WESTLAKE, Ohio — Notre Dame athletics has added a new face to its offices this year, as J’Alyiea Smith joined the department as a McLendon Foundation Administrative fellow. While in South Bend, Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey will serve as her mentor, becoming the organization’s first female to take on the role.
“It’s an honor to be part of the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative Fellows Program and to work with our newest hire, J’Alyiea Smith,” Ivey said. “This initiative allows me the opportunity to do what I love the most, and that is to uplift, mentor and empower women. I am looking forward to mentoring J’Alyiea in all areas of leadership and professional development.
“Please welcome J’Alyiea to our Notre Dame family!”
Founded in 2020, the McLendon Minority Leadership Initiative (MLI) aims to assist minorities, who are known as Fellows, by providing a one-year opportunity at an institution or sports organization with an extensive professional development curriculum and access to a wide-ranging alumni network. In total, there are more than 50 fellows across the country.
“The purpose of the MLI is to provide minorities a jump-start to their careers through practical experiences, opportunities to build their network, and instilling the values of John McLendon: integrity, education, leadership and mentorship,” the McLendon Foundation’s website reads.
Smith, who graduated from Ohio State in 2022 with a degree in sports management and ran track for the Buckeyes, spent the last year as a track and field intern and as support staff for operations at the University of Cincinnati. While there, she developed her communication and organizational skills and hopes to continue down that road to ultimately work in athletics.
“I’m truly ecstatic that I’ve been selected for this unique opportunity with Notre Dame Athletics, as it will allow me to exercise and execute my creativity, knowledge and passions,” Smith said. “This brilliant staff will be sharing many useful resources to jumpstart my young professional career in the sports world.
“Having Coach Ivey as my direct mentor is exhilarating, and it is necessary for those like me to see Black, female representation firsthand. Due to the fact that we are underrepresented in many high places, it’s so refreshing to see women like Coach Ivey and JP Abercrumbie in their roles, and it gives me next-level confidence to own the space that I’m in.”
About John McLendon:
McLendon graduated from the University of Kansas in 1937 and was the first Black student to earn a degree in physical education. His primary mentor while in Lawrence was the inventor of basketball, Dr. James Naismith. Naismith helped McLendon navigate life in the 1930s both on and off the court.
McLendon went on to earn a master’s degree in physical education from the University of Iowa, and he began a coaching career. He served as the head coach at North Carolina Central College (1940-52), Hampton Institute (1952-54), Tennessee State University (1954-59), Kentucky State University (1963-66) and Cleveland State University (1966-69). While serving at the helm at North Carolina Central College in 1944, McLendon organized “The Secret Game” between his team and the all-Caucasian Duke University Medical School team. It was the first known racially integrated basketball competition. The Kansas native served in several additional athletic roles throughout his career, including North Carolina Central athletic director. He is widely recognized as the inventor of the “fast break.”
His greatest achievements, however, came during his time on the National Athletic Steering Committee, which he founded in 1949. The group had a massive impact on the integration of basketball and other sports. McLendon continued to serve the communities across the country and was the head coach of the American Basketball Association’s Denver Rockets (now Nuggets). He was inducted into multiple Halls of Fame, including the Naismith Memorial. McLendon passed away in 1999 at the age of 84.