Tag: Niele Ivey

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Irish dominate again, head to Goombay Classic

Sophomore guard Olivia Miles dribbles the ball in Notre Dame's season opening win over Northern Illinois Photo courtesy of Sofia CrimiVaroli | The observer

As the Notre Dame women’s basketball team prepares to head to the Bahamas for the Goombay classic, they’re riding high after a dominant 4-0 start. The fourth win came on Sunday afternoon, as the Irish won their third game by 34+ points, dispatching Ball State 95-60. Notre Dame’s closest game to date is a 90-79 victory over Cal, with their other wins coming by 34, 35 and 40 points. Additionally, none of Notre Dame’s opponents have a losing record, combining for a 10-2 record, excluding their games against the Irish. And, perhaps most frightening for upcoming opponents, head coach Niele Ivey said her team is just scratching the surface of their capabilities. 

Irish throttle Cardinals

Sunday’s performance was a dominant one. Notre Dame ran all over the Cardinals for 54 first-half points, opening up a 27-point advantage at the break. Six players scored in double digits, and the Irish more than doubled Ball State in rebounds (50-24), blocks (8-3) and assists (21-10). Sophomore guard Olivia Miles fell three rebounds shy of a triple-double, notching 13 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. Graduate student guard Dara Mabrey led the scoring effort with 19 points on 5-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Graduate transfer Lauren Ebo added a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds), freshman guard KK Bransford poured on 16 points and sophomore guard Sonia Citron added 14 points to go with eight boards. Overall, the Irish shot 54.2% from the field. 

The first few minutes were a little rough defensively for the Irish, as Ball State opened up an 11-6 lead. However, triples from Mabrey and Miles eliminated the Cardinals’ advantage. With 3:41 left in the first quarter, Mabrey’s three-pointer, her third of the first quarter, vaulted the Irish to a 17-15 lead, an edge they would not relinquish. It kick-started a 13-3 scoring run to end the quarter, and Notre Dame went into cruise control. They outscored the Cardinals 27-9 in the second quarter to absolutely bury the visitors. The Irish opened the frame on an 11-2 tear, punctuated by two more Mabrey threes. They ended on a 13-1 run, allowing them to double up Ball State, 54-27 at halftime. 

Irish finish Cardinals, eye Bahamas trip

The second half was more of a formality, as the Irish put their finishing touches on a fourth straight game with 88+ points. The 95 points were a season-high, as the Irish have increased their offensive output in every game this season. They’ll look to continue that trend at the Goombay Classic in the Bahamas, where the Irish will play two games.

Notre Dame takes on a winless American University squad on Thanksgiving, and they’ll battle Arizona State in the second game, on either Friday or Saturday. American is sitting at 0-3 with losses by 51, 5 and 14 points. The Sun Devils are unbeaten, but they have not played a Power-5 team. Two of those wins include beating Northern Arizona by one point and New Mexico in overtime. Should the Irish emerge unscathed from the international trip, they’ll enter a massive two-game stretch at 6-0, ready to face a top-20 opponent in Maryland and a top-5 UConn squad on Dec. 1 and 4, respectively.

Contact Aidan Thomas at athoma28@nd.edu.

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News

NBC to broadcast ND women’s basketball game live in historic first

Irish women's basketball head coach Niele Ivey talks to reporters ahead of her team's trip to St. Louis. / Alysa Guffey | The Observer

The last time Niele Ivey stepped foot in Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, she won an NCAA championship as part of the 2000-2001 Notre Dame women’s basketball team.

“I never had an event that I had to go back there to go into the arena,” Ivey said. “So it’s going to be actually really surreal to kind of feel that vibe again, because I know I’ll never forget that feeling of winning in that arena.”

Now, returning to the Enterprise on Saturday, Ivey hopes to lead her squad to a win against the California Golden Bears in the inaugural Citi Shamrock Classic. She will also be coaching the Irish in the first women’s collegiate basketball game broadcasted live on NBC and Peacock.

