Bleacher Report interview of Jewell Loyd

[UConnCat]

Very revealing comments by Jewell and certainly explains her early departure from Notre Dame. There's so much more going on with these student-athletes than we'll ever know.

EDIT: for some reason I can not post the link to this article (Q&A).

Loyd: Being an athlete, you're supposed to be tough. If I'm a fan, I don't want to see you at your worst. But people forget we're just as human as everyone else. Looking back at my journey at Notre Dame, my friends know me as a person who's super friendly and joking around. But in school, I just would sit in a room, totally isolated. I never felt like I connected to anyone. I obviously joke around about it now, but I had basically the three worst things you could have going to Notre Dame: I was a black student-athlete, I had a learning disability, and I was never in class.

At the time, I didn't really realize I was going through anything. I didn't want to talk to anyone because I didn't feel like anyone knew me. If I would have said something, maybe my objective for leaving would have been different. Now I go back to Notre Dame, and it's not that I totally hate it, but I feel that anxiety and depression again every time I'm on that campus. I don't think about us going to Final Fours.

 

[wallman]

Thanks for posting Cat. This is huge for recruits to read.

 

[Charliebball]

as you can imagine this interview has been the subject of much consternation on the ND boards...............really the only bad news in an otherwise perfect WBB post season..................I'm unsure if it will have any impact on the team's aggressive recruiting efforts......

 

[UConnCat]

link embedded in this tweet

 

[RockyMTblue2]

That's a pretty big elephant lumbering around ... huh!

 

[EricLA]

I can't believe more isn't made of this - feeling out of place as a black athlete at ND is a HUGE deal. Being told to do unhealthy things just to be able to play is a HUGE deal.

"...but I had basically the three worst things you could have going to Notre Dame: I was a black student-athlete, I had a learning disability, and I was never in class. I felt like a burden to the teachers. I lost my appetite, and I would do extra workouts just to feel the pain. We weighed in once a week, and because I wasn't eating, I was always underweight. The trainer would say, "Go take a protein shake and chug it so you can make weight," when that's basically the unhealthiest thing you can do. That anxiety that I had around having to make a certain weight and look a certain way"…

So the athletic trainer for the women's team was telling her to do this? That's awful. Yeah, any kid considering ND ought to talk to Jewell before signing up. That's practically abuse. Telling a kid to do stuff to make weight just so they can play is good for the team but horrible for the student athlete. That's HORRIBLE, and a huge black mark for ND women's basketball.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I feel for Jewell. Sounds like a miserable experience at Notre Dame. Family? Sure doesn’t sound like it.

 

[SVCBeercats]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2773488-jewell-loyd-got-game

 

[HoopsFan21]

Don’t think this is a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Imagine being gay at a religious institution like a Baylor or ND? If that hasn’t deterred recruits, then being encouraged to drink an extra protein shake certainly will not. And she felt like an outsider as a black athlete? Come on I’m not buying that when half your team and athletes on other teams at the university are also black. Sounds like someone with an axe to grind against Coach McGraw and the university.

 

[wallman]

I don't think so and I have heard some of the same things and not just in the womens program. How did Taya Reimer feel when she tried to support her beliefs.

 

[Orangutan]

I feel for Jewell. She was clearly suffering. I was depressed in college and it was horrible. And I wasn't a student-athlete. Nor did I have a learning disability. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to compete an elite level while going through what she did.

As for being a black athlete at Notre Dame...recall Arike's post-game interview, "if anybody's thinking what school to go to, go to Notre Dame". Lindsay Allen flew back from Russia to be at the Championship game. Ariel Braker, Whitney Holloway, Markisha Wright, Natalie Achonwa - all were teammates of Jewell, all made the trip to the Championship game. Skylar Diggins, Devereaux Peters, Kayla McBride - all very vocal on social media in their continued support for ND. Brianna Turner and Kristina Nelson both chose to spend a fifth year at Notre Dame.

I'm not saying Jewell is wrong or trying to invalidate her experience. As an outsider, all I know is that there are an awful lot of black (or mixed but certainly non-white like McBride and Achonwa) players who seem to have had a positive experience at Notre Dame.

 

[Reypl21]

I don't think so and I have heard some of the same things and not just in the womens program. How did Taya Reimer feel when she tried to support her beliefs.

