Jacy Sheldon has had a year. One hell of a year, as a matter of fact.
She was a catalyst for the THE Ohio State women’s basketball team, who earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament before being bounced by No. 7 Duke. She then shortly after wrapped up her collegiate career with being the No. 5 pick in the WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings.
From there, it was a short two-week turnaround for opening night, taking the court against players she watched and admired while growing up and in college.
Yeah, it’s been a hell of a year, indeed.
“I was anxious and not knowing what to expect the first time. It’s kind of like being a freshman again in college, but a first-year player in the league. Absolutely that comes with it,” Sheldon said. “But I feel like I’m settled down now. I got comfy, and I’m enjoying playing in this league.”
And it’s easy to see why. Sheldon was part of a historic draft class, rivaling some of the biggest in WNBA history.
Caitlin Clark. Angel Reese. Cameron Brink. Rickea Jackson. Aaliyah Edwards. Kamilla Cardoso. Kate Martin. Night in and night out, a rookie is making headlines by setting records or making observers do a real-life 👀when watching the games.
More new eyes are on the product, and Sheldon is proud to be a part of that.
“It’s such a great draft class. When you’re a competitor, you want to compete. If I see someone has a great game, I want to play against them,” Sheldon said. “I was able to build relationships with them during the draft process. We want each other to do well, and we are cheering for each other. But as competitors, we want to win.”
The situation that Sheldon found herself in was ideal on paper. It was a hard-nosed, defensive-minded team in Dallas, that had a Big 3 in Satou Sabally, Natasha Howard, and Arike Ogunbowale, with promising second-year Maddy Siegrist prepared to take a step forward along with arguably the best center combo in the game in Kalani Brown and Teaira McCowan.
Having the veteran makeup allowed Sheldon to initially slide into her role as a facilitator off of the bench, without all of the pressure to be “the” go-to person that other rookies have felt early on.
“I think it was more how we do things offensively here in Dallas and getting comfy in that system, to be honest with you,” Sheldon explained. “It’s not really about the pace of the game, but the way it was played and getting used to how we do things in Dallas. But I definitely feel more comfy.”
If you’re keeping score at home, that’s twice now that Sheldon has mentioned that she feels more comfy now.
Well, there’s a reason for it. As great as the situation was on paper for her, Dallas has been decimated by injuries to start its season. Sabally has yet to suit up with a shoulder injury. Siegrist broke a finger and has missed an extended amount of time after a Year 2 breakout season. Howard, too, missed a big stretch of time.
Suddenly, it was time for Sheldon, who was averaging around 13.5 minutes per game off of the bench, to take on a bigger role with the starting unit.
But was that always the plan, or was it just accelerated by the injuries the Wings suffered?
“I don’t have the answer to that, to be honest,” Sheldon said, with a laugh. “We’ve had a lot of key injuries to key players, so as a player, it’s all about staying ready and getting ready for that. It’s a next woman up mentality here. Even though I am a rookie, having that mentality is pretty important at this level.”
The shift from the bench to the starting unit has translated well for Sheldon, who more than doubled her minutes to 29.8 since joining the starting unit and has improved in every metric since doing so.
“I think it’s important to have the same mentality for both roles,” she explained. “When I come off the bench, I want to bring a spark offensively and impact both sides of the ball. My mentality was to do the same thing from the jump as a starter. I just try to be aggressive no matter which role I take on, and it’s been a lot of fun.”
Sheldon’s game has opened up a lot since joining the starting unit and, as she put it, becoming more comfortable.
What’s been most notable is not just the increase in field goal attempts while maintaining her assist to turnover rate, but the increased three-point attempts with the efficiency that those who watched her at Ohio State have come to know.
Sheldon, who shot 37.5% in her senior year from behind the arc at Ohio State, is shooting 36.6% as a starter this year – ranking No. 23 in the league in the number.
Most eye-catching was the 5-of-8 performance from deep in the Wings’ win over the Dream on July 5.
GO OFF ROOK https://t.co/NEQkbGh8uA pic.twitter.com/lGryzWvJes
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) July 6, 2024
“Shooters shoot,” Sheldon said with a laugh. “That’s something that absolutely translates – I won’t say easily, but when you’re a shooter, you shoot. You miss 10 in a row, you’re shooting 11. When you miss five, you’re shooting that sixth. You have to believe in the law of averages and maintain confidence. My teammates, they have confidence in me, and I have it in myself.”
The five three-pointers – Sheldon ended up with a career-high 17 points in that game against Atlanta – turned heads, but it was the two steals that helped seal the three-point win for Dallas.
“I’m watching a lot of film with [Jacy Sheldon], but also just getting her accustomed to just the physicality and the pace of the game,” Head Coach LatriciaTrammell said to reporters after the game. “She’s such a competitor. She doesn’t like when she doesn’t do well, so she’s really focusing more on making sure that she values basketball, that she embraces the pressure.”
Rook takes the chain 👏 https://t.co/VZa98L3XoX pic.twitter.com/fKxbChOmtw
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) July 6, 2024
Embracing the pressure is part of it. But when you’re in Dallas and you’re playing for Trammell, you have to embrace the defensive side of the ball, too.
“Dallas and LT are huge on defense. It’s part of our culture here – a culture I’m hoping to carry on. I love playing defense and disrupting it to create chaos,” Sheldon said. “I just enjoy being aggressive, and I’ll add that being physical is something I enjoy a lot.”
It’s a physical league. That’s the one thing that people tried to tell the new fans of the product. Sheldon knows that, as she often draws the toughest assignment defensively.
But who has been the toughest?
“Oh, man. There are a lot of great players in this league,” Sheldon said. “I’d say every matchup and game, I’m going against someone great.”
It’s definitely the answer you’d expect to hear from a player. Giving props to everyone. But like she said, she’s more comfy now – in all areas.
“Jewell Loyd has been the toughest, I’d say,” Sheldon doubled-back to say.
And now, Sheldon gets to take on a different type of comfort – time off. With the Olympic break ahead, Sheldon will get her first rest since, well, really before the start of the 2023-2024 Ohio State season.
What’s in the cards before she gets ready for the second half of the season, you ask?
“I’ll have some down time. I’ll be able to go home and see my family. I never thought I’d be excited to go home to Ohio, but I am,” Sheldon said jokingly. “I honestly … I won’t take much down time. There will be time to take a breath but honestly, I’ll probably take a day and get back to the gym.”
Shooters shoot, after all.
All stats are accurate as of Tuesday, July 16 at 4 p.m. ET