“It’s powerful,” Ivey said Thursday of being even a small part of the historic broadcast. “It’s the reason why I came back, and I always want to expose my team to incredible experiences and help mold them.”

The live broadcast will also feature an all-women broadcast team. And although the knitty-gritty of the broadcast is not Ivey’s main focus as head coach, she described it as a powerful moment.

“We have [an] all black broadcast staff I heard, [the] first women’s game on NBC and then having two first African-American female head coaches at the helm of two Power Five programs — Charmin Smith and myself — I think it’s an incredible moment, and I’m just happy to share that with my team,” Ivey said.

The game is also the first college basketball game broadcasted live on NBC since a Feb. 28, 1998, matchup between the Notre Dame and Providence men’s squads, according to an NBC press release.

As the game takes place more than 350 miles away from campus, NBC will host a watch party sponsored by On Her Turf (OHT), NBC Sports’ women’s empowerment brand, with Muffet McGraw confirmed as a special guest. The event will begin at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at O’Rourke’s Public House on Eddy St.

Senior and OHT Notre Dame ambassador Elizabeth May said the chapter has been working on the watch party all semester.

“I’m looking forward to spreading awareness of the platform, because I feel like everybody knows NBC Sports but not everybody knows about On Her Turf,” May said. “And I feel like the women’s basketball team is a great kind of team to use in conjunction for promoting this platform.”

OHT has several other collegiate campus ambassadors across the country that plan and host events specific to their athletic atmosphere, May says.

As a student-athlete herself, May says she’s seen OHT stick out in circles on campus as it specifically focuses on the empowerment of female collegiate athletes, especially in the time of NIL deals in college sports.

“When you find a brand like On Her Turf that’s trying to celebrate [collegiate] success, I think that’s even more exciting than just the generic brand deals,” May said.

The game Saturday also marks a homecoming for Ivey and Cal head coach Charmin Smith, who both grew up playing hoops in the St. Louis area.

With her son Jaden playing in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons, Ivey knows the importance of showing up for family sporting events. Ivey’s parents, siblings and nephews will be in attendance at the game, in addition to her high school basketball coach, she said.

In addition to a personal homecoming, Ivey says she’s looking forward to showing her team where she got her start.

“I get a chance to bring [my players] home to show them my roots,” she said. “My journey was not easy, so I get a chance to show them what hard work looks like, what sacrifice looks like, and I’m excited to share that.”

Contact Alysa Guffey at aguffey@nd.edu.

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Sports

Irish dominate Huskies in season opener

Notre Dame women’s basketball eased into their 2022-23 campaign with a comfortable 88-48 victory over Northern Illinois Monday night.

Sophomore guard Olivia Miles paced all scorers with 17 points, but it was a team effort that propelled the Irish to victory. Graduate student guard Dara Mabrey chipped in with 16 points, 12 of which came from beyond the three point line. Junior forward Maddy Westbeld added 13 points and graduate student center Lauren Ebo chipped in with 10 points as well. 

Notre Dame didn’t explode out of the gates against the Huskies, rather steadily building their lead over the course of the full forty minutes. Miles stressed the importance of consistent offensive output after the victory. 

“We talked about keeping our foot on the gas the whole time,” Miles said. “That fourty point lead didn’t come right away. Just working through those struggles we do have. [Runs] will happen, that’s basketball, you know. But we kept shooting and kept getting to the basket. If we aren’t making it from the outside, we’d go inside, and vice versa.”

That focus on working the inside was a major factor in the Irish slowly building their lead, with Ebo and junior forward Kylee Watson slowly but surely pounding away at the Northern Illinois interior. The pairing combined for 19 points in an efficient performance, one that Miles noted after the game gave the team a different dimension.

“They work really well off of each other,” Miles said. “I was telling [head coach Niele] Ivey, ‘we should run post-up plays’ just because they couldn’t really guard Ebo or Kylee. Really getting them actions is super important, getting them the ball, calling doubles when we see them, working off of each other. It’s really important posting one of them up so they can work off each other.”

