The IX Basketball, a 24\/7\/365 women\u2019s basketball newsroom powered by The Next Judging by the perpetual ringing of Lessig\u2019s phone, recruiters and spectators shared the same sentiment. The Seattle native had loosely been on Princeton\u2019s recruiting radar, but Berube admits that it was hard to find time to fly across the country to watch her in person. If it weren\u2019t for the driver of the rental car \u2014 Lessig\u2019s AAU coach, Mia Augustavo-Fisher \u2014 Lessig might never have been on that trip. And she certainly wouldn\u2019t be in preseason practices now with the 18-time Ivy League champions<\/a>, who are favored to make it 19 this season.<\/p>\n That trip, and the opportunity it presented, was a long time coming. Lessig had made a name for herself on the courts, diamonds, skateparks and flag football fields of the Pacific Northwest, most notably as a three-year starter in basketball who won a state championship every year with Garfield High School. Now, she was finally being recognized on a national stage.<\/p>\n Lessig grew up in the heart of downtown Seattle, the city acting as her playground. Living without a car and in a small, low-income apartment with her mom, Jill, and brother, Tommy, Lessig spent her childhood navigating the city on buses, scooters and skateboards.<\/p>\n Jill manages the apartment building they call home. The job doesn\u2019t pay much, but it has allowed her to pour everything into raising Sarah and Tommy. As one of many girls redirected to softball as a kid after expressing interest in baseball, Jill was determined to make sure her kids could play whichever sport they loved and that she\u2019d be there for every moment of it.<\/p>\n \u201cBaseball was my first love because it\u2019s kind of like the family sport,\u201d Sarah Lessig told The IX Basketball. \u201cWhen I was probably 7 years old, I would go to my brother\u2019s Little League practices. My mom was coaching and I would just hang around the team, and I loved it. I loved it a whole bunch. Within a year or two after that, I got on my own Little League team. My mom coached my team all the way until I was 14, right before I started high school.\u201d<\/p>\n Jill\u2019s commitment to investing in her kids\u2019 passions paid off. Not only did Lessig help Garfield High School\u2019s softball team to the state championship game in her senior year, she also was a four-year pitcher for the Bulldogs baseball team, making her the only girl playing the sport in Seattle\u2019s Metro League.\u00a0<\/p>\n Her accomplishments on the diamond earned her yearly invites to the MLB Elite Development Invitational, a training camp for the top 60 girls baseball players in the country, and the MLB Girls Baseball Breakthrough Series, a collaboration with USA Baseball where she trained alongside former MLB players and members of the U.S. women\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n For Lessig, Bulldog purple was a year-round uniform. At Memorial Stadium, in the shadow of the towering Space Needle, she threw otherworldly passes as quarterback and safety for the Garfield flag football team.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lessig turned skateboarding from a mode of transportation to something more.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to do local competitions. I had three sponsorships, so that was my life during COVID,\u201d said Lessig, who was featured in a Nike skateboarding promotional video. \u201cI couldn\u2019t do team sports, obviously, because of the lockdown. So I would go out and skate for like eight hours a day, and that was just my favorite thing to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n As team sports ramped back up, competitive skateboarding went on the back burner, but exploring her city on wheels still offers a break from her crazy schedule.<\/p>\n \u201cI skate whenever I can with my friends, whether it\u2019s just rolling around the city or something, but I stay away from stairs and rails and all that now,\u201d Lessig said with a laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n Want even more women\u2019s sports in your inbox?<\/strong><\/p>\n Subscribe now to The IX Sports<\/a> and receive our daily women\u2019s sports newsletter covering soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers. That includes Basketball Wednesday from founder and editor Howard Megdal.<\/p>\n Readers of The IX Basketball now save 50% on their subscription to The IX.<\/p>\n Lessig\u2019s background as an elite multisport athlete isn\u2019t just a list of accomplishments. It has shaped the kind of athlete she is today.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think you can probably see it in my game,\u201d Lessig said. \u201cI\u2019m not the most polished basketball player for sure, but I think just different kinds of movements come from different sports. For example, with skateboarding, I learned how to fall, so I feel like I know how to take a charge. Or if I get pushed over, I\u2019ll roll, and I won\u2019t get hurt, just after all those falls I\u2019ve taken on concrete.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet Lessig never imagined that all her early sports experiences would eventually contribute to success in a sport she described as a \u201cplayground interest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn elementary school, kind of the same time I started playing baseball, I\u2019d just stick around the playground for hours after school and play, work on my shot, work on my dribbling,\u201d Lessig said. \u201cRecess was very competitive \u2014 those games got pretty heated! I didn\u2019t start on a basketball team until I was 12. Middle school basketball was my introduction to playing on an actual team.