The Indiana Pacers‘ prominence and their impressive run to the NBA Finals has had a huge impact on fans. And behind their success lies a powerful and crucial key.
Jenny Boucek, assistant coach and defensive coordinator for the team since 2021, has guided the team through chaos with composure and precision since her arrival. But not everything in Jenny’s life is success; rather, it is resilience.
She found a way to achieve her dream of becoming a coach and went for more: Boucek decided to become a single mother through in vitro fertilization. Just 12 days after being hired by the Mavericks years ago, her daughter Rylie was born.
The little girl, who is about to turn seven, has grown up and is familiar with the environment. Now that she is in school, Jenny tells Marca exclusively that “She’s learning math at school, so she asks how many games we have to win in each round, how many rounds there are… and she’s doing the calculations.”
She’s discovering what basketball is, but not from the perspective of a fan, but as part of her everyday life. In the NBA, people have known Rylie since she was a month old. Because of this, the little girl has normalized having conversations with Tyrese Haliburton or even traveling with the team when they are away for more than three nights in a row: “Her classmates are starting to mention things that make her realize it’s something special. For example, if someone talks about Tyrese Haliburton with admiration, she simply says, ‘But he’s my neighbor, what’s so special about that?’” says Boucek.
Are motherhood and her work at odds with each other?
As Rylie grows up, she is becoming more aware of what it means for her mother to travel for work, for example. According to Jenny, this has made everything easier: “She has a biological clock that tells her how long I’ll be gone and how long the season is. This one is a little long, so she’s adjusting to the fact that it will last another month, but she understands what’s going on,” she explains with relief.
During the regular season, Rylie and Jenny organized themselves according to the schedule. But everything changed in the postseason, where everything is week by week. And now with Indiana in the Finals, everything has been different, as Rylie quickly understood: “The difference between last year when we went very far in the playoffs and this year is big, because she’s brilliant and she’s had more experience with what it means to be here.”
Jenny’s opinion on the struggle and support between the NBA and WNBA
As a woman and former WNBA player, she knows firsthand the weight of criticism and scrutiny from the press and her peers, both men and women. That’s why the support of her peers in the NBA has not gone unnoticed by Jenny: “NBA players have always respected WNBA players. We’ve always felt more respected by NBA players than by many people and many men,” Boucek says fondly.
She also expressed her “gratitude” and enthusiasm for the exponential success of the WNBA last season, although she admits that “what is happening with the WNBA is something that is long overdue.” Aware of the criticism of the league, of being the subject of much ridicule and of incessant discrimination simply because they are women, “it was painful.”
The impact of Caitlin Clark
During the talk, the name Caitlin Clark was inevitably mentioned. Her success and recognition have put the 23-year-old in the spotlight. For Jenny, “It is what it is, something she was destined for.” She has admiration like “no female athlete has ever had before,” and Boucek knows that the Indiana Fever star carries this responsibility “with great elegance and confidence.”
She also highlighted that one of the “best things” about the WNBA is being part of the NBA family “from day one.” The ties between the two leagues have forged strong bonds, including CC’s relationship with her partner, Connor McCaffery. “Her boyfriend was an intern with us even before she was drafted. So yes, there’s a lot of connection, a lot of support, not just with Caitlin Clark but with other players, and it’s mutual.“
His work with Luka Doncic
In his early years in the NBA, Luka Doncic‘s offer to join LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers was a dream come true. And this surprised not only him, but everyone in the league: “These days, with all the fake news, you don’t know what to believe and what not to believe. You’re not sure if it’s real or not, because it’s unthinkable that a player of his caliber and talent could be traded,” Jenny began to reflect.
However, Luka wasn’t daydreaming. Boucek concluded by admitting that this was a dose of reality and humility for everyone: “It’s a humbling experience and a reminder to everyone that in this business no one is untouchable and that the team is greater than the individuals. It’s a lesson in humility for everyone and probably a good reminder too that it’s not something that depends on us.”
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