Another major element of Notre Dame’s winning season-opening performance was an impressive defensive display, as Ivey highlighted.

“That’s something that we are working on and something that we are growing, our defensive mindset,” she said. “They’re all locked in, committed to it. There are some things we’re focused on as a team and that was one of them. So [the defense] was really great, and it just goes to show our growth over the last couple of weeks. The commitment, the trust, in our defense … they’re working towards it, in practice you can just tell the energy is shifting in that regard … for us to be able to show and perform like that defensively is what I love.”

The Irish will now look to take Monday’s performance on the road to St. Louis for what figures to be a tougher test against Cal in the Citi Shamrock Classic. The Golden Bears provided an impressive victory of their own in their opener, dispatching Cal State Northridge 86-56.

Cal struggled last season to a 2-10 finish in the PAC-12, but return three starters and added two transfers. The Golden Bears are led by sophomore guard Jayda Curry, who won PAC-12 freshman of the year last season. 

Notre Dame will take on Cal at 4:00 Saturday afternoon in the Citi Shamrock Classic in St. Louis, Missouri. The game will be broadcast on NBC, becoming the first women’s college basketball game to ever be shown on the channel.

Contact J.J. at jpost2@nd.edu.

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Sports

Five takeaways from Irish win against Truman State

Monday night Notre Dame women’s basketball played their first full game open to the public this season, matching up with Division II Truman State in an exhibition. While the difference in overall team quality, and small sample size, limit the amount of takeaways one can have from the lopsided victory, here were five observations that stood out from the 92-47 Irish win:

1. Ivey’s preferred rotation is far from set

A defining characteristic of the exhibition Monday night was a good deal of tinkering by head coach Niele Ivey with her lineup. Though just eight players saw more than ten minutes of action, Ivey got plenty creative in how those eight players rotated. Sometimes, it was junior transfer forward Kylee Watson down low, other times it was graduate student transfer center Lauren Ebo, and sometimes it was both. Junior forward Maddy Westbeld was utilized in a variety of ways depending on the personnel around her. And, while neither guards, freshman KK Bransford or graduate student Jenna Brown, had standout nights. It was clear Ivey sees them factoring into the guard conversation in some way. With sophomore guard Sonia Citron being the only player to play more than 27 minutes as the lineup continually shifted, it is obvious that Notre Dame’s rotations are plenty malleable until one combination gels right.

2. Notre Dame is going to play as fast as possible

One of the common themes in last year’s Notre Dame team was their commitment to flying down the court at every opportunity. Heading into 2022, it doesn’t seem like much has changed on that front. Sophomore point guard Olivia Miles especially seemed interested in spearheading such a pace, eagerly rushing up the court to either finish at the rim or dish the ball out wide for an assist. Between Miles, Mabrey, Citron and Bransford, Ivey should have no shortage of ball handlers to push the pace of a game with.

3. Lauren Ebo looked dominant down low

While the caveat of Division II opposition is important to note, Ebo looked like a force in the paint. With the departure of Maya Dodson to the WNBA, Notre Dame’s biggest need was at the center position. Though Watson got the start for the Irish, it was Ebo who looked the most impressive in her share of minutes on the floor. Posting 14 points and six rebounds, Ebo was assertive around the rim and provided a physical presence on defense as well. If Truman State is the only factor in Ivey’s opening night lineup decisions, it would be hard to see the Texas transfer not getting the starting nod.

4. Sonia Citron could be in line for an all-ACC breakout year

Sonia Citron hasn’t generated as much buzz as her fellow sophomore standout Olivia Miles, likely due to her having a much smaller sample size of play (only starting for the second half of the 2021 campaign). But Ivey has raved about Citron, and the sophomore looked like a standout against Truman State. Leading the way with 17 points for the Irish, Citron also posted 14 rebounds and looked like an impact player, both in the paint and handling the ball. A dynamic and flexible talent, Citron could turn a lot of heads this year at the heart of the Irish lineup.

