Jewell Loyd Leaving for WNBA

[Kevin G]

I am shocked at the news but can't say that I am completely shocked. I watched her at the end of the game and she wasn't really emotional at either end. Not sad or angry. The way she was congratulating almost looked like a relief. I think she knew she was declaring before the NC game even started.

 

[CocoHusky]

McGraw didn't have a good game plan to get Loyd the open shots she needed to make a difference in the game Monday.

Muffet definitely had that (to get get Loyd the open shots) in the game plan. UCONN, specifically MoJeff had different plans and executed it flawlessly.

 

[Sonny44]

Love this! Anything bad for Notre Dame is good.

It's bad for us too and for WCBB.

 

[Sonny44]

Like I said- Muffet didn't have a good game plan...

Defensibly she did.

 

[Striper69]

Didn't come out the way I wanted ... if MoJett could do that to her for a whole game, which was phenomenal, then will it be easier for pro players to guard her?

They were doing the 'ol "faceguarding" thing to her. Just like they did to Shoni and Sims. I don't think MoJett was on her the entire game though. I thought I saw someone else on her a few times.

Shoni and Sims seem to be doing OK in the WNBA.

 

[Striper69]

Defensibly she did.

ND was outclassed. I'll give them credit that they didn't let it become a runaway like all the other games.

 

[meyers7]

Very much surprises me. Although declaring before the deadline while having the option to withdraw before the Draft sounds like a smart move. See what her options are. She may go ahead and go through with it, but this gives her more time to feel out her options.

 

[UcMiami]

I am still a bit in shock -
Based on Skylar's tweet about her 4 years at ND being the best four years of her life, I am pretty sure she was shocked as well.

I wonder if Muffet and the public 'McBride is the best player in the country and she was robbed' BS from last year and what I imagine was a privately expressed 'Loyd was robbed of the NPOY awards' narrative within the team might not have created another motive to leave. A 'You will never get the respect you deserve in college, because the fix is in' thinking that made heading to a 'fairer environment' of pro sports became more attractive. (This narrative was given external support by LaChina's tweet as well.)

Jewel is a great player, but she does not have the following of Skylar, nor the rep of a Maya/Diana/Griner. She will be a high pick in the draft which will get her $51K and she will get a contract in Europe probably along the lines of whatever Bria/McBride were making this past year (I suspect at most $250K?), but the big marketing money will likely depend on the results of her pro career. That is great money for a 22 year old, but it is not drop dead money that the men get, and the expenses of that pro career are pretty significant, starting with the agent's fees.

 

[HGN]

I think Jefferson became the leader after the Xmas break.

McGraw didn't have a good game plan to get Loyd the open shots she needed to make a difference in the game Monday.

Striper , McGraw had a good gameplan it just didn't work. Plus , the score would have been a lot worse if the Huskies hadn't missed all those bunnies and if Tuck had been hitting the shots she usually makes.

 

[asuwish]

By that way of thinking, Stewart, Jefferson, et al should go pro now as well. I like the fact the women's game keeps players around for 4 years 99% of the time.

One of the great things about women's collegiate sports is that it not the cesspool that is men's basketball and football. Women athletes are using basketball or whatever sport as a means to an end, not an end in itself.

This game also showed she has things she still needs to work on.

The WNBA has very strict age requirements and so Stewie and Mo can't go. Besides believe they will win it next year, and Jewell would hope to get a shot at it next year.

 

[Husky Pete]

They were doing the 'ol "faceguarding" thing to her. Just like they did to Shoni and Sims. I don't think MoJett was on her the entire game though. I thought I saw someone else on her a few times.

Shoni and Sims seem to be doing OK in the WNBA.

Nurse started the game guarding Jewel. She had her about 50% of the time and Mo the other 50%.

 

[ctdad]

Like I said- Muffet didn't have a good game plan...

The game plan may have been fine; players also have to execute the game plan.

On the defensive side, the plan was to hold the front court and Lewis in check (which pretty much happened, no one had a monster game) and make Jefferson beat them. This was somewhat logical, in that in 6 games against ND, Jefferson had been scoreless is 4 of them. Jefferson was up to the task. You have to pick your poison with UConn.

Geno's defensive plan wasn't that much different. Shut down Loyd and dare somebody else to have a big game. Stanford tried it and Allen put up 28. Baylor tried it; Allen and Mabrey put up 23 and 18 respectively. Reimer had makeable shots, she's been pretty consistently making 4-5 of those foul line area shots for a couple months now. Tuesday she didn't. Ball game.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

That's really irrelevant. The real prize is the 7-figures she will make playing overseas next season.

There are very few of those $7 figure deals and her game, though exceptional for college, does not translate into dominance on a crack European club. She's short for a guard on a European team, does not have reliable 3 point range and is sort of a volume shooter.

 

[Striper69]

It's bad for us too and for WCBB.

And for ESPN/ESPN2...

WCBB will do just fine for the normal fans rooting on their local team. It's great basketball but not enough people come to the games and support them.

 

[CTGirl15]

As much as I dislike Notre Dame and some of their players, I always liked and respected Jewell, both as a player and a person, so this is a big loss for Women's College Basketball in my mind. She has probably been one of my favorite non-UConn players to watch the past few years and I wish her the best moving forward, but man is this a blow for both Notre Dame and WCBB in general. I really hope this doesn't indicate a shift over the next few years as more players declare early and that this is just an isolated decision.

Either way, best of luck Jewell!

 

[HGN]

Meh..... My interest in the WNBA has fallen since the Charlotte Sting disbanded

Triad , Jewell Loyd leaving ND should be a big opening for Duke to retake the ACC title. There is no one on the ND team that can replace a talent like her. I was thinking you would be jumping up and down with cheer. Come on , let us see that smile.

 

[DobbsRover2]

The possibility of setting a record by being a starter on the runner-up team for three years in a row was not necessarily a happy thought that would keep a player in school, and maybe the thought of the little pest below hounding her some more was not so cheery. ND may struggle a bit at the beginning of next year, but agree that Muffet will work the talent into shape for ND to be at least an FF type team by March. Team may even shoot better as Turner and others become more the scoring focus, because Loyd taking more than a quarter of the team's shots at 44% is not a great stat for a top team to build on, especially for a guard who doesn't take many 3s.

 

[rvwsleep]

Tenn wasn't a 1 seed.

In 2014 they were. This year they were a #2 seed.

 

[johnnyc]

It's bad for us too and for WCBB.

How so? It really only affects Notre Dame but they will recover. They didn't win any championships with Loyd and it certainly wasn't a given that they would have won it next year.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Mo physical with Jewell? Please. Jewell has several inches and 50 lbs on Mo.

 

[Huskies Rule]

I know only what I have read online about Jewell's decision, and I know nothing about her family's 'economic situation.' But of all the possible explanations I have heard for why she might have decided to leave Notre Dame and turn pro, the ability to immediately earn a nice pay check along with endorsement money makes absolute sense to me. These are difficult economic times for millions of folks, and IF her family scuffles financially as so many do, then I totally understand her move. After all, as much as she may love ND, there is nothing more important than helping one's family in need. [obviously this is nothing more than conjecture]

We will just have to wait until Jewell herself tells us why. But I have to say this, I hate all the one-and-outs (Jewell would be a three-and-out) in the men's bball game, which deprives so many young adults of that beneficial university experience and an invaluable 4-year education. It does far more harm than good in the long term. Whatever, I wish Jewell the best of luck.

 

[Waquoit]

The more I think about it the more it makes sense for her. She has nothing left to prove in college. She's old enough, not a kid any more. Start living your life.

 

[Padutch5]

I am still a bit in shock -
Based on Skylar's tweet about her 4 years at ND being the best four years of her life, I am pretty sure she was shocked as well.

I wonder if Muffet and the public 'McBride is the best player in the country and she was robbed' BS from last year and what I imagine was a privately expressed 'Loyd was robbed of the NPOY awards' narrative within the team might not have created another motive to leave. A 'You will never get the respect you deserve in college, because the fix is in' thinking that made heading to a 'fairer environment' of pro sports became more attractive. (This narrative was given external support by LaChina's tweet as well.)

Jewel is a great player, but she does not have the following of Skylar, nor the rep of a Maya/Diana/Griner. She will be a high pick in the draft which will get her $51K and she will get a contract in Europe probably along the lines of whatever Bria/McBride were making this past year (I suspect at most $250K?), but the big marketing money will likely depend on the results of her pro career. That is great money for a 22 year old, but it is not drop dead money that the men get, and the expenses of that pro career are pretty significant, starting with the agent's fees.

Please don't throw anything at me, but I'm not going to join the chorus of praise for Jewel. In both UCONN games this season, her shooting percentage was terrible, it didn't stop her from taking a lot of shots and she took a lot of crazy shots. Unlike KML who, when she was having a bad shooting night, refocused on setting her team mates up, Jewel did not. Is it possible she is just not a great player in the big games? She wouldn't be the first player to have that issue. She didn't really play well in the last 3 or 4 playoff games. It could also just be that the defenses of the better teams were able to key on her.

 

[svetbird]

wow can you imagine if Seattle gets both Loyd and KML? Not too bad of a draft after all!

 

[CocoHusky]

Please don't throw anything at me, but I'm not going to join the chorus of praise for Jewel. In both UCONN games this season, her shooting percentage was terrible, it didn't stop her from taking a lot of shots and she took a lot of crazy shots. Unlike KML who, when she was having a bad shooting night, refocused on setting her team mates up, Jewel did not. Is it possible she is just not a great player in the big games? She wouldn't be the first player to have that issue. She didn't really play well in the last 3 or 4 playoff games. It could also just be that the defenses of the better teams were able to key on her.

I disagree but not enought to throw things. What might look like a crazy shot for anyone else is within the realm of possibility for Jewell because of her athleticism. You also have to consider the quality of her teammates. KML can get high assist numbers when her shot is not falling because she has world class finishers in Tuck, Stewie, MoJeff,and Kiah. Jewell has.....maybe Turner could have grow into that role. Keep in mind ND only loses were to UCONN when Jewell had Kayla and Natalie. ND has been scoring dependent on Jewell all year. By the time the post season came around she was worn down. IMO she saw another season of the same and opted out. Can you blame her?