Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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66 PRESEASON 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TYLER HORKA N iele Ivey already has a comp for Jacy Abii. It's one that'll leave the Notre Dame freshman guard with a whole lot to live up to. How about two consecutive Notre Dame seasons of 14.5-plus points, 6.5-plus rebounds and 3.5-plus assists, hitting the 7-plus and 5-plus marks, respectively, in those latter two categories in the second of those seasons? How about a national championship coming with the first of those two seasons? How about a No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft and eight stel- lar seasons that have followed? This player is a five-time WNBA All-Star, a three-time WNBA champion. This player was on the WNBA All-Rookie Team and was the WNBA's Most Improved Player in 2022. This player is Jackie Young. If Abii is anything close to as good as she is, Ivey and the Irish sure do have something special on their hands. "On my visits and during the recruit- ing process, she mentioned that com- parison," Abii said. "I definitely have been watching her for quite some time even aside from the Notre Dame leg- acy. Especially coming here, I am really aware of her game. Studying her game, trying to develop those aspects in all the ways I can. I have a lot of potential, and Coach Ivey wants me to play as much to that level as I possibly can, especially coming in as a freshman." At 6-foot-2 and with an impres- sively built frame, one that looks like a guard in a forward's body and one that seems ready to withstand the rigors of an ACC women's basketball schedule, Abii doesn't come across as a freshman, physically. The hope is that she doesn't play like one either. Even Young eased into the college game a bit. Before doing enough to be- come the WNBA's No. 1 overall pick af- ter playing just three seasons at Notre Dame, she did not start a single time as a freshman. She averaged 7.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.4 minutes per game. There will be a lot more on Abii's plate from the start, and, for her sake, hopefully a lot more of the pie to bite from. It's sitting directly in front of her, staring her in the face, and the only one stopping her from taking out a sizable slice is herself. As it stands, Abii will start for Notre Dame from the very beginning. The Irish only have 10 players on the roster. Five of them, including Abii, are true freshmen. One of those first-year play- ers, Bella Ragone, is still rehabbing a high school knee injury. Two of them, Amari Byles and Isabella Sangha, are working as post players this offseason. The final freshman not named Abii is a completely different style of player; Jenica Lewis is 5-foot-10 and more of a perimeter shooter and paint slasher. She's not the imposing force Abii is by any stretch. Abii is one-of-one as far as this Notre Dame freshman class goes and one-of- one on this entire Fighting Irish roster. Her time is right away, from the mo- ment the ball tips off against Villanova in Rome Nov. 1. "I've had to take a step back and realize how blessed I am," Abii said, "especially coming off the injury two years ago. Being able to handle so much is just a bless- ing. God put me in this position for a reason. Even with every- thing they're throwing at me, I'm excited, it's a lot of fun. During workouts, I'll be struggling, dead tired, and then afterwards a smile is on my face because I'm enjoying the process. I enjoy being chal- lenged and knowing I'm devel- oped in certain ways." Ivey and the most veteran of Notre Dame's players, Princeton transfer Madison St. Rose, enjoy watching Abii push herself and come into her own so early in her college experience. "The versatility that she has, I think that's one of her superpow- ers," Ivey said. "She can play multiple positions. She's very comfortable on the perimeter, but she also has great size and can go inside. I'm going to mix it up for her, but this summer I've really worked on her perimeter game. I've re- ally worked on her initiating the offense, being comfortable on the wings, being comfortable coming off ball screens. "She's so gifted in so many differ- ent areas. She's a great passer. She's re- ally smart. … I don't want to throw too much at her, but she can do so many things well. I'm trying to narrow the things that I'm teaching her, but she's going to be special." St. Rose echoed Ivey on the subject of Abii's versatility. She said she could see Abii's confidence grow in real time with each summer practice. There are so many first-year players who'd love to be as advanced as Abii at this stage in the game. Abii just so happens to be setting the standard. "She doesn't look like a freshman on the court," St. Rose said. "I really do see a lot of potential in her. I see a lot of growth coming ahead for her. And I'm excited to keep continuing to play with her." ✦ Notre Dame Isn't Playing The Long Game With Freshman Guard Jacy Abii WOMEN'S B A S K E T B A L L Freshman Jacy Abii could follow in the footsteps of some greats who have come before her and be a Irish major contributor from the start. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS