Five-star Class of 2025 Notre Dame commit Leah Macy has a chance to work with her future college coach a year before joining the Fighting Irish at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup this week.
“Me and coach [Niele] Ivey have such a good relationship, which was a big reason why I chose Notre Dame,” Macy told On3. “So, to start it now is even better. Getting to win a gold medal with her would be amazing before even getting the play under her.”
Macy attends Bethlehem High School in Kentucky and plays AAU for the West Virginia Thunder on the Under Armor Circuit.
Macy went to the U17 trials two years ago, but she was young and needed to work on her mental game and the grind it takes to compete for the USA. That’s exactly what she’s done over the last two seasons, so when she tried out this summer, she could feel it.
She was ready.
“I was really nervous in the days leading up to the trials, but when I got out there it was like a switch in my mind,” Macy told On3. “I’ve never felt that focused in my life.”
She was in another zone. If she could’ve stayed on that court all day, she would have. It was tiring, but she could feel her mental improvements translating to success throughout the trials.
When the players were beckoned to the gym to find out if they made the team, emotions were high. It’s an intense setup, with every player sitting side by side hoping to hear their name called.
Macy was nervous too, but when they announced that she’d made the team, the biggest rush of relief washed over her. She hugged the other 11 players who would now be her teammates and started preparing herself for the summer she’d dreamed of.
“For the USA, everybody is such a good player,” Macy said. “You’re not going to go out and get to score 20 points. It’ll be adapting to a new role and doing that role to the best of my ability is going to be really big for me. It’ll teach me a lesson. Just to be able to grow as a leader, I think will be huge for me.”
Macy had three blocks and two steals in the USA’s opening victory over Brazil on Monday afternoon. The team will face Puerto Rico at 4:10 p.m. EST on Tuesday.
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