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Message: [QUOTE="Dillon77, post: 3529377, member: 6620"] Interestingly, I saw this just as I was sitting down Thursday night to watch the NY Giants (my pro team to root for, btw) make their first-round draft selection and was going to answer afterwards. Then, my brother (also a Giant fan) called and 1/2 hour late...pfff! Then, the next day the gun for the Mile(s) Race went off and away we all went. However, I'd like to get back to this with a look at "Nielefest" and "Recruitapalooza," that unofficial play day held during an ND football game a few years back that brought in prospects from 2019, 2020 (mostly) and a few from 2021. Besides lots of posts on both the Boneyard and McGraw's Bench, how did that work out when most of it is said and done? - The home team did pretty well, with four players/incoming frosh who attended: ---2019: [B]Anaya Peoples[/B] had already committed, but she came, stuck with it and had a solid frosh season before bowing out with a shoulder injury. And that seemed to set in motion the courtship that resulted in [B]Sam Brunelle [/B]turning Irish. Sam seemed to find her footing once Mik Vaughn returned to the lineup and expect her to improve on that. Outside of that, she's beyond an A+ teammate and ND student. ---2020: The Irish corralled Pa. and Philly Belle sharpshooter [B]Alli Campbell,[/B] who was the first of the ND 2020 commits. Interestingy, she became very tight with Post/Forward [B]Nat Marshall,[/B] who came aboard last spring. Interestingly, ND didn't get a point guard out of that, considering both Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark were there. PB was visited by Archangel Geno of St. Storrs so often, she took the early ticket to hoops heaven. And Clark, who seemed like a good fix tempermentally for both ND and Muffet McGraw, decided "meh, not so much" and decided to stay in Iowa (stay tuned). ---2020, Oregon version: Coach Graves did pretty well when she showed up dressed up as an ND football usher in garrish yellow coats and dropped business cards to Kylee Watson and Sydney Parrish, both of whom went Ducky. In actuality, the Irish and Parrish went a little "meh" on each other. Parrish was a bit of a tweener (guard? wing?) and ND took Campbell at the guard and a very familiar name at wing, Maddy Westbeld. Watson was up and down on the rankings at the time and seemed to be a good match for the Irish. I wonder if Graves and co. just went harder or if Watson wanted the left coast? ---2021: The jury is still out on Matyson Wilkie...stay with a Wisconsin school or head to one of the Dakotas? As for that other kid, Azzi Fudd, well, both boards could sell Dickens-length series on the amount written about her, the relationships she has with Paige and/or Sam, her trips (or not) to UConn or South Bend, Brenda lurking at the edges and "Where's Jeff" sightings. Stay tuned. As for "Niele the closer": - Early career notable: Skylar Diggins. Niele wasn't formally in charge of ND recruiting then (Jonathan Tsipis was), but her assignment was to reach for -- and get a signature from -- Sky. - Some very good classes: My favorite was 2014, which brought in Arike Ogunbowale, Ali Patberg and Marina Mabrey. All three have had fine NCAA careers. Wish Patberg had stayed, but everyone is still a fan. And Arike-Mabrey, for better or for worse (for anti-Domers) became the STP of ND's high-octane offense. --- And some misses: The triple whiff on Megan W.-Evina-Maya Dodson was one-two-three strikes you're out. And UConn wasn't the only school that had their face hit the dirt in pursuit of Aliyah Boston: ND let several other posts with some degree of mutual interest end up elsewhere in a singular, fated pursuit. - Late Assitant Get: Was very impressed with her doggedness in going after Nat Marshall. Many flights into LaGuardia and drives to Christ-the-King and/or Forest Hills, where the Marshall's live. Stanford was a real option for the Marshalls. Good get. - What has she done for us lately? ;) My one set-up. As explained earlier, Niele was pursuing Miles before she left for the Grizzlies and really came back to help seal the deal or confirm the deal, depending on your theory of the day. In any case, she was a part of it, along with MM and Beth Cunningham. Also factor in the entire relationship with the Philly Belles. Next? Irish could use a forward (in 2021, then really in 2022) and a create-your-own shot guard in 2021. Hmmm. Back to Nielefest: wonder if Matyson knows another 2021 prospect? [/QUOTE]

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