5. Olivia Miles is still Olivia Miles

Miles’ greatness is more or less assumed to be a given at this point. And that’s perhaps just as well; many of Miles’ trademark jaw-dropping passes came across as casual against Truman State, consistently slicing defenses apart at unthinkable angles. Miles also looked at ease getting to the hoop in transition, gliding by defenders after grabbing a rebound or an outlet pass and finishing with the one-handed extension layups she loved to utilize last season. The sophomore finished 2021 a first-team all-ACC honoree. She’ll be gunning for all-American honors this year.

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu

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Level up: Irish look to take next step under Ivey

Gabriel Zarazua | The Observer

Notre Dame women’s basketball enters the 2022 season with expectations unlike any they’ve seen in two years under head coach Niele Ivey.

For every rebuilding hardship that Ivey’s first season brought, her second campaign in 2021 provided signs of a program on the way back to the top. Ivey’s inaugural Irish lost on opening day to Ohio and ended the season with an unceremonious first round exit in the ACC tournament. Her second squad beat Ohio by 36 points on opening night, and didn’t end the season before making a run to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. 

But more impressive than last years’ squad’s achievements was its youth. Notre Dame took the floor against North Carolina State starting three underclassmen and two freshmen. As such, most of their core returns for 2022 offer hope of a team that can build off of last season’s Sweet Sixteen run and challenge for an ACC title.

While a title winning mentality isn’t anything new in South Bend, this season marks the first time Ivey and her group can reasonably expect to compete on such a level. Not shying away from the program’s history, however, Ivey says she sees the teams’ prior accomplishments as a motivation for the new generation of talent at Notre Dame as they try to bring home a title of their own:

“The expectation is always there. When you think Notre Dame, you think Final Four,” Ivey said. “When you walk into this arena you see two national championship banners, you see the ring of honor. In the practice facility you see nine Final Four logos. So you hear about it, you see the murals… but [the team] has to go through it. So it’s about challenging them, talking about that standard and trying to set that standard and tone every day.”

Any such title challenge will almost certainly be anchored by the backcourt. The Irish return one of the nation’s most potent guard pairings in sophomore Olivia Miles and graduate student Dara Mabrey. Miles provides the flash, last season making a very solid case as perhaps the best player in the 2025 WNBA draft class. Notre Dame’s team leader in most major statistical categories, Miles finished second in the entire country in assists in addition to first on the Irish in points, steals and assists. 

Mabrey adds a cool hand to the backcourt, as an experienced on court leader who’s yet to miss a start in four years split between Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. Providing a spark from beyond the arc, Mabrey led the 2021 Irish in three point percentage. It was her 29 points and seven three pointers that helped Notre Dame notch a major statement victory on the road against Oklahoma in the NCAA tournament.

Outside of the Miles/Mabrey pairing, Coach Ivey is likely to lean on more of a positionless core to implement her high-tempo, offensive style of basketball. To achieve that style, Ivey has made heavy use of flexible sophomore combo guard Sonia Citron and junior forward Maddy Westbeld.

Though Citron didn’t work her way into the Notre Dame starting lineup until the second half of the season, her impact was massive. Proving capable in just about every facet of the game, Citron proved invaluable on both offense and defense: shooting the ball and driving the lane with equal ability, posting the second most rebounds on the team and guarding just about any player on the court.

Ivey has even hinted that she wants to get Citron even more involved than her flexible, positionless role allowed her last season.

“She’s like a jack of all trades,” said Ivey. “I’m going to force her to score a little bit more, she’s very unselfish which I think is a great attribute to have, but with this team, I need her to step up and score a little bit more, be a little more aggressive. But she does everything well so she’s a joy to have on the floor because I know she’s going to be in the right spot all the time.”

