How far will Niele Ivey travel to watch her son, Jaden, play an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game? A long way
Niele Ivey conducts the most important practice of her career at 1:10 ET this afternoon and one of the most important road trips of her life immediately thereafter.
The Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach will spend the morning hours game planning for tomorrow’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchup against No. 1 seed NC State at 11:30 a.m. ET at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. (ESPN2). Then she’ll take part in a press conference at 12:25, just before practice starts.
And once practice ends, she’ll hit the road. She has a game to make.
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Ivey’s son, Jaden, is in Philadelphia for a Sweet 16 tilt of his own. A sophomore guard for Purdue, Jaden will take the court for the No. 3 seed Boilermakers tonight at the Wells Fargo Center for a 7:09 p.m. ET tip-off against No. 15 seed St. Peter’s.
The world might be rooting for the underdog, this year’s Cinderella. Ivey will be rooting for Purdue, in-person after making a three-hour post-practice drive from Bridgeport, to support her son, who’s averaging 17.6 points per game this season and 20 through two NCAA Tournament games so far.
“I’m so proud of him,” Ivey said. “He’s born for the big stage. He’s thrived in these moments, and he’s dreamt of this. So to watch him carry out part of his dream, it’s so incredible. And then for myself to do the same thing, it’s just really cool. It’s a special bond we have with basketball. I’m just excited we’re both dancing.”
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Ivey could not attend Jaden’s first two NCAA Tournament games. He was busy beating Yale and Texas in Milwaukee. She was busy beating UMass and Oklahoma in Norman, Okla. This time, the respective locations are just close enough for Ivey to make a six-hour round trip to satisfy all of her obligations — as a coach, and as a mother.
The CBS Sports network set up a livestream during Purdue’s second round win over the Longhorns this past Sunday. Every time Jaden made a play, the channel cut to Ivey in a hotel in Norman with her hands clasped and a look of nervousness. When it became clear Purdue would hang on, she had a smile that could stretch from Bridgeport to Philadelphia on its own.
“I made sure I kept it PG,” Ivey quipped. “Thank God it was on mute.”
Miles on the road are nothing new for Ivey. It’s a two-hour drive from Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., to Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. Ivey has made that trek a few times to see her son play. She’s making this drive alone. She’s not flying or taking a train so she can “be in control.”
Nothing is stopping Ivey from being in the building. That’s the mom in her. Nothing is stopping her from getting back to Bridgeport as swiftly as possible too. That’s the coach in her. Those are two full-time jobs. Ivey is working overtime at both this weekend.
“We’ve had to sacrifice a lot for both of our careers,” Ivey said. “He’s missed some things for me, and I’ve missed a lot for him. But we’re living our dreams. Both of our dreams were to go to the NCAA Tournament and hopefully compete for a national championship. That’s the quest he’s on. That’s the quest I’m on. We’re both living out our purpose.”
