IRVINE, Calif. - The 2017-18 UC Irvine women's basketball team will feature 10 newcomers with five true freshmen and five returning redshirts suiting up in an Anteater uniform for the first time. Fans can get to know each of these student-athletes through our Meet the Newcomers series, and up next is sophomore guard Yazzy Sa'Dullah.




#14 YAZZY SA'DULLAH
Year: Sophomore
Position: Guard
Height: 5-7
Hometown: Burbank, Calif. (West Virginia/Burbank HS)
Major: Sociology with a minor in business

1. That's My Dad
Yazzy was born and raised in Minnesota, moved to Las Vegas prior to the start of eighth grade and then made her way to Burbank, Calif., for her final two years of high school. She was frequently on the move as a result of her father's career, which wasn't your normal 9-to-5 job.

Yazzy's dad is Musab Saad, a musical artist and songwriter. Also known as Sab the Artist, he is one of three co-founders of the independent record label Rhymesayers Entertainment. Due to the nature of his work, Yazzy got to meet some of hip hop's biggest stars and experienced the behind-the-scenes life of the music business while she was growing up, and those opportunities are still there as she took some of her teammates to her dad's show with Atmosphere in mid-August.

"It was so awesome growing up around the music business," Sa'Dullah said. "I totally took it for granted as a kid because to me he was just my dad. Now that I'm older and people find out who he is, it's pretty awesome.

"I would say the best experience I ever had was at an outdoor music festival where I saw Kid Cudi," Sa'Dullah added. "I got to go backstage and everything, it was so amazing."

Although music has always been a part of her life, she is not looking to follow in her dad's footsteps like her older brother and sister have done.

"I love music, it's another escape other than the court," Sa'Dullah said. "I can just put some headphones in and zone out. But, I never pursued it; I can't play an instrument or sing or anything like that. I do write a little poetry here and there, but nothing serious."
 

2. More Than a Game
Yazzy knew from a young age that basketball was her passion. It started when she was about four years old, tagging along with her dad, who would go to the park to play pick-up games. When she was done on the playground, she would head over to the courts to shoot with him.

Once she started playing organized basketball, it was something she immediately knew she wanted to pursue at a higher level, and when she found out about college scholarships, it made her even more driven to practice and improve her game every day.

"I remember thinking (basketball) is fun, and I was actually good at it even from a young age," Sa'Dullah said. "I just kept doing it and it was always so fun to me - it was never something I had to do. I always just wanted to play."

With basketball at the forefront, no other sport really stood a chance with Yazzy. Her parents put her in skiing and figure skating when she was growing up in Minnesota, and she also joined her middle school's softball team, but she never had a love for those sports like she did for basketball.

"I skied and figure skated until I was about 11 years old," Sa'Dullah said. "I didn't like it though, it was freezing and always really early in the morning. I also played softball a little bit in middle school, but that was just to be with my friends. I was a good first baseman, I just couldn't hit. I was like, don't even put me in the batting order, I'm just over here eating sunflower seeds." 

Basketball was definitely the right choice for Yazzy as she signed with West Virginia out of high school and now has a chance to help put UC Irvine women's basketball on the map.
 

3. Finding Her Way
It was a dream come true - an offer from West Virginia and a chance to play in the Big 12. Yazzy had worked so hard for that moment, which made her decision easy. She verbally committed to WVU before her senior year, and even before she made her visit.

"This was what I had been waiting for my entire life," Sa'Dullah said. "This was it, I had made it so I committed."

Her career started off on a high note as she went on a foreign tour with the team, getting to travel and play in Europe for 10 days. Then reality started to settle in; she realized she was on her own and 3,000 miles away from her family and friends. Although she enjoyed spending time with her teammates, something just didn't feel right.

"I experienced a lot of things that I never would have experienced if I had stayed home," Sa'Dullah said. "It changed me and I grew up a lot, but I was just going through so much, and basketball wasn't fun for me anymore."

So, she decided to come home. When Yazzy was looking to transfer, a former UCI assistant coach, who knew her from her time in Las Vegas, called her immediately. They set up a chat with Coach Inoue, which led to a campus visit and the rest is history.

"When I came on my visit, I knew this was it, I loved it," Sa'Dullah said. "I didn't really see another option. I love Coach T and this staff. Everything isn't about basketball, I know if I need something they will be there."
 

MORE ABOUT YAZZY...
Favorite home-cooked meal
My mom makes a really good alfredo. So, it would be that or spaghetti.
 
Describe your team in one word.
Determined. I feel like everyone understands the opportunity we have laid out in front of us and we're going to take UCI to another level. I think everyone feels that.
 
What are your career goals?
I don't really know yet. I'm just hoping basketball takes me far and hopefully I can play until the wheels fall off. I do know I want to own a business one day.
 
Which talent or reality TV show would you most like to appear on?
I would like to be on a Real World or Big Brother type of show. I think that would be fun and teach you a lot about people and life in general. That or Lip Sync Battle - that looks like fun.
 
Who is your favorite basketball player?
Steph Curry. I feel like we relate in a lot of ways. His story and background are pretty much my life. I've always been underrated and overlooked because I'm small. Same thing with Steph, he didn't have a lot of Division I offers and is now an NBA champion.



MEET THE NEWCOMERS SERIES
Tahlia Garza
Morgan Green
Jordan Sanders
Lauren Saiki