecutive Final Fours and a 1991 overtime loss to Tennessee
in the championship game. In all three trips to the Final Four, the Cavaliers lost to the eventual NCAA Champion (losing to Stanford
in 1990 and 1992). Virginia's 1992 campaign ended with a school-record 32 wins (32-2, 15-1 in the ACC) and the team was ranked #1 in the Associated Press Poll and second in the USA Today Coaches Poll at the end of the regular season. Prior to her senior year in 1993, Burge was among only 54 UVA in-coming seniors to be given the privilege of living in one of the residences in The Lawn, a portion of the campus that makes up much of the original buildings constructed on campus in 1817-19. Also in 1993, Virginia lost in the East Region Championship to NCAA runner-up Ohio State
. The Lady Cavs lost all four tournament games by a total of only 15 points with the biggest score differential being their 9 point loss to Stanford in 1990.
While at UVA, Burge was a three-year member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll (1991–1993). As of May 2011, Burge is tied for second in career games played with 134, sixth in rebounds with 853 boards, sixth in blocked shots with 108 blocks, eleventh in career double-double's with 14, and nineteenth in career scoring with 1,191 points.
After graduating with a bachelors degree with a dual major in Retorics and Communications Studies and Spanish
, Burge played professionally for six years overseas with AS Montferrand in France (1993–94), GYSEV-Sopron in Hungary (1994–95), Cariparma in Italy (1995–96), and finally Panathinaikos in Athens, Greece (1996–1997).
Following her season in Greece, Burge accepted an offer to play in the newly-formed Women's National Basketball Association
(WNBA) for the Los Angeles Sparks
alongside four-time Olympic gold medal winner Lisa Leslie
. Although the team lead the league in scoring (with 74 points per game) and were fourth (out of eight teams) in defensive rating, the Sparks finished a disappointing 14-14 and out of the playoff picture. On January 27, 1998, Burge was taken by the Washington Mystics
as their first selection and second selection overall in the expansion draft that formed the nucleus of both the Mystics and the Detroit Shock
. Burge was featured as one of the key Mystics players prior to the start of the season and included in team marketing. During the season, Burge would start half the team's 30 games, finish second on the team in both field goal and three point percentages and fourth in minutes, points, rebounds, and blocked shots, but it wouldn't be enough as the team would finish a league-worst 3-27 despite the presence of Olympian Nikki McCray
. Her stay with the Mystics was short as well, as Burge was released on June 9, 1999 by the team following her injury-plagued 1998 season (in which she struggled with a lower back injury and a broken finger) and after drafting all-world forward Chamique Holdsclaw
.
Among the highlights of her WNBA career was a game-high 11 rebounds and nine points against the Phoenix Mercury
in 1997, a 14 point, 9 rebound effort in a 75-68 victory over the Utah Starzz
the same year, and a career-high 19 points against the Mercury in August 1998. Upon retirement, one of Burge's biggest professional disappointments was that she was never able to either play with or against Heather.
After leaving basketball in January 2000, Burge moved to Houston, TX after accepting a job as a press and media broadcasting intern for the WNBA's Houston Comets
. She now lives with her husband, Patrick Horton, who she married on September 29, 2001, and has two children, Jonathon (born 2004) and Holly (born 2007). Burge works as a physical therapist specializing in lower back injuries (which was inspired by her own career-ending lower back injury) and as a youth basketball instructor at various Houston-area camps including "Post University" and "Basketball Hoops School" and as a private coach.
At 6 feet 5 inches each, the pair were recognized in 1991 by Guinness World Records
as the world's tallest female twins. This record was broken in 2004 by Ann and Claire Recht. The Disney television movie, Double Teamed
, which was released in 2002, is based on their life stories and achievements in high school basketball. In the movie, Burge is played by actress Annie McElwain
.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and is the twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
sister of Heather (Burge) Quella
Heather Burge
Heather Marie Quella is a former professional basketball player and is the twin sister of Heidi Horton.-Growing up:...
