Latest news with #MaddyWestbeld
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Maddy Westbeld Talks Notre Dame, Adjusting to the WNBA and Sibling Rivalry
The sky is the limit for Maddy Westbeld. The 6'3" athlete made waves during her Notre Dame tenure as a sweet-shooting post player with the skills to fill the box score. She became one of the most honored players in Irish history, pushing into the storied program's top 10 for rebounds, blocks, starts, and minutes played. That success, combined with her balanced skill set, led to Westbeld being selected 16th by the retooling Chicago Sky, headed by their star post players Kamilla Cardoso and Unrivaled champion Angel Reese. Sitting down with Newsweek, the new WNBA player reflected on draft night and her professional experiences so far. "I was in Dayton, Ohio, with my family, a lot of hometown friends, a lot of high school, old teammates, old AAU teammates. So it was a really, really big full circle moment for me," Westbeld recounted. "When it came to draft night, all I felt was gratitude. It was like, regardless of what happens, I made it to this point. When my name got called, it was so loud in the room because there were so many people there. It was just overwhelmingly grateful. I think that's the only thing that I can explain and describe it as." Maddy Westbeld #21 of the Chicago Sky and Manu Alves #21 of the Brazil National Team wait for a free throw during the second half of a preseason game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on... Maddy Westbeld #21 of the Chicago Sky and Manu Alves #21 of the Brazil National Team wait for a free throw during the second half of a preseason game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on May 02, 2025 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. MoreAlong with Sonia Citron, the 3rd pick of the 2025 WNBA draft, Westbeld was one of two players from Notre Dame to be selected, joining a deep pool of talented players from the school, like Arike Ogunbowale, Marina Mabrey, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Jackie Young. The South Bend school, though, has become known as "Guard U." Westbeld may be one of the few Fighting Irish pros to play in the post, but that's not a problem. If anything, her college experience is still a source of pride. "I take a lot of pride in the fact that I'm a post coming from there, because the W has amazing guards," she explained. "They have amazing posts. And so for me to be able to play with the dynamic guards that I was playing with, in Hannah [Hidalgo] and Liv [Miles] and Sonia [Citron] and you go down the line, I feel like it has equipped me for being able to play with such versatile, dynamic players like Mo [Jefferson], like Hailey [Van Lith], like Sloot [Courtney Vandersloot]." All Sorts of New Challenges Though the quick turnaround to start the season has been "long" and "tough on the body," Westbeld has leaned on her team's veteran presence to teach her the ins and outs of the WNBA. "I truly have some of the best vets in the league, just for their willingness to help. [Elizabeth Williams] today, after practice, was sitting there passing for me, you know, just getting shots up, and I know she doesn't have to do that. She's hanging around after practice, passing for a rookie," she said. Leaning on veterans like Rachel Banham and Bec Allen has also helped Westbeld adjust to the learning curve that comes with the highest level of play. "You know, they know how difficult it is, and it's really little details. I'm asking them, 'What does one specific thing mean?' There's so many new terms. There's so many little things that you can really tell you're on a new level. And so with that, come challenges," Westbeld said. And while rookies still do land at the bottom of the metaphorical food chain, everyone is ultimately pulling in the same direction. "You make it to this level, and you know there's definitely a pecking order, but at the same time, the character of the people on this team is really, really important," the Ohio native added. But there's more to life than just what happens on the court; going pro also means adjusting to a new day-to-day reality. Chicago, for example, is quite a bit different than South Bend. While that transition may come with growing pains, the physical relocation was made less stressful by the regular trips Westbeld and her teammates made to the Windy City during their days off in the summer. "I kept saying I feel like I manifested this for myself, because me and my teammates would come here all the time," she remembered. "After I got drafted, the energy of me coming straight into the city, knowing that this was about to be my home, it was like, I don't know, it was just a different feel, and it was so beautiful. And I was so overwhelmed with gratitude." Stepping up from college to the pros, though, provides another challenge in terms of on-court physicality. That might sound daunting, especially for a player who goes to work under the rim, but Westbeld is excited to embrace it. "I think going into college, I was very much a physical player," she explained. "You know, I had a little bit of everything, but I really honed in on my physicality. And I think throughout my college career, people would kind of scout against that, try to take charges on me and whatnot. So to adapt to that, I became more of a finesse post. The identity of the W is just the physicality and the pace of it. I'm really, really excited to embrace that part of my game again." 1 Special Matchup The WNBA season offers Westbeld ample opportunity to play against the wealth of legendary Notre Dame alumni, including her mentor, Jewell Loyd. "She was always texting me after my games, telling me good job, telling me to hold my follow-through," laughed Westbeld. While there is no shortage of Notre Dame royalty in the WNBA, no matchup means more to Maddy than the game against her sister Kathryn, who joined the Phoenix Mercury's starting lineup this season after playing the previous season with KSC Szekszárd of Hungary. "We're six years apart and so never got to play together or against each other. And now having the opportunity to play against each other, it's like, I don't know. We keep telling each other we're about to meet each other at the rim, and we really are. I'm excited for it," said Westbeld, beaming. A little sibling rivalry doesn't preclude Maddy from being effusive in her praise of her sister Kathryn. "She's always been my mentor. And the fact that now we're kind of on the same playing field, level playing field. I think it's just a testament to both of our hard work and the fact that we stuck with it, and the fact that she stuck with it," Westbeld said. "I think her story alone is the embodiment of perseverance and the embodiment of just endurance. Her story is incredible, so I'm so excited to see her, and I'm just so proud of her." The key factor to preparing for that massive match-up? A good outfit. "People always say, 'You look good, you feel good, you play good.' And that is really true. I think the way that you do anything is the way that you do everything." Even the tunnel walk sparks the competitive drive in Westbeld. "A tunnel fit is just another opportunity to stand out, and fashion, in general, is something that I'm really into," she added. "It's been cool to see all the trends, and you know how W players are already popping out, I feel like it's a competition off the court." And whether she's popping out in the tunnel or on the court, Westbeld is ready to show the world what she can do. "I feel like I'm unguardable one-on-one. I'm excited to see what sticks."