Westbeld took up a similar versatile role, one she can be expected to fill once again in 2022. An efficient shooter, the junior led Notre Dame in field goal percentage last season. She also proved indispensable down low, averaging 6.3 rebounds per game. And, at times when Maya Dodson got into foul trouble, she would act as the team’s de facto center. Against North Carolina State, Westbeld was forced into a matchup against one of the country’s best bigs in Elissa Cunane for much of the second quarter. She handled the challenge well, keeping Notre Dame in the game.

Center is the one position where Notre Dame will have a vacancy compared to the 2021 squad. Maya Dodson was an anchor down low for the Irish, leading the squad in both rebounds and blocks by a wide margin. But with Dodson’s departure to the WNBA, Ivey had no clear options in the front court heading into the offseason.

So she hit the transfer portal to adapt. The Irish brought in Kylee Watson from Oregon and Lauren Ebo from Texas to help flesh out the squads depth in the paint.

Ebo arrives in South Bend as a graduate student on the back of a career-best senior season in Austin, where she averaged 8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. A battle-tested veteran whose last two seasons featured NCAA tournament runs, Ebo can be expected to be an important leader who’ll provide invaluable experience to a still-young Irish locker room.

Watson should provide another option for Ivey down low. The 6’4 junior brings a former five star pedigree to Purcell Pavilion. Of note for Watson is that she hails from New Jersey and has previously played with Miles, allowing her to have early chemistry with Notre Dame’s starting point guard.

When asked about front-court turnover, coach Ivey raved about what Watson brings to the table as the team looks to replace Dodson.

“I’m super excited about Kylee,” Ivey said. “[She] has a motor, which you guys will see. She’s a difference maker. She’s exciting, with explosiveness… she brings what we lost with Maya and her athleticism and her ability to run the floor.”

Ultimately, it’s difficult to see how Notre Dame doesn’t improve on their 2021 campaign provided everyone stays healthy. Miles has seemed to get better every game she’s played in her college career, and now has another offseason of training and development under her belt. Mabrey should provide the type of experienced compliment that will ease Miles’ growth as well. Westbeld is a proven quantity who also has shown flashes of being an all-ACC player in 2022. Citron is another of last year’s freshman who seemed to get better as she gained experience to perfectly fit into Ivey’s system. Watson and Ebo both look to be shrewd transfer portal additions, and if they hit the ground running, Notre Dame’s front court should be a solid unit as well.

The wild card in the Irish squad is freshman guard KK Bransford. The rookie is the only member of Notre Dame’s freshman class, but brings an impressive high school pedigree. Ranked in the top thirty of all 2022 recruits, Bransford has also drawn praise from Ivey for her ability to guard and play one to four on the court, making her seem a natural fit for Notre Dame’s positionless style. Her 5’11 frame combined with an already short Irish bench makes it seem highly likely the rookie could be in line for high leverage minutes early.

If all goes well for Notre Dame, the Irish could be in contention for titles at both the ACC and national level. Such possibilities are contingent on continued development and steady production, which is never assured. But, the expectations are sky high if the Irish can hit the right notes. 

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu.

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Olivia Miles steps up, fills leadership void

Sophomore guard Olivia Miles drives to the hoop against Virginia Tech. / Credit: Gracie Lee | The Observer

Notre Dame women’s basketball enters the 2022 season knowing what they’ve got in most key areas. 

Their backcourt stable is headlined by one of the most impressive freshmen in the country last year: Olivia Miles. Next to her will be Dara Mabrey, a fifth-year senior who has never missed a start at the collegiate level. Combo guard Sonia Citron offers a dream mix of ability in the post and adept perimeter play that head coach Niele Ivey has utilized impressively.

The front court is also impressive. Maddy Westbeld averaged nearly 12 points per game last year, looking comfortable in all sorts of defensive matchups. A transfer platoon of Lauren Ebo and Kylee Watson adds additional pedigree to a unit that lost an anchor in the graduated Maya Dodson. Even 6-foot-5-inch forward Natalija Marshall — who missed the last two seasons due to injury — is fully fit, with the former top-40 prospect adding yet another weapon to a well-rounded Irish roster.

