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Pretty much every stage of Jaden Ivey's life will meet up in Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon.
Today, Ivey is a freshman guard for the Boilermakers, just back from a foot injury and poised to impact Purdue considerably.
Before, he was a kid from South Bend, essentially, growing up in Mishawaka but as much so at Notre Dame.
His mother, Niele, is now the Fighting Irish's women's basketball coach, one of its all-time great players having taken over the program for which she once starred. For most of her son's life, she was Muffet McGraw's assistant. Hence, Jaden Ivey grew up around the Joyce Center, at Notre Dame games and practices alike, men's basketball and women's basketball alike. Many football games too.
More recently, his proximity to the Fighting Irish program gave him easy access to some high-level pickup games, breeding his close familiarity with many of the Irish players he'll see again at the Crossroads Classic.
"It's family. That's still family and I know all those guys," Ivey said Friday. "It's just going to be a fun game."
Ivey grew up a Notre Dame fan, obviously. He was too embedded not to.
Loyalties shifted when Matt Painter put so much time and effort into recruiting him out of Marian High School in Mishawaka — before he finished his high school career at LaLumiere — that he was sold on Purdue very quickly, turning down Notre Dame.
Saturday, the team he now plays for will meet the school that's such a part of him on a floor he knows very well.
Shortly after leading Notre Dame to a national championship — beating Purdue in the 2001 title game in her native St. Louis — Niele Ivey played for the WNBA's Indiana Fever from 2001-2004. In mid-February of 2002, Jaden was born. The Fever played at Conseco Fieldhouse, now known as Bankers Life Fieldhouse. He was just a baby at the time, but Jaden Ivey spent many of his earliest days in the arena he'll play in for the first time as a college player this weekend.
"I kind of know the gym, kind of know the smell," Jaden Ivey said. "I already talk with mom about Bankers Life being the best gym I've ever been to."
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There's a lot of sentimental considerations to this game for Ivey.
"I don't think it'll change anything for me," he said.
"This is a big deal for me, and a big deal because we've lost two non-conference ACC games."
Purdue's non-conference finale will be its third meeting with the ACC. Its two losses have come to Clemson and Miami (Fla.). This will be Ivey's first crack to beat one of 'em.
After playing in the Boilermakers' opener against Liberty, soreness in his foot was determined to be a stress reaction, which could have become a fracture in time.
"It was perfect timing," Ivey said. "We didn't want to injure it in the Clemson game and then me be out the whole season."
So he sat out games vs. Clemson, Oakland, Miami, Valparaiso and Indiana State before returning for Wednesday night's Big Ten-opening win over Ohio State.
Ivey impacted the game with a pair of transition baskets that fueled a first-half Purdue run, but his eagerness — "adrenaline" was the word he used afterwards — may have shown on some quick threes that missed, some badly.
"I think I was just so excited to be back on the floor," Ivey said. "Obviously some shots didn't fall for me, but my teammates gave me energy and whenever my shots don't fall, I'm going to keep shooting. I've got that much confidence. I've put in so much work over the summer and all that. I'm never going to lose confidence and stop shooting. I'm just going to keep to that high bar I've set for myself.
"With the ability that I have, I think I can bring energy to the floor. I think I'm getting better defensively and the energy I bring on defense can translate into offense."
When he woke up Thursday, he said his foot felt "amazing."
That's good news for Purdue, because Ivey's an important player and this Notre Dame game an important one. The Irish are 2-3, but their losses are to Michigan State, Ohio State and Duke.
Purdue hasn't beaten the ACC in two meetings, nor has Notre Dame beaten the Big Ten in two meetings. One of those streaks will end at the Crossroads Classic.
Likely for the first time in his life, Jaden Ivey will want Notre Dame to lose.
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