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fairmont alum Maddy Westbeld drafted No. 16 overall in 2nd round to Chicago Sky
KETTERING, Ohio (WDTN) – Former Fairmont Firebird and Notre Dame forward Maddy Westbeld was drafted No. 16 overall to the Chicago Sky in the second round of the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday night. Westbeld will join former rookie Angel Reese and fellow 2025 draft pick Hailey Van Lith (TCU) in Chicago. The 2020 Fairmont graduate was the Gatorade Ohio Girls Basketball Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American and Ohio Ms. Basketball Award winner. Westbeld was ranked No. 23 overall in the 2020 class and fifth at her position. The 2020 OPSWA Division I Player of the Year and two-time GWOC Player of the Year led the Firebirds to a 25-3 record and regional finals appearance. Westbeld, a 6-foot-3 forward, played five seasons for the Fighting Irish and helped lead them to four straight Sweet 16 appearances. The former Firebird star earned ACC Rookie of the Year and earned First-Team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team honors at Notre Dame. She made the Second Team All-ACC in both her junior and senior seasons and was named to the All-ACC Tournament First Team her senior year. Westbeld is one of the most decorated Notre Dame women's basketball players in program history, ranking near the top of the record books in five categories. She finished her college career with 940 rebounds (7th in program history), 145 career blocks (8th), 138 career starts (tied for 3rd), 4,100 career minutes (6th) and 1,710 career points (13th). Maddy's sister, Kathryn Westbeld, played for Notre Dame between 2015-2018 and scored 1,076 points, making them the only sister duo in program history to each score over 1,000 career points. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kettering Fairmont graduate picked No. 16 overall in WNBA draft
Kettering native and University of Notre Dame graduate Maddy Westbeld is heading to Chicago. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Westbeld was the No. 16 pick overall by the Chicago Sky in the WNBA draft on Monday. Advertisement She graduated from Fairmont High School in 2020 and was the Gatorade Ohio Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Westbeld declared for the draft earlier this week, according to a previous News Center 7 report. 'Thank you for everything thus far, but babygirl, this is only the beginning and you have so many gifts yet to realize. I am blessed to announce I am declaring for the 2025 WNDA Draft. Thank you God,' Westbeld said in the post. TRENDING STORIES: The 6-foot-3 forward played five seasons for the Fighting Irish and racked up several honors along the way. In her first year, Westbeld was named ACC Rookie of the Year and earned First Team All-ACC and ACC All-Freshman Team honors. Advertisement She made the Second Team All-ACC in both her junior and senior seasons and was named to the All-ACC Tournament First Team her senior year. She finished her career at Notre Dame with 940 rebounds, the seventh-best in program history. She also scored 1,710 career points, 13th-best in program history. Her sister, Kathryn Westbeld played for Notre Dame between 2015-2018 and scored 1,076 points, making them the only sister duo in school history to each score over 1,000 points. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Women's basketball AP poll, takeaways: Who deserves to be No. 1?
