Jacy Sheldon (No. 4) has been a versatile guard in her rookie WNBA season for the Dallas Wings. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
ARLINGTON, Texas — From competing in the NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball tournament in March to the final eight games of the 2024 WNBA season, Jacy Sheldon‘s basketball journey has been as dynamic as the 24-year-old Cleveland, Ohio, native’s play on the hardwood court.
Drafted in the first round as the fifth overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Dallas Wings rookie guard has provided spark for her team initially off the bench before earning her place in the starting five on June 20 against the Chicago Sky. Recently, Sheldon has been slotted into the point guard (PG) role, or the 1, The Ohio State University alum has been entrusted by head coach Latricia Trammell to be the team’s floor general.
It is a long way from Sheldon’s arrival in the Dallas-Fort Worth sports scene when she was learning the nuances of professional women’s basketball in the spring. As the season winds down, Sheldon finds there are similarities with playing in the 1 from her earlier years of playing volleyball as a setter.
“It’s very similar. You’re the leader. You’re calling the plays. You’re determining what happens, the pace of the game,” Sheldon explained. “And honestly, that’s why I did enjoy volleyball. It reminded me of kind of running the point. Basketball is my first love, but volleyball, I was able to learn in that aspect too, and carry it over to basketball.”
Jacy Sheldon can turn up the wick beyond the arc for the Dallas Wings. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
Sheldon has gained confidence along the way, facilitating plays for her fellow teammates in Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally, Teaira McCowan and Natasha Howard, her fellow starting five comrades. When the rock is in Sheldon’s hand, often, she finds her open teammate in the paint or beyond the arc before gearing up defensively to draw a bead on her opponent.
The highlight reels have continued to accumulate for Sheldon, particularly in the back-to-back road games on June 22-23 against the Washington Mystics, respectively scoring 16 and 11 points. Against the Atlanta Dream on July 5 back home at College Park Center, Sheldon scored a career high 17 points, including going five for eight beyond the arc.
Throughout Sheldon’s career, her two-way play on the basketball court has made her a consistent force beyond the arc and on the defensive front in one-on-one duels. On July 17, Sheldon showcased her three-point attack with consecutive treys inside the final 5:05 of the Indiana Fever-Wings game in front of the home court faithful en route to a 101-93 win for Dallas.
Recently, Sheldon’s play was commended by Trammell during Sunday’s game against the Indiana Fever. Namely, Sheldon faced off against Caitlin Clark, her Big Ten rival from The University of Iowa.
Jacy Sheldon (No. 4) of the Dallas Wings consistently guarded Caitlin Clark (No. 22) of the Indiana Fever reminiscent of their Big 10 matchups. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
“Jacy went against Caitlin, knows her game better than anyone, went against her in college for four years,” Trammell said. “I think Jacy’s intensity knowing Caitlin’s game extremely well, I thought she did a good job. When Caitlin goes left, she’s going to shoot the three. When she goes right, she’s going to look to to drive to the rim and just her intensity and her activity on Clark, especially in the first half and the majority of the game, to be honest, and having to play that many minutes, I thought for a rookie, I thought she did fantastic.”
Throughout Sunday’s sold out game at College Park Center, Sheldon stymied Clark’s attempts in the paint, upsetting her rhythm. Clark’s then 12th double-double of the season had to be earned from Sheldon’s sharp defensive skills in a playoff-like atmosphere game, the Ohioan tapping into her experiences to keep her team in contention.
“I played against her for a couple of years now,” Sheldon said. “I’m excited for that matchup. But we had to get it done on the offensive side of the ball too. And I think moving forward taking control of the pace of the game, I think is what we’ll focus on because obviously both teams like to play fast. But it got away from us a little bit there at the end. So we’ll go back and work on it.”
While Sheldon and her Wings teammates wanted the win, considering the adversities that Dallas has faced all season long, the team’s chemistry has been cohesive. Even when there were plentiful Clark fans cheering in Dallas’ home court, Sheldon noted how the Wings banded together.
“I think to take away the positives, we stayed together the whole game, we wanted to win it and I think we had a couple slip ups at the end, but definitely can learn from it and happy that we were able to stay together as a team,” Sheldon said. “That’s hard to do in an environment like this.”
