Niles West grad Jewell Loyd soaks in first WNBA title with Seattle Storm
On Sept. 12, Jewell Loyd joined the elite company of former NFL running back Rashard Mendenhall and major-league pitcher George Kontos.
Loyd, a starting guard for the Seattle Storm, won her first WNBA championship when Seattle swept the Washington Mystics.
Loyd joined Mendenhall and Kontos as Niles West graduates to win a major American team sports championship. Mendenhall won Super Bowl XLIII with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Kontos won the 2012 World Series with the San Francisco Giants.
Loyd, a Lincolnwood native, said claiming her first WNBA title was a physical and mental feat. The Storm won their third championship, and their first since 2010.
“It was definitely challenging. We’ve had two good series that tested us,” Loyd said. “The leadership from our veterans helped us down the stretch. Mentally, it was a challenge for me and I definitely got better during the series.”
Loyd graduated from Niles West in 2012 and later starred at Notre Dame. She celebrated with her team on Sept. 16 during a championship parade in Seattle.
“Hanging out with our fans at the parade,” Loyd said when asked about the highlight of the celebration. “That was super special. The city of Seattle has been wanting a championship from us for a long time. I’m glad to do it and celebrate with them.”
In the waning seconds of Game 3, Loyd and her teammates only had one difficult decision to make. They sorted out the logistics of the post-game celebration.
“Pretty much figuring out who I was going to tackle first,” Loyd said. “That was our biggest thing on the bench: ‘Who do you have, who do you have?’ ”
Loyd has heard from supporters all over the country since claiming the title. She has been in touch with Lincoln Hall Middle School and Niles West, as well as plenty of family members and friends.
She said she’s also heard from Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving.
“They were just happy that we won,” Loyd said of her basketball mentors. “(They said) to keep pushing and getting better and get another one.”
It was a season of firsts for the 5-foot-10 guard. In addition to winning her first ring, she was named to her first WNBA All-Star team. In eight postseason games, she averaged 12.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
“I think Jewell embodied what this team did,” coach Dan Hughes said. “Jewell became a really well-rounded player this year. Her defense, her passing, her rebounding all encapsulated her look at the game. I think that represented a lot of what our team did, the different facets. She led the way in that regard.”
Loyd, 24, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 WNBA draft. She played the third-most minutes among all Storm players in the postseason.
“I thought she handled herself beautifully,” Hughes said. “I think she realized the challenge of it. She had some superior moments and had some moments where she gave to the team. She took on whatever role was needed.
“For a young player, in that kind of pressure situation, she really understood the totality of how to help us get a championship.”
WNBA champion Loyd ready to be crowned a Worlds trailblazer
TENERIFE (FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018) – Jewell Loyd is still riding high from landing a WNBA Championship and could soon become a FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup trailblazer.
The celebrations from Seattle’s recent WNBA title success have barely ended and yet Loyd is already closing in on another major line for her resume and a significant note in basketball history.
Back in 2014, Loyd lifted the FIBA 3X3 World Cup in Moscow and that means she could now become the first ever player to complete a Worlds double - if USA manage to top the podium in Tenerife next weekend.
“I actually hadn't thought about it before, but it would be pretty awesome to have that against my name and for the USA too – it would be super special,” enthused Loyd, who quickly re-enforced her love for 3x3.
“It is a very different kind of game and I grew up playing it when I was a kid, because it’s where you start off playing – in the parks.
“It’s so exciting because the fans are very engaged and it is a much quicker game. 3x3 really exposes all of those one-on-one elements in the game and it’s both exciting to watch and has that quick shot clock,” she added.
Perhaps Loyd may be able to compete in both events when Tokyo 2020 arrives and certainly the addition of 3x3 to the Games brought a big thumbs up from the WNBA star.
However, you can’t blame Loyd for having all eyes on the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup as she has had to show a lot of patience to finally get the nod at a senior tournament – some eight years after playing for USA at the U17 Worlds.
"It's really special considering the journey I have been on with USA basketball and going to all the different camps and then being invited,” smiled Loyd.
“The only thing I could ever control was my effort and I just kept putting in the work. I had to trust that process and put myself in a good position to make the team - and it has paid off.
“You always have that little doubt, because there are so many good players and everyone has a chance and so I am just thankful to be selected.”
Read More (via FIBA Basketball)