.
Growing up
As a 5-month-old in 1972, was found to have a second aorta wrapped around and constricting her windpipe which needed to be removed through open-heart surgery. At the time, she was given only a 50-50 chance of survival. Prior to starting High School, the Burge family moved to Palos Verdes Estates, CA so that the sisters could attend Palos Verdes High SchoolPalos Verdes High School
Palos Verdes High School is one of three public high schools on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Southern California, USA...
. Although Burge was not originally interested in playing basketball, as she preferred theater and volleyball, after being asked to tryout by the ladies basketball coach her freshman year, she quickly fell in love with the game. Burge also brought success to the team, transforming the Sea Kings into Southern Section 3-A champions in 1987 and concluding her high-school career second on the school's all-time list of girls' scorers with 1,183 points. After graduation, both sisters accepted scholarships to attend the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
and play for the Lady Cavaliers basketball team. Although the pair would attend the same school, they did not live together or even have the same circle of friends. The Burge's also did not play the same position on the court as Heidi preferred the outside game and Heather (who is 6 minutes older than Heidi) played inside, was the go-to scorer in the paint, and banged against the opposing team's center.
Basketball star
UVA would win right away with Burge averaging 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds a game her freshman year and the pair playing a big part in leading the team to the school's first three, and to date only, Atlantic Coast ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
championships (in 1990, 1992 and 1993) and Women's NCAA Final Four appearances (1990–1992). Following the school year in 1989 and 1990, Burge was asked to play for USA Basketball
USA Basketball
USA Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in the United States. The organization represents the United States in FIBA and the men's and women's national basketball teams in the United States Olympic Committee...
U18 and U19 basketball teams
USA Women's U18 and U19 teams
The USA Women's U18 and U19 teams are two of the teams under the auspices of the USA Basketball organization. The team names refer to the age limits for the invited players...
and won a gold medal at the 1990 US Olympic Festival. Things did not always go smoothly for the Burges in their freshman and sophomore seasons as the pair were frequently in foul trouble, rarely played at the same time on the court (due to their foul situation), fought with teamamates and each other, and were considered by their teammates to be both "soft" and prone to mistakes and turnovers.
However during their time with UVA, the pair averaged 24 points and seven rebounds per game and teamed with NCAA All-Americans Dawn Staley
Dawn Staley
Dawn Michelle Staley is an American basketball player and coach. Staley is a three-time Olympian and was elected to carry the United States flag at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics. She was named the University of South Carolina women's head basketball coach on May 7, 2008...
and Tammi Reiss to lead the Cavaliers to three consecutive Final Fours and a 1991 overtime loss to Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
in the championship game. In all three trips to the Final Four, the Cavaliers lost to the eventual NCAA Champion (losing to Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1990 and 1992). Virginia's 1992 campaign ended with a school-record 32 wins (32-2, 15-1 in the ACC) and the team was ranked #1 in the Associated Press Poll and second in the USA Today Coaches Poll at the end of the regular season. Prior to her senior year in 1993, Burge was among only 54 UVA in-coming seniors to be given the privilege of living in one of the residences in The Lawn, a portion of the campus that makes up much of the original buildings constructed on campus in 1817-19. Also in 1993, Virginia lost in the East Region Championship to NCAA runner-up Ohio State
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
. The Lady Cavs lost all four tournament games by a total of only 15 points with the biggest score differential being their 9 point loss to Stanford in 1990.
While at UVA, Burge was a three-year member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll (1991–1993). As of May 2011, Burge is tied for second in career games played with 134, sixth in rebounds with 853 boards, sixth in blocked shots with 108 blocks, eleventh in career double-double's with 14, and nineteenth in career scoring with 1,191 points.
After graduating with a bachelors degree with a dual major in Retorics and Communications Studies and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Burge played professionally for six years overseas with AS Montferrand in France (1993–94), GYSEV-Sopron in Hungary (1994–95), Cariparma in Italy (1995–96), and finally Panathinaikos in Athens, Greece (1996–1997).
