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2024

Wings rookie Jacy Sheldon reflects on post-Buckeye life, distance from family

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Jacy Sheldon has only been a professional basketball player for exactly four months, but already she -- and maybe more notably her sister Emmy -- are taking flight with the Dallas Wings.  

“She got a big, big screen moment last game so it was pretty cool,” Jacy said with a laugh, referencing a moment Emmy was filmed dancing on the jumbotron on a recent visit.  

Emmy has always been on the sidelines cheering Jacy on, so the distance is a first for the two sisters.

Emmy said she likes visiting Dallas, although it maybe took her a little longer than Jacy liked to say that seeing Jacy is her favorite part. Still, the two have worked hard to keep up communication through phone calls and Facetimes to not let this big change become too much of a big deal.  

"That was a big step for me. I've always been around my family and been close to them,” Jacy said regarding her first time living in a different state than her family. “I think for this one (Emmy), it's been the biggest change, but she handled it great and has become a super star in Dallas so it's been fun to watch." 

While Jacy, a former Buckeye, has been adjusting to her new team in Dallas, Emmy has been staying involved with one here in Columbus. She works with Ability Matters, a group that helps people with autism and neurological disabilities feel community inclusion.  

The group’s nonprofit, Beyond Ability Matters, raises money to help provide activities and opportunities for these special needs individuals and help their families make adventures possible.  

And it’s no surprise that with Ohio State women’s basketball has been key to helping others find this space.  

"Any time I'm going to Ohio State to cover a game, I always know I'm going see somebody who is involved with Beyond Ability Matters and it's great to have that sense of community," Big Ten Network basketball reporter Meghan McKeown, who came from Chicago to participate in Beyond Ability Matters annual golf outing, said.  

McKeown got connected with Ability Matters through her brother, Joey, who has autism. He moved from Chicago to Columbus in 2014 and recently found the organization -- and as a result has also found an expanded future.  

"He is working now with Ability Matters to maybe get back into the workforce,” McKeown said. “It's amazing to be around a group of people who help give him a boost and push him to be successful." 

As Jacy’s success on the court continues to rise in Dallas, she also wants to be successful in the community by doing the same work she and her family have done with Ability Matters in Ohio. She is already on her way, having served as a coach for the Dallas Wings Special Olympics Unified Game in late July.  

Being able to keep up that work has definitely helped her settle into her new community; plus, her team has taken on Ability Matters’ “get-to” mentality.  

"Our staff there actually embraced that message too, and it's cool. I get text messages before games, like 'you get to go play another game' and things like that. And that part has been awesome,” she said. “You know you get the opportunity to do these things some individuals will never get that opportunity, so I think just not overlooking anything and realizing how lucky we are to get to experience all these things.”