MEET THE FOUNDER
Iasia Hemingway
Iasia Hemingway—aka LADYi—is the leader behind LADYi Network. LADYi is a transformational coach, entrepreneur, mentor, professional, and All-American basketball player. She was a two-time first-team All-State New Jersey Player of the Year, receiving the Street & Smith Honorable Mention, New Jersey All-Decade Team, Adidas Top Ten All-American All-Star, Nike Nationals First-Team All-Tournament, and Top 20 Recruit by Scout.com. Iasia was ranked top 20 in the country. Rated top 5 in her position as a power forward in her class by All-Star Girl’s Report. Before she turned 30, she was inducted into the Newark Hall of Fame. While struggling with a learning disability, LADYi was able to overcome that struggle and graduated from Syracuse University with a BA in Communications and Rhetorical Studies. She is a Former Professional WNBA, Overseas and Division I college basketball player.
LADYi soon realized that her main passion was giving back to her community. She retired early and returned to Newark where she began her coaching career. She was the head coach for multiple AAU programs and West Side High School in Newark, New Jersey.
Alongside LADYi Network’s community outreach, LADYi has expanded her brand with services including LADYi Got Skills and LADYi Massage, a service to educate young athletes and their supporters across the country on ways in which to incorporate self-care as a supplement to their athletic conditioning.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Iasia Hemingway attended Malcolm X Shabazz from 2003–2007. During Iasia’s Freshman year the Lady Bulldogs won their consecutive Tournament of champ. During her Junior year the Lady Bulldogs were a Power-House team. They went undefeated under legendary Hall of Fame coach, Vanessa Watson. In her Senior year, Iasia became the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, EA Sports, and Fourth Team Parade All-American.
Her #34 jersey can be seen retired in Shabazz’s gym where she earned her due as a four-year letter winner. She averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds during her Senior season. She was a two-time first-team all-state in 2006 and a 2007 New Jersey Player of the Year, receiving the Street & Smith Honorable Mention. She was on the New Jersey All-Decade team, finishing her career with 1,600 points and 974 rebounds. She was an Adidas Top Ten All-American Camp All-Star, Nike Nationals First-Team All-Tournament, and Top 25 Recruit by Scout.com. She ranked 12th in her class by All-Star Girl’s Report.
Hemingway began her collegiate playing days at Georgia Tech where she majored in Business. During her Sophomore year she averaged 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 steals. She was a member of the NCAA Tournament team before transferring to Syracuse University before her Junior season, needing to be closer to her family and community.
While playing for The Orange, this 5’10” lefty collected numerous plaudits. She was highlighted by a Second Team All-Big East nod in her Senior season. She was Honorable Mention in her Junior year and averaged a combined 13.8 points and 6.9 rebounds in her 72 games with the program. During her time at Syracuse, Iasia Hemingway, scored 997 points in just two years, only 3 points away from 1,000.