Notre Dame is poised to build on an impressive 2021 season with a core that’s well-suited to execute Ivey’s fast-paced and largely position-less game plan. But for all the on-court strengths and returning talent, the question that still needed to be answered over the offseason was who would step up as the leader.

Between the departure of Maya Dodson to the WNBA and upperclassmen Katlyn Gilbert, Abby Prohaska, Anaya Peoples and Sam Brunelle to the transfer portal, the 2022 Irish returned just one player of senior or elder status: Dara Mabrey. The void left by Dodson and company led to a young Irish roster with a lack of leadership that needed to be filled, and the natural fit for such a role was Olivia Miles.

Miles is no stranger to being a heavily involved member of the Notre Dame program, despite her short time with the team. As a rookie, Miles led the squad in assists by an eye-popping amount — her 244 dimes finished second best in the entire nation, and more than tripled the second best number on the roster. She also led the team in points, steals and minutes and was a permanent fixture in the lineup at every major juncture.

But this season, her role on the team will expand past being an incredible floor general. Miles, now with a full season of collegiate experience under her belt, is poised to be a key leader for the Irish off the floor, as well. 

Miles herself will tell you, from a personality standpoint, she’s not a natural fit for the role. But she’s strived (and continues to strive) to improve her assertiveness as her time with the team grows. 

“I’m a pretty introverted person. So it’s definitely a challenge for me to use my voice and speak up in that leader way … But I definitely can work on improving my voice overall, on and off the court.”

And while Miles’ self-admitted introversion made her development as a leader particularly tasking, she possesses traits that show why she’s well-suited for the role. Always playing with passion on the court, Miles touched on how her emotional game can help her connect with a team that at many times has been sparked by her fiery play.

“[Emotion] is a big part of our team,” Miles said. “I feel like we’re all pretty emotionally driven, tapping into the way that our teammates need to be led. And I feel like high or low, we’re always invested emotionally into one another. That’s a part I do need to grow in … Emotion is very important, but I feel like more mentally with these girls, talking and getting their heads right before games, is super important”

Leaning on her on-court experience to influence her off-court efforts, Miles also touched on how Niele Ivey, a former Irish guard herself, has mentored her as she moves into a more vocal role.

“I feel like [I lead] by example … Coach Ivey tells me that all the time; just be an example for others to follow. It can help them really implement themselves into the system quicker.”

Ultimately, Miles emphasized that one of the team’s greatest strengths heading into the season is that it shouldn’t be a hard lineup to lead. A condensed Irish roster (only 12 players are rostered heading into the season, down from 15 in Ivey’s first season as head coach) thrives on chemistry and a tight-knit off-court bond. 

“I think this team is the closest that I’ve ever been to any team in my life,” Miles said. “We just hang out with each other all the time, on and off the court. I think the experience is really starting to help us … Experience is helping us perfect our system, knowing each other on the court and improving our chemistry.”

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu

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Sports

Irish bring on four transfers, hoping for successful season

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team is locking in as they prepare for out-of-conference play to start next month. Their season opens on Nov. 7 versus Northern Illinois. 

Notre Dame’s season was cut short last year in a heartbreaking Sweet Sixteen loss to NC State. This season, the team is determined to build upon their performance. Head Coach Niele Ivey spoke about how last year’s loss is motivating the team this season.

“It’s something that’s always gonna be in the back of their heads. It gives them a chip on their shoulder. They know how good they can be, they showed it last year, so it’s about raising that standard, raising that expectation every day.”

The players themselves help their teammates meet these high expectations by holding each other accountable as well as cheering each other on. Players frequently exchange high fives during practice, but they don’t hesitate to offer criticism either. Sophomore guard Sonia Citron spoke about the importance of this practice. 

“I’ll get on my teammates if they’re not working hard, just like they’ll get on me, and its not personal, it’s just what we have to do to get better.” 

The Irish lost to NC State in the Sweet Sixteen by only three points, one of six losses last year that the Irish lost by five or fewer points. In such close games, effort and discipline are often the difference maker. As they prepare for this season, Notre Dame is focusing on limiting mistakes in order to win those close games.

