WATCH: Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey talks success of son Jaden at Purdue
Niele Ivey has done a tremendous job in her first season as Notre Dame’s head women’s basketball coach. Under Ivey, the Irish are currently 21-6 overall and 13-4 against ACC opponents, sitting ranked 14th in the AP Top 25. But Ivey also takes pride in the success of her son, Jaden Ivey, at Purdue. On Saturday morning’s edition of College GameDay, an incredible feature was shown, highlighting the relationship between Niele and Jaden Ivey.
Niele Ivey won a national championship as a player in 2001. She played her college basketball at Notre Dame from 1996 until 2001. In her first year in the WNBA, Niele Ivey started 26 games before she learned that she was pregnant with Jaden. Ever since he was born, Jaden has been able to share basketball with Niele, his mother introduced the sport to him at an early age.
“I introduced basketball to Jaden probably when he was about three,” Niele Ivey said. “I bought him one of the Fisher Price hoops for Christmas and he started shooting on the little hoop.”
But for Niele Ivey, once Jaden was born, her focus shifted.
“I had dreams of making the all star team, being a champion,” Niele said. “But after Jaden, I was just like I’m a single mother, and I’ve got to survive. This is my source of income, this is my livelihood. He was definitely my why.”
Both Niele and Jaden Ivey are having tremendous success
Niele first returned to Notre Dame in 2007 as an assistant coach. She eventually became an associate head coach as well. In 2019, she took an assistant coach position with the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA before returning to South Bend to become the next Irish head coach. As Jaden grew up, he learned alongside his mother while watching some great players in Notre Dame’s history.
“I think of the players like Skylar Diggins, Jewell Lloyd, Arike Ogunbowale, all of those amazing women, I was able to witness them and witness their greatness,” Jaden Ivey said. “They were my first role models just from their love and their passion for the game.”
“There are some things that he does, his maneurisms, I’m like that is completely Skylar or that is completely Arike because he followed them,” Niele Ivey said. “He learned from them, he learned the game from strong women and I think that’s very powerful.”
Niele makes the drive to see as many of Jaden’s games at Purdue that she can. She believes that her son is only beginning what he is capable of. Jaden is averaging 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 27 games at Purdue this season. He has established himself as one of the nation’s top players, and he is likely to hear his name called early on in the NBA Draft.
“The sky is the limit for him,” Niele said. “He is just scratching the surface.”