Niele Ivey, who formerly served as an assistant coach, was promoted to Irish associate head coach Thursday.
The promotion is a continuation of a long and illustrious career with the Irish, both as a coach and a student-athlete. Just last season, Ivey was the inaugural winner of Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year award and is now entering her 10th season on the Notre Dame coaching staff. Since she joined the staff, the Irish have posted a .865 winning percentage, and the team traveled to five consecutive Final Fours from 2011-2015.
“Notre Dame has opened so many doors and has given me so many amazing opportunities professionally, academically and athletically as a student-athlete and now associate head coach,” Ivey said in a press release Thursday. “I am living my dream and am so grateful for this promotion. … I can’t thank [Irish head coach Muffet] McGraw enough for believing in me and supporting me.”
McGraw, who coached Ivey when she played at Notre Dame, noted that much of the team’s success since bringing Ivey onto the coaching staff can be, in part, attributed to her recruiting power and ability to bring out the best in players with whom she works.
“I am so proud of Niele and so thankful for the great work that she continues to do,” McGraw said in a press release. “It has been amazing to witness Niele develop into the top assistant coach in the nation over the past 10 years. Her work with our guards has been instrumental to our success on the court. As a mentor to the young women in our program, she is an invaluable resource. Niele has shown continued success in building relationships and recruiting elite high-character players to Notre Dame.
“As one of my former All-American point guards, it has been really special for me to watch Niele’s development and growth within our profession. We value her influence daily, and I couldn't be happier to reward her for the great job she has done in all facets of our program.”
In addition to her new position as associate head coach, Ivey will continue her duties as Notre Dame’s recruiting coordinator.