“Every single practice we work on attention to detail and not making those silly little errors that can cost us that game,” Citron said.

Coach Ivey and the rest of the Notre Dame coaching staff also help their players emphasize these details frequently during practices, reminding players to sprint at full speed or “finish the first one” when a player misses a layup. This type of attention to detail in practice will help the Irish convert narrow losses into wins this season. 

Incoming recruits will be crucial to Notre Dame’s success this year. The Irish lost five of last year’s players, including four who transferred to other programs. The team is filling their places with four new recruits.

Guard KK Bransford from Cincinnati, OH, the only freshman joining the team, earned Ms. Ohio Basketball the past two years and is the seventh-ranked guard in her class. She has transitioned well to college so far, competing against older girls in practice and playing great man defense.

Citron spoke highly of Bransford’s abilities.

“Even though she’s so young she is so talented,” Citron said.

Along with Bransford, three transfer students are joining the Irish. Graduate transfer guard Jenna Brown joins the Irish from Stanford, where she won a national championship in 2021.

Coach Ivey believes that “playing with that championship caliber helps.”

Brown’s presence on the team brings experience to a team of young players. Brown underwent knee surgery two seasons ago and is currently practicing in a brace; however, she is moving well on the court and is expected to be a useful addition to the Notre Dame squad.

Fellow graduate transfer Lauren Ebo, a center from the University of Texas, earned Big 12 All-Tournament Team and All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades last year. Tall and strong, Ebo can score and rebound at will from the post. Her size gives the Irish an advantage, both because she is difficult to guard and also because her teammates are able to practice against a tougher opponent than they will usually face in games. Along with dominating on the court, Ebo is also a vocal leader both in practice and in the locker room. Coach Ivey said she can rely on Ebo to use her voice and experience to help her teammates.

Ebo also plays well with junior forward Kylee Watson, who joins the Irish from Oregon. Watson, who led the Ducks in shooting percentage last year, says she loves “being on the floor when Ebo just can go to work.” 

This type of positive team dynamic will be important to Notre Dame’s success this year. Culture is essential to any successful program, but especially one where four out of nine scholarship players are brand new to the program. Watson said that the smaller roster has actually helped the team bond. 

“It’s so much easier to build chemistry when you have a smaller roster … hanging out outside of basketball and just being close, obviously that plays a role in how much we trust each other and want to play for each other.” 

The positive team culture is obvious as you watch the Irish joke around while stretching and as they exchange personalized handshakes before the start of practice. The team looks cohesive and disciplined, and they’re having fun on the court. This is a Notre Dame team that is prepared to take the Irish to another Final Four.

Contact Sammie McCarthy at smccart9@nd.edu

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Sports

Irish women made a legacy on the hardwood at Notre Dame and beyond

Editor’s Note: Sports Editor Aidan Thomas contributed to this article.

When the Notre Dame Women’s Basketball team was founded in 1977, five years after the passage of Title IX, there was no Women’s National Basketball Association and women’s sports, in general, received little attention. In the 45 years since then, the team has made a name for itself, appearing in 26 NCAA tournaments and nine Final Fours, as well as winning two national titles in 2001 and 2018. 

The Irish women’s team started their program’s history off well with a record of 49-20 in their first three years under coach Sharon Petro. Then, under the coaching of Mary DiStanislao for seven years, Notre Dame totaled 115 wins to just 79 losses. DiStanislao led the Irish to a pair of North Star Conference titles. However, the program truly took off into a new era in 1987. That’s when an Irish legend in the making, Muffet McGraw, took over the program. Under McGraw’s leadership, the Irish won 21+ games in five of her first seven seasons, also qualifying for a postseason tournament five times. They won the Midwestern Collegiate Conference five times, going 15-1 or better on three occasions. They finished second in the two years they faltered. 

