SerpApi.Org
Niele Ivey already has a comp for Jacy Abii. It’s one that’ll leave the Notre Dame freshman guard with a whole lot to live up to.
How about two consecutive Notre Dame seasons of 14.5-plus points, 6.5-plus rebounds and 3.5-plus assists, hitting the 7-plus and 5-plus marks, respectively, in those latter two categories in the second of those seasons? How about a national championship coming with the first of those two seasons?
How about a No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft and eight stellar seasons that have followed? This player is a five-time WNBA All-Star, a three-time WNBA champion. This player was on the WNBA All-Rookie Team and was the WNBA’s Most Improved Player in 2022.
This player is Jackie Young.
If Abii is anything close to as good as she is, Ivey and the Irish sure do have something special on their hands.
“On my visits and during the recruiting process, she mentioned that comparison,” Abii said. “I definitely have been watching her for quite some time even aside from the Notre Dame legacy. Especially coming here, really aware of her game. Studying her game, trying to develop those aspects in all the ways I can. I have a lot of potential and Coach Ivey wants me to play as much to their level as I possibly can, especially coming in as a freshman.”
At 6-2 and with an impressively built frame, one that looks like a guard in a forward’s body and one that seems ready to withstand the rigors of an ACC women’s basketball schedule, Abii doesn’t come across as a freshman, physically. The hope is that she doesn’t play like one either.
Even Young eased into the college game a bit. Before registering the aforementioned statistics and doing enough to become the W’s No. 1 overall pick after playing just three seasons at Notre Dame, she did not start a single time as a freshman. She averaged 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.4 minutes per game.
There will be a lot more on Abii’s plate from the start, and, for her sake, hopefully a lot more of the pie to bite from. It’s sitting in directly front of her, staring her in the face, and the only one stopping her from taking out a sizable slice is herself.
As it stands, Abii will start for Notre Dame from the very beginning. The Irish only have 10 players on the roster. Five of them, including Abii, are true freshmen. One of those first-year players, Bella Ragone, is still rehabbing a high school knee injury. Two of them, Amari Byles and Isabella Sangha, are working as post players this offseason. The final freshman not named Abii is a completely different style of player; Jenica Lewis is 5-10 and more of a perimeter shooter and paint slasher. She’s not the imposing force Abii is by any stretch.
Abii is one-of-one as far as this Notre Dame freshman class goes and one-of-one on this entire Fighting Irish roster. Her time is right away, from the moment the ball tips off against Villanova in Rome on Nov. 1.
“Honestly, I’ve had to take a step back and realize how blessed I am,” Abii said. “Especially coming off the injury two years ago, being able to handle so much is honestly just a blessing. God put me in this position for a reason, so even just everything they’re throwing at me, I’m excited, it’s a lot of fun. You’ll see during workouts I’ll be struggling, dead tired, and then afterwards a smile is on my face because I’m enjoying the process. I enjoy being challenged and knowing I’m developed in certain ways.”
Ivey and the most veteran of Notre Dame’s players, Princeton transfer Madison St. Rose, enjoy watching Abii push herself and come into her own so early in her college experience.
“The versatility that she has, I think that’s one of her superpowers,” Ivey said. “She can play multiple positions. She’s very comfortable on the perimeter, but she also has great size and can go inside. So I’m going to mix it up for her, but this summer I’ve really worked on her perimeter game. I’ve really worked on her initiating the offense, being comfortable on the wings, being comfortable coming off ball screens.
“But she’s so gifted in so many different areas. She’s a great passer. She’s really smart. … I don’t want to throw too much at her, but she can do so many things well. I’m trying to narrow the things that I’m teaching her, but she’s going to be special.”
“Jacy’s transition was so smooth,” St. Rose added. “From the first week, you’re always adjusting. You’re trying to gauge how the workouts are going to be. I always try to give as much advice as possible. But from there, she just grew and blossomed. You could see her confidence level go up. You could see. her comfortability go up. So I think that she’s just doing a great job. She doesn’t look like a freshman on the court.
“And another thing, she’s very versatile. She can play the post game. She can play guard. And who doesn’t love a person that can do both and get stops as well? So I really do see a lot of potential in her. I see a lot of growth coming ahead for her. And I’m excited to keep continuing to play with her.”
