2023-24 Notre Dame Women's Basketball

[clashmore_mike]

Well this seems pretty cool...

 

[stpeteirish]

send out to any coveted prospects in the portal who are interested in overseas travel. What a selling point.

 

[IrishSportsDaily]

 

[AllTimeIrish]

Very cool, would love to go see them but its not in the cards atm.

 

[Old Man Mike]

I'm still not convinced about Ivey's ability to create the best team from the players available, nor manage them creatively in-game vs differing opponents. When looking (through green-tinted glasses perhaps), this team is loaded with everything but a dominant (real) big center. The roster is so potentially talented though, that everything else seems capable of running away from "big" problems. We have a true (and still underappreciated) All-American in Sonia Citron --- thought I was going to say Olivia Miles didn't you? Citron is the absolute Rock of the team, even always getting the toughest defensive assignment of height less than 6'3". (maybe even then.) She had maybe one bad game all year. Miles is the uber-talent super offensive show, but almost all quality teams sort of figured her out by the end of last season. If she can't run, or drive a certain angle, her Magic Johnson passing doesn't happen. ... and she has been just an average non-lay-up shot, and a mediocre defender who we've tried to hide. The head coach should note these things and fix them, especially the offense we play and the defense Olivia doesn't. I await that this season.

Cassandra Prosper should break out. As her early half season went on, she became more and more Sonia's main buddy in crunch times. I see near AA work this year if her work ethic stays true. Maddy Westbeld (incredibly) is still back. Who will we get? AA Maddy or sulking Maddy? Again, Coach where are you? Kylee Watson is back at center --- starting her over the big Texas girl in most games last year was (probably in complete opposition to most opinions here) the one coaching move that gave me hope that Ivey might be good at this. Watson was FAR more the complete center, hustler, and defender. If Watson improves just a little offensively and not fouling, we'll have a solid center. Marshall too is one from whom I expect a step up. The Pepperdine transfer, Obinma, looks as if she might be able to roughhouse, and could be a very good sub.

I expect that KKBransford has superior ball in her --- but Ivey mismanaged a very similar player who was very valuable but had to transfer to DePaul to show it, so who knows? Bransford has Citron intensity and wants to play defense and get into the near basket meathouse. I like that kind of player. She needs the accurate intermediate range shot. The two true frosh are amazing on paper. Risch is a major league bomber (an actual 3-point champion), and Hildalgo looks like the ultimate speedball and pest, who you cannot stop scoring. We also have the Stanford transfer, Jenna Brown, available, whose Stanford record shows that she has a lot more ball in her than Ivey allowed out. And last but not least, I think: the Fordham transfer DeWolfe looks like a BIG winner. A bomber and a leader (multiple year captain.)

This roster looks loaded to me. Miles and DeWolfe and Hildalgo and Brown as true guards; Citron, Prosper and Bransford and Risch as swing players; Westbeld as a forward and highpost center, and three centers. Even I might win half our games with that bunch. (I'd immediately try to get Sonia to speak louder so she could be assistant coach on the floor.) Coach Ivey: Please stand up!

 

[irishrb]

I'm still not convinced about Ivey's ability to create the best team from the players available, nor manage them creatively in-game vs differing opponents. When looking (through green-tinted glasses perhaps), this team is loaded with everything but a dominant (real) big center. The roster is so potentially talented though, that everything else seems capable of running away from "big" problems. We have a true (and still underappreciated) All-American in Sonia Citron --- thought I was going to say Olivia Miles didn't you? Citron is the absolute Rock of the team, even always getting the toughest defensive assignment of height less than 6'3". (maybe even then.) She had maybe one bad game all year. Miles is the uber-talent super offensive show, but almost all quality teams sort of figured her out by the end of last season. If she can't run, or drive a certain angle, her Magic Johnson passing doesn't happen. ... and she has been just an average non-lay-up shot, and a mediocre defender who we've tried to hide. The head coach should note these things and fix them, especially the offense we play and the defense Olivia doesn't. I await that this season.

Cassandra Prosper should break out. As her early half season went on, she became more and more Sonia's main buddy in crunch times. I see near AA work this year if her work ethic stays true. Maddy Westbeld (incredibly) is still back. Who will we get? AA Maddy or sulking Maddy? Again, Coach where are you? Kylee Watson is back at center --- starting her over the big Texas girl in most games last year was (probably in complete opposition to most opinions here) the one coaching move that gave me hope that Ivey might be good at this. Watson was FAR more the complete center, hustler, and defender. If Watson improves just a little offensively and not fouling, we'll have a solid center. Marshall too is one from whom I expect a step up. The Pepperdine transfer, Obinma, looks as if she might be able to roughhouse, and could be a very good sub.

I expect that KKBransford has superior ball in her --- but Ivey mismanaged a very similar player who was very valuable but had to transfer to DePaul to show it, so who knows? Bransford has Citron intensity and wants to play defense and get into the near basket meathouse. I like that kind of player. She needs the accurate intermediate range shot. The two true frosh are amazing on paper. Risch is a major league bomber (an actual 3-point champion), and Hildalgo looks like the ultimate speedball and pest, who you cannot stop scoring. We also have the Stanford transfer, Jenna Brown, available, whose Stanford record shows that she has a lot more ball in her than Ivey allowed out. And last but not least, I think: the Fordham transfer DeWolfe looks like a BIG winner. A bomber and a leader (multiple year captain.)

This roster looks loaded to me. Miles and DeWolfe and Hildalgo and Brown as true guards; Citron, Prosper and Bransford and Risch as swing players; Westbeld as a forward and highpost center, and three centers. Even I might win half our games with that bunch. (I'd immediately try to get Sonia to speak louder so she could be assistant coach on the floor.) Coach Ivey: Please stand up!

Good Stuff....Spot on!

 

[JurDocDuLac]

Thank you OMM! Good insight.

 

[ab2cmiller]

 

[Jiggafini19Deux]

ND and Virginia Tech are considered the favorites in the ACC.

Nationally it is obviously LSU, UConn, Iowa, South Carolina. Seeing Utah get a lot of top five love as well. ND probably a top ten team nationally but not among the title contenders.

 

[Irish#1]

Big game against South Carolina, but a long season. I think we'd all prefer she is 100% ready before returning.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Will good things come from bad ones? I'm always VERY skeptical of that happy talk, but my intuition is that the long recovery period (apparently) needed by Olivia Miles MIGHT be such a case. Here are a few reasons why:

A. We don't absolutely need that opening Paris, France showcase vs South Carolina to be a win. To the whole intelligent WBB world, that is both a customer display case prequel to the season, and one where we won't have our (allegedly) best player playing. We just need to look like a competent team with potential (at a minimum.)

B. Miles might grow from this. She said: "It will bring such a new perspective and a new level of gratitude. It's really motivating me to never take a play off ... " WELL! THAT would be a true revelation. I'm assuming that she views defense in the category of plays not to take off (also plays where she thinks she's fouled and pouts, not running behind the transition.)

C. So here comes Hannah Hildalgo. Early, but welcome. Sonia said about her: "Hannah kind of does everything, but the one thing that stands out definitely is her defensive tenacity and how she goes after the ball. She's an amazing defender." ... and as you know, I trust Sonia's ability to suss basketball.

D. Potentially my second favorite player from last year's team, Cassandra Prosper, said: "Hannah, she's a dog. I think that's why I'm so excited to play with her. We're gonna play hard 'D' together. We're gonna just feed off each other. I really love her .... "

E. In the women's game, frosh can come in immediately and play even at the point guard position. Muffet did that with Lindsay Allen and that worked brilliantly for four years. Hopefully Hannah H is the second coming. So, at this stage, the sky is not falling ... at all.

 

[SDIrishFan]

Did they ever clarify what Miles' knee injury was?

 

[arrowryan]

I’m pretty optimistic about this year’s squad. Compared to recent years, this should be the best starting lineup with some good, young players off the bench.

 

[IrishSportsDaily]

 

[laughingirish90]

wmbb team opens the season at home tonight at 7 pm against Purdue NW in an exhibition game before going to France next week to take on fellow top ten team South Carolina. game is only on radio on the ND athletic site and not on tv.

 

[dublinirish]

Hidalgo has the potential to be the biggest star ND athletics will have for a long time in terms of NIL and marketability


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BabyIrish]

Yeah Hidalgo was probably the biggest recruit we’ve had in a long time. She’s gonna make heads turn soon.

 

[laughingirish90]

110-48 score last night and now on to Paris for a game with South Carolina

 

[IrishSportsDaily]

 

[Old Man Mike]

None of Bransford, Brown, nor Risch played in that exhibition game.
Don't like the sound of any of that.

 

[BabyIrish]

None of Bransford, Brown, nor Risch played in that exhibition game.
Don't like the sound of any of that.

