L
exi McNabb had the confidence and skill to shoot anywhere around the perimeter, at least according to Karen Self, her high school coach. When McNabb and Seton Catholic Preparatory played in the Arizona Class 4A girls’ basketball state championship, Self saw her faith in the guard pay off.
In her final year playing under Self, Seton Catholic defeated Salpointe Catholic 70-62 to win its second consecutive state title. McNabb ended the game with 21 points, scoring three 3-pointers in the first half and finishing a perfect 5/5 from range.
“I had a lot of confidence in Lexi so if she put the ball up I would just assume it was going in,” Self said.
McNabb always adapted and showed an ability to be flexible on the court, whether it was playing for Self at Seton Catholic or for her uncle, Richard Nurse, at Lincoln Prep High School her senior year. At Syracuse, her goal is to hold her own legacy, independent of her family name.
McNabb’s father, Donovan, was a four-year starting quarterback for SU, finishing as a Heisman Trophy candidate in 1998. He also played basketball under Jim Boeheim for two seasons as a guard. McNabb’s mother, Roxi, was a four-year starter at point guard for the women’s basketball team, ranking fourth in steals and fifth in assists at SU all-time.
When McNabb committed to play for Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack at Buffalo, it came out of a desire to forge her own path. But once Legette-Jack came to Syracuse, McNabb followed.
“Yes, my last name is McNabb and that means so much,” McNabb said. “But it’s time to tell my story and that’s what I plan to do.”
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McNabb still decided on basketball, learning the game, primarily, from her mother. At times, she’d model her game after her cousin, Kia Nurse, during her playing days at UConn.
At Seton Catholic, Self saw the McNabb’s as just another family. Self remembered she had to tell Donovan to shut up on the sideline and stop trying to coach McNabb.
“I never felt like there was this star power or her last name being more important than anything else. She was very much herself and unique in her own way,” Self said.
Throughout high school, McNabb played a versatile role. Self said McNabb could drive to the hoop, handle the ball and run the offense. A player that contributed to the team’s success defensively with a very high basketball IQ, McNabb’s selflessness and ability to share the ball made her a true floor general.
When McNabb arrived at Seton Catholic, Self thought the season would’ve been nothing more than a rebuild. But within a year, the Sentinels were in the finals.
The very next season, Seton Catholic returned to the final, facing off against the 2021 Arizona Female Athlete of the Year Alyssa Brown and Sahuaro High School. The game was close early on as Sahuaro ran a 1-2-2 zone, positioning Brown’s six-foot-frame at the top. But once McNabb’s shot started falling, it wasn’t close anymore.
McNabb made a couple of threes, forcing Sahuaro and Brown to change their zone. Disfigured and too far-extended, the floor opened up for Seton Catholic and the offense started flowing. The Sentinels went on to blowout Sahuaro 70-40.
McNabb transferred across the border to Lincoln Prep Basketball in Hamilton, Ontario for her senior season to play under Nurse, the head coach at Lincoln Prep. The private school prioritized going up against other Canadian basketball academies.
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“You come to a league with the top competition and you have to play that top competition every day every night in the league. It got her better, it got her smarter,” Nurse said.
As soon as she arrived, Nurse and lead assistant coach, Gina Steinauer, saw a stable point guard they could rely on. McNabb recalled it would take some time for her to catch up on film and learn plays, but she slotted right in as the starting point guard. McNabb went on to average 10.2 points per game as a team captain.
“She sees the floor really well, she understands what’s going on, and she can look at what the defense is in,” Steinauer said. “She can even let us coaches know what’s happening really quickly.”
Steinauer said McNabb constantly brought defensive intensity at point guard. Going up against the combination of Dyaisha Fair and Teisha Hyman at Syracuse, McNabb has held her own. Nurse said McNabb will “surprise” many people and she will fit into Legette-Jack’s system well.
Arriving at SU, one of the first people McNabb met was her roommate, Kyra Wood. Wood, a sophomore transfer from Temple, said she had arrived a week prior to McNabb and so staying in their shared room by herself got lonely. As soon as McNabb walked in, the two hit it off and “talked for hours.”
“She always wants to laugh, always wants to dance,” Wood said. “She’s just friendly. We have a cool connection.”
Hyman believes McNabb has all the tools to be successful technically. She believes the more confidence McNabb has, the more the Syracuse crowd will see how talented she is.
Legette-Jack reiterated McNabb has to play the same no matter if her shot falls or not. McNabb understands who she should model her game after if she wants more playing time. Nurse said if McNabb and Roxi played one-on-one today, the younger McNabb would get a surprise elbow here and there.
“If that means I have to be like my mom and throw myself across the gym, then that’s what I gotta do,” McNabb said.
Published on November 6, 2022 at 10:55 pm
Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff
