Cierra Janay Dillard (born May 8, 1996) is an American-Senegalese professional basketball player who currently plays for Alexandria Sporting Club.
| No. 24 – Sporting Alexandria | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| League | Egyptian Basketball Premier League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 8, 1996 Rochester, New York |
| Nationality | American / Senegalese |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Gates Chili (Rochester, New York) |
| College | |
| WNBA draft | 2019: 2nd round, 20th overall pick |
| Selected by the Minnesota Lynx | |
| Playing career | 2019–present |
| Career history | |
| 2019–2020 | Stadium Casablanca |
| 2021–present | Sporting Alexandria |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Medals | |
College career
editDillard attended Gates Chili High School in Rochester, New York. She was named the All-Greater Rochester Girls Basketball Player of the Decade 2010–19.[1]
She later attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst for two years, before transferring to the University at Buffalo.[2][3][4] At both universities, she played on the school's respective women's basketball teams. While playing at Buffalo, Dillard helped the Bulls to back-to-back NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament appearances in 2018 and 2019,[5][6] including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2018.
Professional career
editDillard was selected by the Minnesota Lynx in the second round of the 2019 WNBA draft.[7] The Lynx waived her in May but shortly later she was claimed of waivers by the Los Angeles Sparks. After appearing in one preseason game for the Sparks, she was once again waived on May 18.[8]
In 2022, Dillard guided Alexandria Sporting Club to the 2022 FIBA Africa Women's Champions Cup title, scoring a team-high 21 points in the finals.[9] The following season, Sporting repeated as African champions and Dillard was named MVP of the 2023 Africa Women's Basketball League.[10] Dillard averaged 23 points per game on 53.9% shooting from the field.[11]
Personal
editIn 2023, Dillard became Senegalese by presidential decree.[12] She joined the Senegal national team shortly after.[13]
Career statistics
editCollege
editSource[14]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Points | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | UMass | 30 | 319 | 35.7% | 32.4% | 70.0% | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0.1 | 10.6 |
| 2015–16 | UMass | 30 | 464 | 41.8% | 32.9% | 66.7% | 3.3 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 15.5 |
| 2017–18 | Buffalo | 35 | 566 | 39.6% | 34.6% | 80.1% | 4.1 | 5.2 | 3.0 | 0.1 | 16.2 |
| 2018–19 | Buffalo | 34 | 856 | 38.6% | 34.1% | 81.2% | 4.9 | 5.7 | 2.9 | 0.2 | 25.2 |
| Career | 129 | 2205 | 39.1% | 33.8% | 76.2% | 3.9 | 4.1 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 17.1 |