Following her season in Greece, Burge accepted an offer to play in the newly-formed Women's National Basketball Association
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
(WNBA) for the Los Angeles Sparks
Los Angeles Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
alongside four-time Olympic gold medal winner Lisa Leslie
Lisa Leslie
Lisa Deshaun Leslie-Lockwood is a former American professional women's basketball player in the WNBA. She is a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner...
. Although the team lead the league in scoring (with 74 points per game) and were fourth (out of eight teams) in defensive rating, the Sparks finished a disappointing 14-14 and out of the playoff picture. On January 27, 1998, Burge was taken by the Washington Mystics
Washington Mystics
The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'...
as their first selection and second selection overall in the expansion draft that formed the nucleus of both the Mystics and the Detroit Shock
Detroit Shock
The Detroit Shock was a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA champion...
. Burge was featured as one of the key Mystics players prior to the start of the season and included in team marketing. During the season, Burge would start half the team's 30 games, finish second on the team in both field goal and three point percentages and fourth in minutes, points, rebounds, and blocked shots, but it wouldn't be enough as the team would finish a league-worst 3-27 despite the presence of Olympian Nikki McCray
Nikki McCray
Nikki McCray is a former American professional basketball player. She played in the Women's National Basketball Association for eight seasons....
. Her stay with the Mystics was short as well, as Burge was released on June 9, 1999 by the team following her injury-plagued 1998 season (in which she struggled with a lower back injury and a broken finger) and after drafting all-world forward Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Holdsclaw
Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw is a professional basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association most recently under a contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars...
.
Among the highlights of her WNBA career was a game-high 11 rebounds and nine points against the Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
in 1997, a 14 point, 9 rebound effort in a 75-68 victory over the Utah Starzz
Utah Starzz
The Utah Starzz were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They began play in the 1997 WNBA season as one of the league's eight original teams. The Starzz relocated, in 2003, to San Antonio, Texas where the team became the San Antonio Silver Stars...
the same year, and a career-high 19 points against the Mercury in August 1998. Upon retirement, one of Burge's biggest professional disappointments was that she was never able to either play with or against Heather.
Post-Retirement
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association team based in Houston, Texas, United States. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the best original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. The Comets were the first dynasty of the WNBA and...
. She now lives with her husband, Patrick Horton, who she married on September 29, 2001, and has two children, Jonathon (born 2004) and Holly (born 2007). Burge works as a physical therapist specializing in lower back injuries (which was inspired by her own career-ending lower back injury) and as a youth basketball instructor at various Houston-area camps including "Post University" and "Basketball Hoops School" and as a private coach.
At 6 feet 5 inches each, the pair were recognized in 1991 by Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as the world's tallest female twins. This record was broken in 2004 by Ann and Claire Recht. The Disney television movie, Double Teamed
Double Teamed
Double Teamed! is a Disney Channel Original Movie based on the life stories of twin sisters, Heather and Heidi Burge. The film was released on VHS but is now out of print.-Plot:...
, which was released in 2002, is based on their life stories and achievements in high school basketball. In the movie, Burge is played by actress Annie McElwain
Annie McElwain
Annie McElwain is an American actress best known for playing the role of Heidi Burge in Double Teamed.- Biography :Annie was born in Seattle, Washington, USA and she is also a wedding photographer in Venice Beach, California.-Filmography:...
.
WNBA Career Statistics
| Season | Age | Team | GP | GS | MIN | FG% | 3P% | FT% | OFF | DEF | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 26 | Sparks Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began... |
22 | 6 | 12.8 | .444 | .000 | .511 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 0.55 | 0.55 | 1.14 | 2.4 | 4.0 |
| 1998 | 27 | Mystics Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics is a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded prior to the 1998 season. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment , who also owns the Mystics'... |
30 | 15 | 16.7 | .509 | .286 | .597 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 0.53 | 0.5 | 2.43 | 3.1 | 6.7 |