Former women's basketball star Neely to be inducted into Wolf Pack Athletics Hall of Fame

If you can pass well and score consistently, basketball teams will always have a spot for you. Janeicia Neely could do both, and as a result, the Wolf Pack women's basketball program flourished just as much as she did. 
 

Neely is one of four former Loyola student-athletes who will be inducted into the Wolf Pack Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Jan. 28, throughout this week, Loyola Athletics will honor all four of the inductees. Click here for more information on the 2023 Wolf Pack Athletics Hall of Fame Reception and Induction Ceremony. 
 

The 122 games that Neely played guard for Loyola from 2011 to 2015 saw her deliver the seventh-most points in program history (1,535). Her 477 assists were the second-most, and the 163 shots that she made from beyond the 3-point line were the ninth-most.
 

Neely's eye-catching stats translated to team success as she helped Loyola to a record of 83 wins and 36 losses during her time at the university, earning multiple berths to the national championship tournament. The program secured 22, 23 and 27 wins during three of those campaigns.
 

It's worth taking a closer look at Neely's junior and senior seasons at Loyola in particular. The 150 assists that Neely recorded during her 35-game junior year were the 11th-most in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics at the time – and they were also the program's fifth-most for an individual season. Loyola advanced to the national tournament quarterfinals and a defeat of just two points deprived the team of what would've been its first-ever Final Four appearance.
 

Plenty of accolades still rolled in for Neely. She was an All-American honorable mention as well as an all-conference and all-tournament honoree. And the deep postseason run catapulted her, her teammates and their coach Kellie Kennedy into the Wolf Pack Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2022. 
 

Neely's senior season didn't quite match those same heights, but she still made a mark. She and the Wolf Pack added 27 victories to the program's name, won a conference tournament championship to avenge a semifinal exit in the prior year's edition, and clinched a second consecutive appearance at nationals, where Loyola suffered a first-round elimination. 
 

Neely averaged nearly 19.1 points per game that year to produce the program record books' sixth-most points for an individual season. Her individual player honors included second-team All-American and first-team all-conference nods as well as selection to the all-conference tournament team.
 

After graduation, Neely became only the second Loyola women's basketball player to play professionally, following in the footsteps of fellow Wolf Pack Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Keiva Council. Neely played for Portugal's Sport Lisboa Benfica in 2015-16 and Switzerland Geneve Elite Basket in 2017-18. 
 

A severe knee injury while with Geneve ended a playing career which also saw Neely play for New Orleans's Cabrini High School before arriving at Loyola.
 

Neely graciously credited her time with the Wolf Pack as fundamental in preparing her to both live in Europe and join basketball's professional ranks. "I always knew that I could use basketball as a gateway to … opportunities like [that]," Neely once told Loyola's Maroon student newspaper. 
 

But Kennedy said that was all on Neely, who now coaches at New Orleans's KIPP East Primary and directs the 18th Ward, a youth nonprofit.
 

"Janeicia … came here and trusted us and … worked extremely hard to get where she [went]," the coach told the Maroon. "I cannot take that credit. The fact that she … put in work when no one else [was] around [was] great to see … pay off."
 

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