As last season winded down for Ohio State – which made the team’s first Elite Eight appearance since 1993 – those within and outside of the program awaited a decision from senior guard Jacy Sheldon, who had yet to announce whether she would depart for the WNBA or return for another college season.
There an argument for either decision, with Sheldon impressing in limited action prior to a lower-leg injury that held her out for most of the season and also excelling in her late-season return to the court. But, that same injury could have limited her draft potential considering she was held to only 13 games.
Just two days after Ohio State’s season ended in a loss to Virginia Tech in the Elite Eight, however, Sheldon broke her silence, announcing her return to Columbus for a fifth and final season of college basketball, with hopes of taking the Buckeyes even further in the NCAA Tournament.
As for why Sheldon decided to return for another season, she said on Monday that a significant factor was the number of returning players from last year, something she wanted to continue to be a part of.
“The group we had last year, besides (Taylor Mikesell), the whole group was coming back, so I knew we were going to have a really good shot at this year, too, so I wanted to be a part of that,” she said. “Then a lot of good newcomers. For me, it was about getting healthy, too, and being at my best. Last year I had a lot of injuries to deal with. I just knew the group that we had, the girls we had, the chemistry, we’re just building off it and getting better every day, and I wanted to be part of that for this year.”
While Sheldon did consider her options in regards to heading off to the WNBA or returning to Ohio State, she never got far enough into the process to receive feedback from the professional level in regards to her potential draft stock. Mikesell went through the same process following the 2021-22 season and did receive feedback from the WNBA before deciding to return to Ohio State.
“I did not get that far,” Sheldon said. “Before I made contact with anybody (from the WNBA), I wanted to make that decision, and I didn’t really want to make it until the end of the season. Once the tournament was over, I just started thinking about that, and like I said, thinking about the group we had. I wanted to be a part of it for one more year.”
In returning for her fifth season, Sheldon said the team continues to have high exceptions coming off their Elite Eight run, and that even with plenty of newcomers to the team – including transfers Kennedy Cambridge, Taiyier Parks and Celeste Taylor, as well as freshmen Faith Carson and Diana Collins – the Buckeyes are continuing to hold each other accountable.
“Even at practice, we get on each other, make sure everybody’s going as hard as they can every day,” she said. “I think (holding) each other accountable is going to be our first goal, and we do that pretty well, so just staying steady with that. Once we get into the preseason and Big Ten play, we want to win as many games as we can. We’ve got big goals at the end of the season towards the tournament, too, but we’ll take it game by game once we get started.”
