Maddy Westbeld reflects on her challenging season at Notre Dame, her WNBA Draft journey, and the lessons driving her as she enters training camp with the Sky
Maddy Westbeld was selected for both the McDonald’s All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic(Image: Getty)
Maddy Westbeld’s final year at Notre Dame didn’t unfold the way she had hoped before she joined two teammates in the WNBA Draft.
A three-time All-ACC selection and one of the most versatile forwards in college basketball, Westbeld was one of a host of big names to leave Notre Dame, including Olivia Miles, who explained her decision to join TCU via the transfer portal, while three new faces have joined the Fighting Irish.
Westbeld entered the 2024-25 season with high expectations. But a foot injury required surgery and kept her sidelined until January. When she returned, she wasn’t quite herself.
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She admits that the end of her college career wasn’t as she envisioned – but it is motivating her at the next level. She told CBS Sports: “I think when a team doesn’t finish out the year like it was projected or, the standard that they had, obviously it’s very disappointing. Just as a player and all of the relationships that I’ve had with every one of those girls, it’s like, you wanna always go out on a high note, and you wanna have your last memory with them be a great one.
“However, it doesn’t take away from all of the amazing memories and the things that we had been able to accomplish prior to that. I can’t only hang my hat on what happened in the last part of this past season, just because we have been through so much together and what happened doesn’t speak for the character of the university, the character of the brand of just that team in general.
“I’m just so grateful to have been a part of that, and what we had accomplished up to this point, and then also just going forward, understanding like, I couldn’t do it at that level. You know, I didn’t win a championship. That was the goal. So going into this next chapter of my life.
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“I’m really excited and humbled by the fact that I’m in an underdog situation again where I’m able to really just push for another championship, and that’s why I’m so excited about playing for Chicago. Because everybody has that mentality, that edge about them, and we all are here to win, and we all are here to compete to be the best. So that’s what I’m so excited about.”
Westbeld averaged career lows in points (7.6) and rebounds (2.8) per game, and as a result, her draft stock took a hit. Once seen as a possible first-round pick, she slipped to the second round, where the Chicago Sky selected her 16th overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Still, she found joy in the moment. “I’ll never forget that experience. I mean, growing up as a kid, obviously my dream has always been to be there, and to hear my name called by Cathy [Engelbert] and walk up on stage and wear the hat and all that.”
Now, in training camp with the Sky, Westbeld is in the fight to earn a spot on a crowded roster. Her first few weeks with Chicago have been eye-opening. The leap from college to the pros is a big one — not just in terms of talent, but in pace, physicality, and expectations.
As Westbeld works to earn her place in the league, she’s carrying her setbacks with her — not as burdens, but as fuel.