It's beginning to feel a lot like March. Three of the top five teams in the Associated Press Top 25 lost last week, clearing the table for a restructuring. Former No. 1 UCLA's undefeated season ended at the hands of rival USC, while former No. 4 South Carolina and No. 5 LSU lost back-to-back on Sunday. Two additional top-10 teams took losses (Kentucky, NC State), while a third needed overtime (Ohio State) and a fourth (USC) came back late to avoid it. The ties, lead changes and upsets are aplenty one month out from Selection Sunday. As if that wasn't enough to build the mood, the women's selection committee released its first top 16 reveal. There are two weeks before conference tournaments are set and the real fun begins. Texas, winners of three consecutive top-10 matchups, played its way into the No. 1 conversation. The SEC leaders won in different ways to build on their 11-2 record in Quad 1 games. It's better than South Carolina (10-3). The Longhorns (26-2, 12-1) upset then-No. 2 South Carolina, led by Madison Booker's improved play. Their defense stifled Kentucky to a season-low 49 points, 30 below its average. And the group climbed back from a double-digit deficit for a cohesive team win over LSU. They looked like the best team in the country last week, if only because Notre Dame hasn't seen a top-10 team in 2025. The case for the Fighting Irish (22-2, 13-0) includes its signature wins over USC, UConn … and, yes, Texas. That overtime victory was back in the first days of December, though Notre Dame is a better team since then with the return of forwards Maddy Westbeld and Liza Karlen. Texas, too, is vastly improved as Madison Booker and Rori Harmon logged time together. UCLA and its understandable slip to rival USC are still in the mix. A close call against Michigan State on Sunday night (Pac-12 after dark is still alive!) can be excused away since Lauren Betts is day-to-day with a toe injury. Even South Carolina and UConn could make claims if based on full résumé more than recency. UConn's case is stronger with its win over the Gamecocks, who have lost two of the last three and would be a shocking selection. If anyone was ready to put USC at No. 1, it was canceled out by a close call against Washington on Sunday. The Trojans rallied from 12 points back for a 69-64 win. It's been some weeks since Notre Dame faced a tough test (no disrespect to poll bubble dweller California). In a three-game span consisting of wins over Stanford, Cal and Pitt, Notre Dame won by an average 39 points per game. It was three of their best defensive performances, an expected showing when two of the three are below .400 in ACC action. The Fighting Irish (13-0 ACC) built a significant lead in the ACC regular season race, but without facing the conference's best. The upcoming week will showcase their mettle with games at third-place Duke (11-2, two games back) on Monday (6 p.m. ET, ESPN) and at home versus second-place NC State (12-2, 1.5 GB) on Sunday (12 p.m. ET, ESPN). With Miami squeezed in between, they'll play three games in seven days. To close out the season, they'll host sixth-place Florida State (10-4, 3.5 GB) and fifth-place Louisville (11-3, 2.5 GB). It is the toughest stretch of their ACC schedule. The only top-six team they played so far was a 76-66 win at North Carolina in the first days of January. The high-scoring backcourt duo of Hannah Hidalgo (25.2 ppg) and Olivia Miles (17 ppg) has only become stronger for Notre Dame. Each is at least 40% from 3 (Westbeld is also above the threshold on 11-for-25 shooting), a shooting clip that will be tested by Duke's perimeter defense at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils held 12 of their ACC opponents below their respective scoring averages, turning them over at record rates (23.4 turnovers per game). Utah's healthy backcourt continues to power the under-the-radar Utes, ranked 17th in Her Hoop Stats ratings and 20th in NET as of Sunday. They have two 50-40-90 shooters in guards Gianna Kneepkens and Kennady McQueen. The rest of the country has two combined (a minimum 20 minutes per game and 20 games). Kneepkens, who missed most of last season with broken bones in her right foot, is averaging a career-best 19.3 points as a senior. She's shooting 52.2%/47.2%/91.8%. McQueen, a fifth-year senior, is averaging a career-best 11.2 points with a 51.3%/44.4%/93.3% line. She is 14-of-15 from the free throw line, the second season she's rarely drawn shooting fouls. They combined for 44 points and 10 of Utah's 18 3s in a 98-62 win over Arizona State on Saturday. The Utes are on a seven-game win streak and still in a Big 12 regular season title race that is the closest contest of any power conference. Kansas State, TCU and Baylor are all 12-2. Utah is one game behind at 11-3, taking losses to each of the teams above them. The losses to Baylor and TCU were single digits. And all of them were without McQueen, who missed time with a high-ankle sprain. Those matchups will look different come Big 12 tournament time, giving the Utes a chance at a title run. Utah, which switched coaches a week into the season when Lynne Roberts took the WNBA's Sparks head coaching job, experienced a brief early January stay in the AP poll. Duke (20-5, 11-2 ACC) at Notre Dame (22-2, 13-0 ACC), Monday at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN) — Duke hasn't won a share of the ACC regular season title since 2013. Kansas State (24-3, 12-2 Big 12) at West Virginia (20-5, 10-4 Big 12), Monday at 2 p.m. ET (FOX) — West Virginia's pressure defense could cause problems in the Big 12 race. The Mountaineers visit TCU on Sunday (12 p.m. ET, ESPN2). LSU (25-2, 10-2 SEC) at Kentucky (20-4, 9-3 SEC), Sunday at 4 p.m. ET (ESPN) — Kentucky leads the SEC in blocked shots (6.96 bpg) and could improve its tournament seeding with a signature win. 1. Notre Dame2. Texas3. UCLA4. USC5. UConn6. South Carolina7. LSU8. Ohio State9. North Carolina10. TCU11. Duke12. Kansas State13. NC State14. Kentucky15. Tennessee16. Oklahoma17. West Virginia18. Alabama19. Baylor20. Georgia Tech21. Maryland22. Michigan State23. Creighton24. Oklahoma State25. Illinois 1. Texas2. Notre Dame3. UCLA4. UConn5. USC6. South Carolina7. LSU8. TCU9. Ohio State10. North Carolina11. NC State12. Kentucky13. Kansas State14. Duke15. Tennessee16. Oklahoma17. West Virginia18. Baylor19. Alabama20. Michigan State21. Georgia Tech22. Maryland23. Creighton24. Oklahoma State25. Utah
