Notre Dame recruit Jewell Loyd puts finishing touches on stellar career

Jewell Loyd is already being compared to one of the greatest players to ever take the court at Notre Dame, and the 5-foot-10 Niles West (Skokie, Ill.) senior hasn't even arrived on the South Bend campus.

But being compared to great players — like Skyler Diggins — has become second nature for the two-guard.

Early on, she was compared to the city of Chicago's all-time best. Then the scuttlebutt started that she might just be the best to ever play in Illinois. And now, as she enters the final stage of her high school career, people are speculating where she ranks among the best high-school players to ever play the game … anywhere.

"I might be biased, but I'm going to say she's the best player in the country," fifth-year coach Tony Konsewicz boasted about Loyd, who averages 27.5 points, 12.2 rebounds and four blocks per game. "She changes the game offensively and defensively."

When Loyd enrolled at Niles West, the Wolves had not won a regional championship in more than 20 years. Last Friday night, Loyd scored 23 points to lead her team to its third consecutive Class 4A Niles West Regional title as the Wolves soundly defeated Lincoln Park, 67-37. It was the four-year starter's final home game, and it ended with her cutting down the net.

"It felt good," she said. "It was a three-peat for us. But any time you win regionals it's awesome. It was a great feeling."

Loyd, a 2011 MaxPreps honorable mention All-American, is a prolific scorer. Her career game-high was a 50-point performance this season against Maine West High. What makes her so tough to guard is that she can take a defender off the dribble or square up for a jump shot from anywhere on the court.

"She has such a quick step back," Konsewicz said about his captain. "Defenders often sag on her as she drives to the basket and then she'll stop on a dime and hit a jumper. And she has incredible shooting range."

Loyd is shooting 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc and 52 percent from inside it. But the two-time first team All-State selection — she was a second-team selection her freshman year — can do more than score.

"Jewell sees the floor very well and would just as soon pass as shoot," Konsewicz said. "And she isn't afraid to hit the floor. She's taken at least 15 charges this year."

It's Loyd's versatility, along with her dedication to get better — Konsewicz calls her a "gym rat – a true basketball junkie" — that drew the attention of Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw.

"Jewell is just a phenomenal talent," McGraw said in a statement after Loyd signed her National Letter of Intent in November. "The thing I like about Jewell is she continues to get better. … Her 3-point shot looks great, and she can put it on the floor and can get to the rim. She can also really get off the floor and she's a great defender, so she can help us at both ends of the floor."

The game in which Loyd scored her 3,000th point demonstrated her all-around abilities.

The Wolves trailed Glenbrook South heading into the fourth quarter. Loyd scored all 19 of her team's points in that final quarter — her 3,000th came on a 3-pointer from the top of the key during the scoring spree — to catapult the Wolves into overtime, where she then scored the first seven points to lead Niles West to a 52-48 win. She finished with 42 points, 19 rebounds, two blocks and five steals.

"Jewell has been in that position before," Konsewicz recalled. "She has an incredible will to win. She was not going to be denied."

A player with Loyd's ability can easily get swept up in the hype — she started receiving letters from colleges in eighth grade and received scholarship offers from just about every major program in the country — and it often leads to resentment among peers. Not in Loyd's case. She was voted homecoming queen and is president of the Wolfpack, a club that helps promote school spirit and attendance at all of the school's sporting events. In her spare time she plays the piano "to relax" and loves to cook.

"Jewell the person is probably more impressive than Jewell the athlete," athletic director David Rosengard explained. "She is a dedicated caring member of our learning community who enjoys high school and just being your average teenager. She has earned the respect of her fellow classmates and does not flaunt her athletic success in any way."

Loyd is the type of player who comes along once in a coach's career — the Wolves are 93-30 during her four years — and Konsewicz is starting to come to grips with the reality that during one game soon, he'll shake her hand for the last time at the end of a game.

"As we get closer to the end, it's a bittersweet emotion," Konsewicz said with a poignant pitch in his voice. "I know there are better things that are coming for her and to that point I couldn't be happier for her. The sad part is it's the last time I'll coach her.

"I'll miss her as a person, because she's twice the person that she is a basketball player."

As Loyd's high school career winds down she has no regrets.

"None at all," she replied without hesitation when asked. "Everything made me better as a person and a player. I can't leave with regrets. I'll leave everything on the floor."

When it is time to leave, she admitted she'll be ready.

"I'll be ready to move on and play at Notre Dame and get better and improve in a lot of different areas. I'm looking forward to playing with Skyler and learning from her. …

"And who knows, maybe she'll learn something from me."

Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and on the broadcast team for the 1290AM The Ticket High School Football and Basketball Games of the Week. You can reach him at jonbuzby@hotmail.com.