\u201d<\/p>\n That middle school fed into what many consider a dynasty of Washington high school basketball. In recent years, Garfield girls\u2019 basketball has become a pipeline for Division I talent, headlined by McDonald\u2019s All-American and 2025 second-round WNBA Draft pick Dalayah Daniels<\/a>. Daniels spent a majority of her college career just a few miles from Garfield at the University of Washington.<\/p>\n During Lessig\u2019s time as a Bulldog, she overlapped with current USC guard Malia Samuels<\/a> and Oregon guard Katie Fiso<\/a>, who were ranked No. 1 in Washington in the 2023 and 2024 classes, respectively. That put the Garfield squad on the radars of many of the nation\u2019s top college programs. The four straight 3A state titles helped, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAt Garfield, the initial thing was exposure,\u201d Lessig said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of unheard of for coaches to go recruit at a high school game, but with the superstars at Garfield, it was great for me to be seen as an underclassman. \u2026 It\u2019s definitely a big deal to be able to go to Garfield with that kind of legacy and the state championships. It\u2019s helpful to get put on the map.\u201d<\/p>\n Like most basketball-playing girls in Seattle in the mid-2010s, Lessig idolized Kelsey Plum<\/a>. She is proud to say she was in attendance for Plum\u2019s legendary 57-point game<\/a> in 2017 that earned her the NCAA all-time scoring record. So when the Huskies came calling just two years into Lessig\u2019s organized basketball career, she could hardly believe it.<\/p>\n \u201cMy freshman year, I honestly couldn\u2019t believe coaches were looking at me because I was not good,\u201d Lessig said. \u201cBut there were a few coaches that saw me and saw my potential, and one of them was UW. That was my dream school at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cMy underclassman recruiting experience was mind-blowing. I couldn\u2019t believe that a school was even talking to me. But I thought in my mind, \u2018All I need is one chance, one school to believe in me, and I\u2019ll be good.’\u201d<\/p>\n Playing for Garfield got the conversations going, but being a member of a powerhouse high school program isn\u2019t enough to get offers in this era of women\u2019s college basketball. Without playing travel ball, even the most talented players struggle to stay on recruiters\u2019 radars.\u00a0<\/p>\n That brings us back to that rental car driving through the Midwest in the heat of July and Lessig fielding questions about how it could possibly be her first time on the travel basketball circuit. Coming from a family that couldn\u2019t afford the thousands of dollars in team fees, private workouts and travel expenses that often come with club ball \u2014 on top of her year-round sports schedule \u2014 travel basketball had always felt out of reach.<\/p>\n But Lessig says the real key to getting on the recruiting map was the kindness and support of just one person.<\/p>\n \u201cI give all of my credit to Mia [Augustavo-Fisher],\u201d Lessig said. \u201cShe took me from ground zero to where I am now. She really believed in me. She helped me financially with all the club stuff, which was the reason that I never played because I couldn\u2019t afford it. She gave me a spot on Premier, she would train me, she would get me connections with all these coaches. She\u2019s just a really phenomenal human being. \u2026 I definitely credit her for any offers I got.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The opportunity to play for Washington Premier, founded and led by Augustavo-Fisher, opened a whole new world for Lessig\u2019s recruitment. Augustavo-Fisher is a former collegiate standout with 10 years of professional overseas experience before working under Tara VanDerveer at Stanford. Her wife, Michelle, is another Seattleite-turned-University of Washington product who was an assistant at her alma mater for four seasons. The couple\u2019s connections were huge for Lessig in the recruiting process.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBetween my freshman and sophomore year, I played half a season of club ball, and that\u2019s when coaches really started reaching out,\u201d Lessig said. \u201cI picked up a few offers, and that was just crazy. I had no idea you would get more than one offer; that was foreign to me. The whole talking to coaches and talking about visits was just unbelievable because there hasn\u2019t been anybody in my family to play college sports, so I was new to the whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Order \u2018Rare Gems\u2019 and save 30% If you enjoy Megdal\u2019s coverage of women\u2019s basketball every Wednesday at The IX Sports, you will love \u201cRare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.\u201d Click the link below to order<\/a> and enter MEGDAL30<\/strong> at checkout to save 30%!<\/p>\n Reflecting on her recruiting process as a low-income student, Lessig offered advice for the many other young players who may be in a similar situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cJust try to be as well-rounded as you can in every aspect, whether that\u2019s playing multiple sports, getting good grades, or even just being a good person [and] a good teammate,\u201d she said. \u201cThose things will make you stand out just as much as having the skill on a basketball court or having the exposure. \u2026 It\u2019s very possible to do without club sports and without spending that extra money. Just work with what you have, focus on getting better and enjoy the game.\u201d<\/p>\n By the time she reached Chicago for the 2024 Nike Tournament of Champions, wrapping up her first full season of travel ball, Lessig\u2019s conversations with coaches had shifted from casual interest to full-on recruiting pitches. Coaches fully saw her for her multitalented skill set \u2014 which also includes playing piano and guitar.