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Jewell Loyd's team probably isn't going to make the playoffs. Her first season in the WNBA isn't going to end in the postseason. But when it comes time to vote for the league's Rookie of the Year award, Seattle coach Jenny Boucek wants everyone to remember something. "I don't think another rookie in this league has been asked to carry as much of a load as she has," Boucek said. "Some rookies come into this league and they are playing behind veterans, so they don't have to play consistent minutes. But she's been thrown into a significant role with nowhere to hide. She's guarded some of the best players in the world. Scouting reports are focusing on her. And she's been clutch for us." Loyd called her first season -- one in which she is indeed a strong candidate for WNBA Rookie of the Year honors -- a "good learning experience." Seattle has won three of its past four games to get within 2½ games of the Western Conference's final playoff spot, but the Storm will face playoff-bound teams in four of their final five games in a bid to make the postseason. Still, Loyd -- who played in back-to-back NCAA championship games at Notre Dame -- feels she is in the right place. "I've been very fortunate to be here," said Loyd, heading into Sunday's "homecoming" game at Chicago. "I've never felt overwhelmed or discouraged. Everybody here has made it a really easy transition for me." That was no sure thing, especially since Loyd, who left Notre Dame after her junior season, made a last-minute decision to begin her professional career just a few days before the WNBA draft. Despite being the No. 1 pick in the draft last April, Loyd hasn't quite been a breakout star in the same way Elena Delle Donne or Candace Parker were in their first seasons. The 21-year-old Loyd has experienced a true learning curve with a rebuilding team that needed her to come in and contribute immediately. Surrounded by veterans such as Sue Bird, Loyd was also embedded into a tightly knit team that's "as close to a college team as any team in the league," Boucek said. And when the rookie talked, the Storm listened. Loyd came to Boucek just two games into the season after she had been inserted immediately into the starting lineup. Loyd was struggling. "She asked to talk to me," Boucek said. "She said she thought it was better for the team if she came off the bench for now." Boucek was impressed by her rookie's self-awareness, her focus on the team and her courage to come forward. Not only that, the coach was convinced Loyd was right. "It made sense," Boucek said. "I felt like it would take the pressure off and let her watch how things developed early in the game." Loyd scored in double figures just once in her first eight WNBA games. But she began to find her way. "It was good for me to watch how the game was going, to see what the team needed and hear what the coaches were saying," Loyd said. "It was something I really needed until I got more comfortable in the game. Luckily, that came really quickly." When it was time, a dozen games later, Boucek went to Loyd. "I just asked her, 'Are you ready?'" Boucek said. "She said, 'Yeah,' and that was it." Said Loyd: "It was never really about me. It was what was best for the team, and I felt like it was the best decision at the time." Loyd is the leading scorer among WNBA rookies at 10.2 points per game and also is averaging 3.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists. She ranks second in Seattle behind Bird in minutes played (26.2). On Sunday, Loyd scored 18 points against playoff-bound Washington, including a 14-for-14 effort from the free throw line, which set a franchise record. Her season high -- 21 points -- came on June 29 against Tulsa, a game in which she came off the bench. Loyd said her biggest lesson as a WNBA rookie has been the relentlessness of the pro game. "The WNBA is really hard," Loyd said. "There is no game where you can go out there and expect to win. Being around Sue and learning from her really helped me grasp that side of my competitive nature even more." Boucek said Loyd has come "light years" this season. "I've just watched her get comfortable," Boucek said. "She's become more fluid and instinctive. It's a lot to learn for a rookie. Especially for a player of her level. I think for most of her career she's just been a better player than anybody on the floor. But she's come into the league and she's had to go against players as athletic as she is, but with more experience and game savvy and she's had to learn not to make decisions. I'm not sure that was ever required of her before, given her talent." Loyd said the biggest improvement she has made is learning to read the game. "It's about knowing when to get shots off, being a better playmaker for my teammates," Loyd said. "Knowing what we need, when to push it or bring it back out. That understanding has been big." Loyd will play on Sunday 20 minutes from where she was a high school star at Niles West, and busloads of fans are reportedly going to make the trip to the game. She will be honored the day before at Wrigley Field before the Chicago Cubs game. "This has been my first time living by myself and being away from family," Loyd said. "But I've learned to adjust and embrace it. I like learning new things, and I feel like I'm in the right place."
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