Jewell Loyd Leaves for the Draft
Jasmine Matthews
After the 2015 NCAA Championship game Notre Dame point guard
Jewell Loyd decided that she would leave and enter the WNBA Draft. The Women’s
Championship game on April 7th included the Notre Dame Fighting
Irish and the UConn Huskies. Even though the Huskies ended up defeating the
Irish by 10, Notre Dame would return next year with more strong juniors and
seniors and would most likely end up back in the Final Four for 2016. Unfortunately after losing that final game,
Jewell decided not to return. This was a
surprise to Head Coach Muffet McGraw because apparently Loyd was asked before
the NCAA tournament if there was any chance of her leaving and she reassured
her and the team she had nothing to worry about. Obviously Loyd changed her mind.
This past Thursday was the 2015 WNBA draft and with junior
Jewell Loyd now in the running for possibly being a top pick, things got
interesting. “The Seattle Storm selected
Notre Dame junior guard Jewell Loyd with the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s draft. Loyd
joined Candace Parker as the second underclassman in league history to be the
top pick. She led Notre Dame to the national championship game this season and
averaged 19.8 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 44.3% from the field. She
was a consensus First Team All-American and the ACC Player of the Year.” (SI
Wire, 2015, para.2)
How do you feel about her decision? Was it selfish? Should girls be allowed to skip they’re
senior year for the draft? Why is this
such a big deal?
Seattle Storm draft
Notre Dame's Jewell Loyd with No. 1 pick. (2015, April 17). Retrieved April 20,
2015, from
http://www.si.com/wnba/2015/04/17/seattle-storm-draft-notre-dame-jewell-loyd-no-1-pick
Jasmine,
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand people’s frustration with Loyd leaving the Notre Dame program early, who could blame her? She had great success in her collegiate career and took advantage of an opportunity to go pro, which not many athletes get. Hypothetically speaking, if Loyd stuck around for her final season, she might have gotten injured, and who knows where the injury would have taken her. Players in the WNBA don’t get paid nearly enough, as I discussed in a previous post about Diana Taurasi. By going No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft, Loyd secured herself financially for the time being better than everyone else in her draft class. I don’t see this as a selfish move, but rather one that can further extend her career as a successful WNBA player. Loyd is likely to learn so much from her coaches and teammates in Seattle that she might not have otherwise playing under McGraw.
Alexx
Even though the fact that she assured her coaches and teammates that they would have nothing to worry about, I kind of understand in what kind of predicament she was in. Either one of the two options can have extensive consequences for her. Especially in a case where a young athlete is considered a top prospect, many people try to influence them mind and they are often talked into making commitments they would later regret. As Alexx has already pointed out, an injury Loyd might face during another year at college could have devastating consequences for her future career as a professional athlete, a career she might be involved with for the next 10 to 15 years of her life. - Andreas Khüny
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with her decision. I rarely have a problem with someone doing something that is legal, ethical, and their decision to make. Jewell is an amazing athlete. She was the ACC player of the year. When I hear the word selfish, I think of only thinking about oneself. When Jewell made her decision to enter the draft, she was thinking about more than herself. She was thinking about her entire family. In your post, you posted a picture of Jewell and a woman, who I’m assuming is her mom. I’m sure her mom was involved in her decision.
ReplyDeleteYou asked, if girls be allowed to skip they’re senior year for the draft? Equality is the greatest virtue in this situation. There is greater virtue when women student-athletes have the same opportunities as men student-athlete. In basketball, it is not un heard of for men student-athletes to declare for the NBA before their senior year. I don’t think Jewell’s decision should be frowned upon because it is her future, her well-being, and her decision.
-David Sims
Jasmine,
ReplyDeleteI guess my question for you is this - if only two players have left school early to go into the draft, do you think it will become more likely that players will do this more frequently? Also, do you think someone else spoke to her about her chances of going first in the draft? I can understand why Muffett McGraw would be disappointed, but I agree with David that it is only fair, given that males often go into the draft after their freshmen year.
Dr. Spencer