Are you talking about their "I can't breathe" shirts? Watch this then..
If it's something else, then explain. The second time Taya left the team there was rumors going around that she wanted to rejoin the team again, and redshift her junior year. Muffet already let her leave and rejoin once, so I guess the second time she was having it. Taya actually got a fifth year at MSU.
So if you're insinuating that Taya was ran out for her beliefs, you are mistaken.

 

[wallman]

You are just talking about the team, have you look into the crowd?

 

[YSRFrisbee]

I feel for Jewell. She was clearly suffering. I was depressed in college and it was horrible. And I wasn't a student-athlete. Nor did I have a learning disability. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to compete an elite level while going through what she did.

As for being a black athlete at Notre Dame...recall Arike's post-game interview, "if anybody's thinking what school to go to, go to Notre Dame". Lindsay Allen flew back from Russia to be at the Championship game. Ariel Braker, Whitney Holloway, Markisha Wright, Natalie Achonwa - all were teammates of Jewell, all made the trip to the Championship game. Skylar Diggins, Devereaux Peters, Kayla McBride - all very vocal on social media in their continued support for ND. Brianna Turner and Kristina Nelson both chose to spend a fifth year at Notre Dame.

I'm not saying Jewell is wrong or trying to invalidate her experience. As an outsider, all I know is that there are an awful lot of black (or mixed but certainly non-white like McBride and Achonwa) players who seem to have had a positive experience at Notre Dame.

I agree! I feel terrible that Jewel felt that way and that her college experience was so difficult. For most people, college years are some of the best times (if not THE best time) of someone's life. However, dealing with an internal struggle and putting up a facade can be mentally and emotionally draining. And who knows how many students & student athletes feel this way (or ANYONE for that matter). But, I'm glad she's finally made peace with herself and that she's sharing her journey with us. Like you, I feel that everyone's experience is different and that her story says less about ND and more about why she departed to the WNBA early.

"In a world where you can be anything...be KIND"

 

[bballnut90]

Gotta feel for her since it sounds like she had a horrible experience. By all basketball measures, she was extremely successful in her 3 years at Notre Dame and she made huge strides as a player. It does appear to be an isolated incident since we haven't heard of anyone else with negative experiences, and as another poster mentioned, there's been overwhelming support for the program by other black players who've played there.

I also think recruits need to pay more attention to the school they'll be choosing and give more consideration to factors outside of basketball. It seems most players pick schools based on the coaching staff and how they get along with teammates during camps and visits. More emphasis needs to be placed on geographic region, the school's culture, and the academics at a given program. It's no secret that Notre Dame is one of the most prestigious academic schools in the country, and it's also a conservative Catholic school in small town Indiana. For Loyd, if she struggled academically and liked being in a more diverse setting, ND wasn't the best choice for her in the grand scheme of things. Couple that with not meshing with teammates or coaching staff how she thought she would, and she ends up having a pretty awful experience. It's hard to rank the different factors in terms of importance when picking a school as a 16-17 year old, but generally speaking, greater emphasis should be made on factors outside of just basketball IMO.

Probably a better example of this is Griner struggling at Baylor when she felt forced to stay closeted. As an LGBT person myself, I feel bad for her and understand her struggle, but at the same time, she 100% should have known Baylor isn't a gay friendly university so she shouldn't have been surprised that she'd likely run into issues being open at a very conservative university. I'm guessing she likely doesn't go to Baylor in the first place if she researches the university's attitude toward the LGBT community before stepping foot on campus. Same with Taya Reimer being taken aback by the negative reactions regarding the "I can't breathe" shirts. She's at a conservative school in small town Indiana, she shouldn't be shocked that not everyone would support her making that statement.

I'm not saying what either player did was in anyway wrong or that either is at fault, but both should have been more prepared for negative feedback than it appears they were. These may not be the best examples to relate to the Jewell Loyd situation, but in general more emphasis needs to be made on players taking many different factors into account before settling on their school.

 

[Plebe]

I really wish Jewell Loyd had gone to DePaul instead. She grew up in the Chicago area and had a close relationship with Doug Bruno. She could have been a program-changer there, the type of player to help DePaul break through to the next level, much as Diggins did for Notre Dame. After reading this article, I also think it would have been a more nurturing setting for her to attend school in.

 

[WLT1717]

You are just talking about the team, have you look into the crowd?

What is your point?

 

[wallman]

It was a question for those just talking about the team about a student athlete who states she felt isolated while at Notre Dame. Student athletes encounter fans, peers, professors etc. not just the team.

 

[HuskyMJ]

I feel for Jewell. She was clearly suffering. I was depressed in college and it was horrible. And I wasn't a student-athlete. Nor did I have a learning disability. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to compete an elite level while going through what she did.

As for being a black athlete at Notre Dame...recall Arike's post-game interview, "if anybody's thinking what school to go to, go to Notre Dame". Lindsay Allen flew back from Russia to be at the Championship game. Ariel Braker, Whitney Holloway, Markisha Wright, Natalie Achonwa - all were teammates of Jewell, all made the trip to the Championship game. Skylar Diggins, Devereaux Peters, Kayla McBride - all very vocal on social media in their continued support for ND. Brianna Turner and Kristina Nelson both chose to spend a fifth year at Notre Dame.

I'm not saying Jewell is wrong or trying to invalidate her experience. As an outsider, all I know is that there are an awful lot of black (or mixed but certainly non-white like McBride and Achonwa) players who seem to have had a positive experience at Notre Dame.

Could it be more about upbringing and where she lived? Jewel Loyd attended Niles West High School, which is a minority-majority school (NILES WEST HIGH SCHOOL | Racial/Ethnic Diversity). I cannot find the statistics for the overall Notre Dame student body but the class of 2017 was comprised of 26% U.S. students of color. I think many of the players you listed probably grew up or went to schools whose demographics are probably closer to Notre Dame, thus maybe an easier adjustment to college? Ariel Braker is from Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, very different demographically from say Detroit or even Southfield. Whitney Holloway attended a Catholic High School. Arike attended a private school. Lindsay Allen attended a Catholic school, as did Kayla McBride. Kristina Nelson had attended a private HS before transferring to Buford. Markisha Wright is from Iowa. But Dev Peters is from Chicago area and loved Notre Dame so there are always examples to the contrary. Overall I feel like even of the African Americans at Notre Dame, many likely come from Catholic schools that may be feeder programs for universities like ND, BC and so on and their adjustments may be easier than for kids who attend public schools in more diverse areas? Just hypothesizing. Enjoy your posts from afar Orangutan.

 

[Orangutan]

Could it be more about upbringing and where she lived? Jewel Loyd attended Niles West High School, which is a minority-majority school (NILES WEST HIGH SCHOOL | Racial/Ethnic Diversity). I cannot find the statistics for the overall Notre Dame student body but the class of 2017 was comprised of 26% U.S. students of color. I think many of the players you listed probably grew up or went to schools whose demographics are probably closer to Notre Dame, thus maybe an easier adjustment to college? Ariel Braker is from Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, very different demographically from say Detroit or even Southfield. Whitney Holloway attended a Catholic High School. Arike attended a private school. Lindsay Allen attended a Catholic school, as did Kayla McBride. Kristina Nelson had attended a private HS before transferring to Buford. Markisha Wright is from Iowa. But Dev Peters is from Chicago area and loved Notre Dame so there are always examples to the contrary. Overall I feel like even of the African Americans at Notre Dame, many likely come from Catholic schools that may be feeder programs for universities like ND, BC and so on and their adjustments may be easier than for kids who attend public schools in more diverse areas? Just hypothesizing. Enjoy your posts from afar Orangutan.

Jewell is from Lincolnwood, IL. According to the census, Lincolnwood is 67% white and 27% Asian and just 1% (134 people) black. You note that Niles West is a "minority-majority" school but it is 33% Asian and just 4% Black. So she mostly grew up around white and Asian people. To that point, Jewell is still very tight with her high school friends and posts with them on social media when she is back home. It is a bunch of white (perhaps some are hispanic) guys. I wouldn't think Notre Dame would be a culture shock for her.

But yes as you rightly note, many of the black players who go to ND come from Catholic schools. It's not the kind of thing that's easy to talk about on message boards for obvious reasons but after a while you sort of get the sense of whether a black recruit is the kind of black player that typically choose ND. But certainly there are outliers...