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen some of the schools started to get really serious, they would start putting softball into the equation,\u201d Lessig said. \u201cThrough basketball, I would get an offer from a school, and then they would learn more about me [and] figure out what I value. Then they would reach out to the softball coach and then say, \u2018Hey, you could play softball here, too, if you want.\u2019 That thought was really enticing.\u201d<\/p>\n During her senior year at Garfield, Lessig earned Metro League MVP honors for basketball and was nominated alongside WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike<\/a> and gymnast Jordan Chiles for the Seattle Sports Commission\u2019s Women\u2019s Sports Star of the Year award.<\/p>\n By the time Lessig finished high school, she hadn\u2019t just amassed over 30 Division I basketball and softball offers. She had also earned an offer to play for Ottawa University\u2019s five-time consecutive national championship flag football team, led by USA Football national team assistant coach and women\u2019s flag football legend Liz Sowers. Lessig visited the campus in the small town of Ottawa, Kansas, describing it as a \u201creally cool experience that came out of nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Among all of her opportunities, though, one program stood out. Lessig\u2019s immediate connection with the all-women staff and the players she would soon call teammates \u2014 combined with the prospect of an Ivy League education following her straight-A, valedictorian performance at Garfield \u2014 made Princeton feel like the perfect fit. Given her close bond with her mom and brother, the Ivy League\u2019s rule against summer workouts, allowing for quality time with family, was the icing on the cake.\u00a0<\/p>\n At 6\u20192, Lessig is tied for the tallest player on Princeton\u2019s roster, giving the Tigers more size and versatility. Now having coached Lessig for just two months, Berube recalled what first caught her attention and prompted her to call Lessig just over a year ago after seeing her in Louisville.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat an incredible athlete,\u201d Berube said. \u201cShe can do so much defensively. She was a great shot blocker. She was rebounding on both ends of the floor, ran the floor like a gazelle. She had a good skill set offensively, and definitely we knew there\u2019s a high ceiling here.\u201d<\/p>\n What Berube didn\u2019t see while watching her during travel ball, however, was the work ethic behind Lessig\u2019s craft.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re in the gym a lot,\u201d Berube said of Lessig and fellow first-year Grace O\u2019Sullivan. \u201cThey\u2019re asking a lot of questions, they\u2019re watching film, they\u2019re doing extra work because they\u2019re just really driven young women. Sarah\u2019s just like that. She wants to be great at everything she does, and she\u2019s going to work really hard to do that. \u2026 She just brings so much to our program and to our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Lessig couldn\u2019t be joining the Ivy League at a better time. The conference received three bids to the 2025 NCAA Tournament<\/a> and had five WNBA draft picks over the last two drafts, solidifying itself as a prime destination for top talent. Lessig joins seven Washingtonians in the conference, including two of her best friends, Columbia sophomore Mia Broom<\/a> and Cornell first-year Willa Chinn. It\u2019s a comforting connection as she prepares to play her college career far from home.<\/p>\n Your business can reach over 3 million women\u2019s sports fans every single month!<\/strong><\/p>\n Here at The IX Basketball<\/a> and The IX Sports<\/a>, our audience is a collection of the smartest, most passionate women\u2019s sports fans in the world. If your business has a mission to serve these fans, reach out to our team at BAlarie@theixsports.com<\/a> to discuss ways to work together.<\/p>\n From the concrete jungle of downtown Seattle to the ivy-covered buildings of Princeton, Lessig\u2019s path has been shaped by her dedication and support system.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI would say I\u2019m most proud of overcoming the obstacles that come with growing up in a low-income family,\u201d Lessig said. \u201cClub sports were never an option until it was literally handed to me later in high school. \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just kind of a weird route that I took to get to be a college athlete. I think that\u2019s something I pride myself on. It\u2019s been a great experience, and I\u2019ve learned so much and met so many cool people along the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The IX Basketball<\/a>: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX Sports<\/a>. 24\/7\/365 women\u2019s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n
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![\"University](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760289431_355_IMG_5518.jpg\")
A young Sarah Lessig poses with University of Washington guard Kelsey Plum<\/a> at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Wash. (Photo credit: Jill Lessig) <\/p>\n
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Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. \u201cRare Gems\u201d follows four connected generations of women\u2019s basketball pioneers, from Elvera \u201cPeps\u201d Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.<\/p>\n![\"Princeton](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/G1tJEquWEAIAhMC.jpeg\")
Princeton first-year Sarah Lessig rises up for a layup in a preseason practice at Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, N.J., on Sept. 25, 2025. (Photo credit: Princeton Athletics on X)<\/p>\n