Liberty Year In Review 2024: Jaylyn Sherrod

Jaylyn Sherrod amassed a cult following for her unlikely run to a ring with the New York Liberty.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

After 27 years, 40 games, 12 more playoff contests, and even a fateful overtime period, the New York Liberty finally stand as WNBA champions.

New York earned its first postseason WNBA title with a five-game series victory over the Minnesota Lynx earlier this fall, capping off a monumental season for the WNBA. For now, the championship serves as a culmination of a long-gestating plan put forth by Liberty leadership, one that brought home the first basketball team honor to the city in over five decades.

The Liberty’s path to a repeat comes at an exciting if not turbulent time on the WNBA timeline: rosters are set to endure tremors caused by expansion drafts (such as that of the Golden State Valkyries in December) and upcoming collective bargaining agreement discussions. 

With the season itself gone — but the memories never fading —Knicks on SI looks back at a victorious season that was and what’s ahead for the Liberty on a case-by-case basis.

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2024 Year In Review: Jaylyn Sherrod

Name: Jaylyn Sherrod
Season: Rookie
Key Stats: 1.9 points, 50 percent shooting

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How It Started

Sherrod accomplished plenty for the Colorado Buffaloes' women's basketball program, the only Power Five suitor she had coming out of Ramsay High School in Alabama. Under her partial watch, CU rebuilt its program from the ground up and she ended her five-year collegiate career with three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (the program's first such stretch since 2001-04). Despite enduring several injuries, Sherrod set a record for most starts in a Colorado uniform.

She also made an impact off the floor in Boulder, notching several awards for academic and community affairs.

Sherrod established herself as a pesky defender but her 5-7 frame potentially scared teams off at the WNBA Draft. Her name was not called among the 36 picks in April but she quickly earned a training camp deal with the Liberty.

How It Went

With the Liberty mostly running it back from the runner-up squad in 2023, Sherrod became a talking point in camp. She only upped the ante during preseason action, keeping pace with opposing veterans and making a name for herself in a tight battle for limited roster spots.

Sherrod was originally among the final camp cuts but returned once roster restrictions loosened in July. She played on a trio of week-long contracts before and after the All-Star/Olympic breaks and her competitive spirt landed her a full-year deal by late August.

Though Sherrod's playing time was limited as a literal 12th woman (as she was the major addition in an otherwise dormant year on the transactional front), she gained a sizable cult following in New York and beyond for her inspiring story. Sherrod wound up partaking in a dozen Liberty games, including two postseason appearances. She was one of only five undrafted rookies to take the floor in at least 10 games this year and the only one of that group not to have partaken in any overseas action prior to her WNBA entry.

Finest Hour

Sherrod likely sealed her metropolitan fate on Aug. 22, when she was granted some prime time in a visit from the Dallas Wings. With both Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton out due to injuries, Sherrod confirmed the legends concocted by the Barclays Center faithful with strong penetration, facilitation, and defense.

When the 79-71 win was assured, Sherrod had a tally in almost every major statistical category at four points, two assists, and a block, rebound, and steal each. She signed her full-season deal four days later.

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They Said It

"It's a blessing, definitely. I alway told her, keep your head up, wait for your opportunity. When God closes one door, God's always going to bless you in a different way. We don't know how, but He will. I think this is a way of God showing her a path through the WNBA. I'm so happy for her."-Kayla Thornton on Sherrod's WNBA journey.

"If I'm not the hardest working, passionate player on the court, then I'm not doing my job. I've never held myself to the standard of scoring 30 points or putting up numbers. It's just, simply, I have to be the hardest-working, most passionate player on the court at all times or I'm not doing my job."-Sherrod

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What’s Next?

The legend of Sherrod continues to extend beyond New York: Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston, a fellow Birmingham native, wore a shirt bearing her likeness prior to a recent game and Sherrod partook in the United States' women's national basketball team's 3x3 development camp last week.

The question now becomes whether Sherrod will get to keep telling her story in Brooklyn: she'll hit free agency against and the Liberty have several similarly-skilled players that Sherrod stood in for potentially making their way back, such as Rebekah Gardner and Marine Johannes. That could lead Sherrod into another battle for her roster spot, and that assumes another team won't be drawn to her engaging tenacity.

If anything, the primary factor working in favor of Sherrod and undrafted standouts like her is that more opportunities are coming: Golden State enters the league next season while Portland and Toronto franchises will follow, effectively creating 36 new roster spots. Sherrod may have to prove herself all over again but this throat-clearing season hinted that she can hold a lasting role in the cutthroat world of the WNBA. Spending extended time with a legendary backcourt and building trust with a championship coaching staff

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