With 6,251 fans loudly cheering during Sunday’s game against Indiana, Sheldon considered the ambiance and dynamic of playing in front of such enthusiastic crowds at home and on the road this season.
“It’s awesome. It’s really fun. It’s an atmosphere that everybody wants to be a part of,” she observed. “And just seeing the attention and the eyes that we’re receiving [is] long overdue. These girls have been doing this for a minute and these women are amazing at what they do. So I’m just happy that they’re finally getting that recognition too.”
During crunch time, either with the lead or rallying back against the opponent, oftentimes, Sheldon’s energy never wavers, whether on the point or defending against her counterpart on the court. For a player with such hustle, Sheldon’s fast pace play is a marvel to witness at a basketball arena, earning a unique moniker.
“Just her energy,” Trammell observed. “I think that’s the biggest thing — just her confidence. She can get out and play defense and run through some passing lanes. With Jacy, she’s ‘The Energizer Bunny.’”
Jacy Sheldon (No. 4) of the Dallas Wings scrambles for the rock against Damris Dantas (No. 12) of the Indiana Fever. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
In a play with 2:27 left in the Fever-Wings game on Sunday, Sheldon battled hard to steal the ball from Clark. It led to a pivotal basket to McCowan and kept the Wings alive until the last minutes of an otherwise closely fought matchup.
It all comes down to hustle and pure desire for Sheldon with a surprising revelation in terms of her seemingly unending supply of energy on the court.
“There’s no secret there. I know people have been saying that, but I just go out there and give it my all every game,” Sheldon said. “I’ve done that since since I can remember. Something my parents instilled in me at a young age [was] just to give it your all the time. But yeah, I don’t even have a game day routine, to be honest.”
All that hard work and effort is paying off for Sheldon as she signed an equity deal with HOLO Footwear which includes her own signature line of shoes. It is a long ways, to say the least, for the young woman from Cleveland to one of the rising talents of the WNBA.
By far, Sheldon’s unassuming play makes for the ideal collaborative, equity stake with HOLO Footwear who also inked a deal with Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro. For a footwear company founded in 2020, the brand intends to build itself around rising stars like Okoro and Sheldon, the latter sporting their kicks in recent games.
In recent games, Jacy Sheldon has sported a light purple pair of kicks from HOLO Footwear. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
“It’s exciting. Holo came to me a while ago and it was very exciting getting to know their whole family, their whole group that runs things over there and then them getting to mine as well,” Sheldon recalled. “They welcomed me with open arms to start and super excited to work with them.
“And you mentioned equity and and that’s huge. I think having a seat at the table and having a say in what’s going on is pretty cool. And I think you’re going to see that a lot more with women athletes in general too. So super excited. Love their shoes and can’t wait to even build that relationship further.”
Perhaps fans around Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington may be sporting Sheldon’s Holo Footwear kicks at Wings games or around the large metropolitan area all year round. Those same fans have inspired Sheldon’s play as an accepted member of the Texas sports community after her playing in front of her hometown and home state fans.
“It’s awesome. I’m from Cleveland, so I’m used to the Cleveland sports fans. And honestly, Dallas sports fans have not disappointed,” Sheldon smiled. “They’re amazing and been able to go to a couple Rangers games, couple Mavs games. And I think hopefully we’ll go to some Cowboys games. But they’ve been amazing. I think Texas is at another level and I think they’ve embraced us and I think we need to embrace them even more because they’ve stuck with us throughout this whole season, so we’re super thankful for them.”
No matter how this season concludes for the Wings, Sheldon knows she’s part of an organization built for long-term success. She is one of the 144 players in one of the 12 WNBA teams this season, a feat not lost upon her when she considered the advice she would tell her younger self about the journey she continues to be in with her life, on and off the court.
Jacy Sheldon has found her home in the WNBA with the Dallas Wings. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
“I think I’d hit on Ohio State and just the success and joy that was found there and the relationships I’ve built,” Sheldon said. “But also here, I think we’re starting something really special here as well. So I’d tell her to relax, everything’s going to work itself out. Everything happens for a reason. But I’ve been super blessed with two amazing programs and can’t wait to do even more here in Dallas.”
Editor’s Notes
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