Ivey said they were out with injuries but should be back relatively soon

 

[Old Man Mike]

Thank you for the insight. Makes me feel better. Even if we get Miles back earlier than expected (which I don't see --- when I helped Ron Stewart a little with WMUs girls, we had several of our best go down with ACLs and none came back ahead of schedule, though most came back equally strong), I believe that we will need those "extra" guards.

This is really long-range guesswork, but we need Risch to significantly help with our bombing. ... And, I believe more importantly, when we play teams with only one really dangerous Big, and in later stages of games even when the opponent has more than one tired Big, Ivey should put in a Killer D-Team (like Muffet used to do.) That team I believe requires Bransford to be a forward and brawler/effort player to go along with Hildago's hypernuisance activities, Sonia's shut down in-your-shirt play, Prosper's crazygirl efforts and want-to, plus one Big (probably our starter but Marshall could do this too.) When Muffet would put in a team like this (usually at a couple of points in the second half), we'd drive opponents nuts and slowly pull away. I don't know that Ivey was watching that success like she should have but I have hopes --- I say this because she almost never tried this sort of thing last year in the games I could see.

When Muffet fielded those "defensive teams", the eyetest said: They don't have enough scoring. BUT THEY DID. They'd stop the opponents nearly cold, and the defense would turn into enough offense that a gap would emerge. ... AND the general energy would go way up. I loved those line-ups. Too bad no one can sustain the effort the five girls would have to project for full quarters. Even one sub not doing it would screw the whole wolfpack attack up. (Maddy Cable, by the way, was the Covergirl for that type of Killer Five.)

 

[BabyIrish]

Thank you for the insight. Makes me feel better. Even if we get Miles back earlier than expected (which I don't see --- when I helped Ron Stewart a little with WMUs girls, we had several of our best go down with ACLs and none came back ahead of schedule, though most came back equally strong), I believe that we will need those "extra" guards.

This is really long-range guesswork, but we need Risch to significantly help with our bombing. ... And, I believe more importantly, when we play teams with only one really dangerous Big, and in later stages of games even when the opponent has more than one tired Big, Ivey should put in a Killer D-Team (like Muffet used to do.) That team I believe requires Bransford to be a forward and brawler/effort player to go along with Hildago's hypernuisance activities, Sonia's shut down in-your-shirt play, Prosper's crazygirl efforts and want-to, plus one Big (probably our starter but Marshall could do this too.) When Muffet would put in a team like this (usually at a couple of points in the second half), we'd drive opponents nuts and slowly pull away. I don't know that Ivey was watching that success like she should have but I have hopes --- I say this because she almost never tried this sort of thing last year in the games I could see.

When Muffet fielded those "defensive teams", the eyetest said: They don't have enough scoring. BUT THEY DID. They'd stop the opponents nearly cold, and the defense would turn into enough offense that a gap would emerge. ... AND the general energy would go way up. I loved those line-ups. Too bad no one can sustain the effort the five girls would have to project for full quarters. Even one sub not doing it would screw the whole wolfpack attack up. (Maddy Cable, by the way, was the Covergirl for that type of Killer Five.)

Agreed. Man to think we could possibly have four high level defens players on the floor at the same time. Could be a fun team to watch

 

[Old Man Mike]

Yes. Looking forward to that. Cassandra Prosper has said publicly that SHE and Hildalgo cannot wait for that level of harassment either.
These were always my favorite moments watching those Muffet teams --- I think the point guard on them was Lindsay Allen. (Give me Lindsay Allen, three Maddy Campbells, and Natalie Achonwa and I will rule the planet happily. Jackie Young too. ... and Jewel ... and Skylar ... and oh, well ... sigh.)

 

[notredomer23]

ND women are on ESPN right now. Hannah Hidalgo looks like a serious impact freshman.

Has 1 point, 1 steal, 1 rb, 1 assist, in the first 30 seconds.

 

[laughingirish90]

irish up 15-14 in 1st qtr. USC has a 6-7 center that is giving us a hard time below

 

[notredomer23]

Hannah Hidalgo is electric. If Miles comes back strong they're going to be incredibly tough to beat. She has 13 points in the first quarter and can do it all.

 

[laughingirish90]

Hannah Hidalgo is electric. If Miles comes back strong they're going to be incredibly tough to beat. She has 13 points in the first quarter and can do it all.

yeah if and only if Miles can come back and be what she was then they could be one of the scariest duos in the nation.

 

[laughingirish90]

well we made it a game for a while but now getting crushed as we can't guard, shoot and keep turning the ball over.

 

[NDFan8349]

Team has no height. Plays terrible defense to be honest. Definately will be a good team but not great. Ivey needs to get some big ones to rebound and they will be in good shape.