McGraw’s squad jumped to the Big East in 1995, and they went 32-4 over their first two seasons in conference play. That second year, the Irish went 17-1 in Big East play and made a run all the way to the Final Four — their first in program history. Notre Dame continued to knock on the door and in 2000-2001, the Irish broke through. For the second time in program history, Notre Dame won 30+ games, notching a 34-2 overall record. Ruth Riley and Niele Ivey led that squad through a blistering NCAA Tournament run, as the team knocked out longtime rival UConn in the Final Four and edged in-state opponent Purdue for the national title. 

McGraw’s successful tenure continued throughout the 21st century, but she hit her peak dominance in her final decade of coaching. Beginning with the 2010-11 season, Notre Dame ripped off a streak of 30+ years of nine straight years. That stretch was highlighted by six Final Fours, including five straight. The sizzling streak also spanned the end of the Irish’s Big East tenure and the start of their time in the ACC. They won the final two Big East titles before taking over the Atlantic Coast. There, they triumphed over the conference in six straight seasons. However, after knocking on the door so many times, losing in the national title game four times in five years, the Irish finally delivered one final national title to their head coach in 2018. The heroics of guard Arike Ogunbowale will be forever remembered as she hit a pair of buzzer-beaters in the Final Four, lifting Notre Dame to upsets over UConn and Mississippi State and, ultimately, the national title. 

Now, after a brief rebuilding period, the Irish are back onto the national scene. One of those 2001 heroes, Niele Ivey, is at the helm and she led the Irish back to the NCAA Tournament last year. There, they went to the Sweet 16 and led top-seeded NC State into the final minute of the contest. Eventually, the Irish fell 66-63. Notre Dame’s consistent success over the years can be seen not only in their accolades at the collegiate level but now also in the WNBA, where the Irish have established a robust presence. 

Irish in the WNBA

With the creation of the WNBA 26 years ago, Notre Dame Women’s Basketball alumnae have continued to dominate in the WNBA. There are currently 10 former Notre Dame basketball players in the WNBA. Furthermore, four former Irish were voted WNBA All-Stars in the 2022 season. This gives Notre Dame, tied with UConn, the most former players on the All-Star roster.

Skylar Diggins-Smith, who led the Irish to three Final Fours, has continued her dominance in the WNBA. Ranked ninth by ESPN, Diggins-Smith essentially carried the Phoenix Mercury with teammate Brittney Griner (who is currently detained in Russia). Another Notre Dame alum Brianna Turner helped the Mercury reach the playoffs this season.

Jackie Young, a member of the 2018 NCAA Championship team, may be headed for another national title with the Las Vegas Aces. Young was the first overall pick in the 2019 draft after going pro a year early, which is almost unheard of in women’s basketball. After a breakout season, she is beginning to prove why. As the 13th-ranked player in the league, Young has increased her scoring output by 5 points per game from last season. She just faced up against the Seattle Storm and fellow Notre Dame alum Jewell Loyd in the semifinals of the WNBA tournament. Ultimately, the Aces won in an overtime victory. Loyd stands just one spot behind Young in the rankings at number 14, and the two posted almost identical stat lines this season.

Arike Ogunbowale joins Diggins-Smith, Young and Loyd in the top 25 at number 17. Anyone who watched Ogunbowale hit buzzer beaters in both the Final Four and national championship games of the 2018 national championship knows she deserves her spot in the top 25. A natural scorer, Ogunbowale averaged almost 20 points this season. She and fellow 2018 national champ Marina Mabrey are teammates once again on the Dallas Wings. The duo, who call themselves “Marike” helped Dallas to a playoff this season.

These Irish legends, along with other Notre Dame alumnae Kayla McBride, Jessica Shepard, Natalie Achonwa and Lindsay Allen, who are now all teammates on the Minnesota Lynx, are proof of the Notre Dame Women’s Basketball teams’ status as a powerhouse. With Coach Ivey and the current team looking to continue that legacy, it’s safe to say that we can look forward to seeing more Irish alumnae in the WNBA in the coming years.