Junior guard Jacy Sheldon (4) smiles at the free throw line during the Ohio State-Wisconsin game Feb. 20. Ohio State won 59-42. Credit: Gabe Haferman | Assistant Photo Editor
Junior guard Jacy Sheldon has been the backbone for the Ohio State women’s basketball team this season while also accomplishing multiple career milestones.
Sheldon moved to Dublin, Ohio, during her freshman year of high school. She grew up a multi-sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and track, but she said she eventually decided to pursue basketball because of its competitive and physical nature.
“I really liked volleyball, too, for a while. But I think at the end of the day, I just like to compete,” Sheldon said. “I kind of felt like that was easy to do in basketball. Volleyball, it’s not really any direct contact or one-on-one or anything like that.”
It wasn’t until high school when Sheldon said she fell in love with basketball.
“It wasn’t a chore; it was kind of like I wanted to, so I think that’s when I finally realized this is what I wanted to do,” Sheldon said.
Sheldon led the Buckeyes to a 22-5 record, a Big Ten regular season title and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament averaging 19.8 points, 4.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game.
In this season alone, Sheldon has earned two Big Ten Weekly Honor Rolls and one Big Ten Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 33 points along with averaging 6.5 assists and two steals the week of Jan. 10.
Sheldon has also surpassed career milestones this season. On Jan. 20, when Ohio State upset then-No.12 Maryland, Sheldon scored her 1,000th-career point at the free-throw line late in the fourth quarter.
After the game, Sheldon said the only thing she was focused on was making the free throws and not about the reality of her 1,000th point. Weeks later, after Sheldon said she was able to process what she accomplished, she credited it to her team.
“I think it’s a really cool accomplishment,” Sheldon said. “At the end of the day, I think it wouldn’t be possible without our whole team and everything we’ve accomplished. So honestly, I take that as kind of a team accomplishment.”
Teammate junior guard Hevynne Bristow has been by Sheldon’s side since arriving in the program in 2020 and has watched her flourish into the player she is today.
“They always say hard work pays off, but sometimes you might not see it. I get to see it for her,” Bristow said. “I see her in the gym all the time. I go with her to the gym to put in the extra work.”
Head coach Kevin McGuff said he knew when recruiting Sheldon that she would be a perfect fit for the Buckeyes.
“I looked at it through the eyes of when we talked to people about her character and her work ethic; it’s just incredible all the way since high school, grade school, and then, too, just the way I viewed her, the way she would fit in our system,” McGuff said. “I knew she’d be a really great fit and could really thrive with what we do.”
Sheldon’s dad, Duane, was also a collegiate basketball player at Baldwin Wallace. He began his college coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater and then left for a head coaching job at Heidelberg University before returning to the Yellow Jackets.
The basketball legacy does not end there for the Sheldon family, as Sheldon’s brother, Ajay, will suit up for Ohio University next fall.
Sheldon said she accredits her continued growth on the court to her brother after spending countless hours in the gym together.
However, Sheldon said her biggest motivator is her younger sister, Emmy. Emmy, who was born with Down syndrome, never misses an opportunity to see her older sister in action and is always cheering Sheldon on from the stands.
“She’s awesome. I’ve watched her learn so much the past couple years, which has been really cool,” Sheldon said. “But she’s not going to get the same opportunities that I’m going to get, and I’ve realized that, and I think it just pushes me that much harder, even in school, doing my schoolwork, being out here competing or whenever I’m having a bad day.”
As Sheldon trudges through her first NCAA Tournament run, she said the inability to compete in the postseason has motivated and excited the Buckeyes even more this season.
“I just think, obviously my freshman year, COVID, there was no tournament and then we had our postseason ban, which kind of motivated us even more, so it makes it just that much more special,” Sheldon said. “I think we’re excited and we know the potential we have, and we’re just going to have to go out there and play for it every night.”
Although Sheldon is only in her third season, she said she wants to be remembered for her level of competition, winning and making an impact on her teammates.
“I want to be remembered as someone who just goes out there and plays as hard as they can every night, and it’s not even about the points,” Sheldon said. “Winning games, for sure, is definitely something we want to be remembered for.”
