Walk-on guard keeps rising to her ambitions, lifting others along the way
Abby Abel has always chased big dreams. After participating in a Purdue youth basketball camp at age 9, she decided she was going to play for the Boilermakers one day. She continued attending camps each summer; by her junior year of high school, she was a pretty good player, though not good enough to catch the eye of recruiters.
She’d gotten to know head coach Sharon Versyp (LA’89) over the years and expressed an interest in joining the team as a walk-on. Abel is the only walk-on player Versyp’s added to her roster in 12 seasons at Purdue. This year, Abel earned a full scholarship.
“It was a dream come true,” says Abel. “It meant so much to me for Coach V to give me that opportunity. She saw that I could add to the team. Maybe what I bring isn’t reflected on the stat sheet, but she sees it, and the team sees it, and that’s pretty awesome.”
Abel’s biggest impact off the court is the introduction of Play Unified at Purdue, a Special Olympics initiative that mobilizes young athletes to connect with other youth with intellectual disabilities. She had previous experience with Play Unified track in high school in Carmel, Indiana, and felt compelled to start a collegiate basketball event. Her freshman year, she received a grant from Special Olympics to hold a three-on-three basketball tournament that combined local Special Olympics athletes, Purdue student-athletes, and Greek life.
“Until you experience it, it’s hard to understand,” says Abel. “Play Unified allows us to come together in one sport, on one court. We’re more similar than we are different. They may not have as many opportunities to play the sport alongside us.”
She’s in the process of planning her third Play Unified basketball event scheduled for later this year. “I want to make it bigger and get more of the student population involved. I would love to see it evolve into an intramural or club program long term. I want to build upon the foundation I’ve set over the last two years.”
This story appeared in the Spring 2019 issue of Purdue Alumnus magazine.
