SOUTH BEND — Ashlynn Shade never lived in South Bend, she didn’t go to a South Bend Tribune coverage area high school nor does she play collegiate women’s basketball in South Bend. And yet, she spent Saturday, Aug. 15 at Washington High School’s Western Forum helping with a youth girls basketball camp. That’s thanks to her connection with the Panthers’ new head girls basketball coach Matt Marvin, who was Shade’s assistant coach during her senior season at LaLumiere School in La Porte. Shade spent her first three high school seasons at Noblesville, where she led the Millers to a 2022 IHSAA 4A state championship. More: How Washington girls basketball legend Rashunda Jones gives back to South Bend Shade has since played three seasons for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball program, helping win the 2025 NCAA National Championship. She was named the 2025 Big East Sixth-Woman of the Year and the 2024 Big East Freshman of the Year. Twenty-two local girls basketball players, none older than ninth grade, spent their Saturday afternoon with Shade. That included incoming Penn freshman Alexa Brisco and John Young Middle School eighth grade standout Kamora Moffett, among others. “There’s a lot of history up here that people often forget about," Shade said. "Basketball is really big up here, and I think people are starting to remember that. If you’re given the right opportunities, and with the right people in place, you can really start to develop something."
During the camp, Shade’s father, Matt, and Indiana Girls Basketball (IGB) Program Director Natalie Morse announced an IGB AAU team will soon be brought to South Bend. IGB is the largest AAU girls program in the state, and it has helped develop at least 20 collegiate players, including Shade. The Indianapolis-based organization has teams for girls basketball players from third to 12th grade. “The timing is just right,” Morse said. “It’s always [about] the right people. It’s difficult to build a business by just throwing people out there who just go train. You want it to be passion-driven, and you want people who get everything out of every kid who comes into the gym.” More: Notre Dame alumna Skylar Diggins reflective, yet hungry, with Chicago Sky IGB founder Matt Shade said choosing South Bend as a new location for a team was an easy decision. Even as someone who isn’t from the area, Shade knows about South Bend’s reputation for producing outstanding high school players, such as Washington alumnae Skylar Diggins and Jacqueliene Batteast, among many others. Announcing plans for a future IGB team out of South Bend inside the gymnasium that has played host to two IHSAA 3A state championship teams within the last 20 years was not a coincidence. “We’re standing in one of the greatest gyms that girls basketball has produced,” Matt Shade said. “The history and legacy here is, no doubt, right there. There’s definitely a fever for girls basketball up here. The fire has already been lit up here, let’s just put some gas on it.”
Gabi Hoover wore a Washington girls basketball shirt Saturday, but she never played for the Panthers. Hoover graduated from Penn before spending a fifth season at LaLumiere with Shade and Marvin. Now, she’s playing at Division-II Barry University after transferring from Lewis. She remembers watching Diggins lead those Washington teams to four straight state championship appearances from 2006-09, wanting some day to reach those heights herself. Hoover believes having an AAU program like IGB in the area can help sustain South Bend’s reputation as a girls basketball hub. “I never had an AAU team in South Bend when I lived here, and I always had to outsource that,” Hoover said. “So, I think it would be awesome to have girls who can play from the high schools around here all together on one team.” More: Sky is the limit for Notre Dame women's basketball freshman Jacy Abii Marvin did not participate or instruct during Saturday’s camp, although he did help bring it to fruition and provided the host site. While he hasn’t yet coached a game at Washington, he has quickly made an impact on bringing the program back to what it once was. From the 2004-25, the Panthers went a combined 398-145 with two state titles, six IHSAA state finals appearances, seven regional crowns and 11 sectional championships. Last year, they finished with an uncharacteristic 2-17 record and only beat one IHSAA-sanctioned team.
It’s not going to be easy, but Ashlynn Shade believes Marvin is the man for the job. Her spending a Saturday at a gym she has no connection to shows that. “I think he really values community and I think he values team culture,” Shade said. “He’s such a positive, energetic person that he’ll bring the best out of you and make you fall in love with the game. You can expect a lot, because he’s going to give everything he has into this program.” More: See which Class of 2027 recruits Notre Dame women's basketball is targeting The one thing Marvin wanted campers to take away from Saturday is a belief that their hoop dreams are attainable in the South Bend area. “To let those girls look up into the rafters and see the state championship teams and the 11 [Indiana All-Star] jerseys hanging, it lets them see what they can go accomplish,” Marvin said. “That doesn’t mean they have to be here at Washington — it can be done at any high school — but we want to see that. I want to see this area be known as the best area of high school girls basketball.” Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleMSmedley. This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Why UConn women's basketball star Ashlynn Shade was in South Bend Saturday