When asked to describe senior guard Madison Cable, junior guard Jewell Loyd laughed.
“Maddie is just so goofy,” Loyd said after No. 4 Notre Dame’s 88-77 win over No. 6 Tennessee on Jan. 19.
Irish senior guard looks to pass the ball during Notre Dame's 92-63 win over Wake Forest on Sunday.
“That’s a good word for her,” sophomore forward Taya Reimer chimed in.
“She knows how to make everyone laugh, and she knows what to say at the right times,” Loyd continued. “She’s awesome.”
Goofy doesn’t capture it all though. After the win over Tennessee, Irish coach Muffet McGraw praised the Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, native’s tenacity. Cable came off the bench in that game to tally six points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 22 minutes.
“Maddie is competitive,” McGraw said. “I think she’s one of the most competitive people on the team. I mean, she is so feisty inside. She’s going to get a rebound, and she’s not going to let it go.”
Not only did Cable post solid overall numbers, but she also kept coming up with important plays at the best times, McGraw said.
“She came up with a big steal late,” McGraw said. “She had some big free throws. She was a big factor, I thought, in the win, especially down the stretch.”
Chris Collins | The Observer
In Sunday’s 92-63 win over Wake Forest, Cable turned in what McGraw called one of her best performances of the season.
Cable totaled 12 points, a game- and career-high six steals and three rebounds. Along the way, she completed a four-point play, a momentum-changing score late in the game that sent the Irish on a 27-10 run.
McGraw opened her postgame press conference talking about Cable’s game, calling it “phenomenal” and noting in particular her defensive play.
For Cable, it was just another example of her being ready for anything.
“It’s the same thing every game, they want me to go in and give some energy and be aggressive and help the team offensively and defensively, whatever I have to do,” Cable said Sunday.
Cable missed her freshman season due to stress fractures in both her feet. She returned her sophomore season to play in 34 games, starting three. As a junior she played in 37 games and posted her best season averages yet, 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
This season, Cable has played in every one of Notre Dame’s 23 games and started five. She is averaging 20 minutes off the bench per game, making her one of the leading Irish reserves. She also has totaled a team-best 39 steals and has scored 5.9 points per game.
Cable has helped spearhead a potent bench that outscored Wake Forest’s reserves, 34-7, on Sunday and outmatched Boston College’s bench Jan. 11, 45-13.
Along with her goofy demeanor, Cable seriously knows how to lead, Loyd said. Cable, guard Whitney Holloway and forward Markisha Wright are Notre Dame’s only seniors. They have been around for three Final Four appearances and two shots at the national championship game.
“Being a senior, [Cable] understands what it takes to go to a Final Four,” Loyd said. “When she has to say stuff, she will, but she’s still goofy. She knows how to say something to everyone in the right way.”
When asked how she felt about her strong individual performance against Wake Forest, Cable had just one thing to say.
“Well, we won, so I’m happy,” Cable said.
