@UConnCat
@cancontent
Been spending a lot of time at McGraw's Bench, where this has generated a lot of discussion; not just about Prawl, per se, but about Ivey's HS track record the last two years, which has generated one recruit per season. Granted, these are very good players who look to fit into the ND program and address needs (Kate Koval at center, Leah Macy at power forward), but one HS recruit isn't really sustainable.
Ivey has made excellent use of the portal during the Covid years (Maya Dodson, Lauren Ebo, Anna DeWolfe, Liatu King, Liza Karlen), but that isn't applicable next year and ND's admissions can be tough on non-grad transfers. Looks like Ivey will have to rely on the portal, though, because -- as
@UConnCat -- points out, Ivey's losing a lot of players after the season:
- Sonia Citron, Maddy Westbeld, Liatu King, Liza Karlen and Sarah Cernugel are out of eligibility.
- Olivia Miles, while she has one more year due to the knee injury, is probably going to enter the draft, as well.
Ironically, injuries might help Niele Ivey next year and, even the season after.
- Kylee Watson, recovering from the ACL operation, would have an extra year if she doesn't play this year. If so, she'll team with Kate Koval and Leah Macy up front.
- KK Bransford and Emma Risch will probably pick up med years, which will help the guard spots.
- Nonetheless, that leaves six or seven players max, so Ivey has her work cut out for her in what will be a smaller transfer portal pool.
As for Prawl, I'm aware that her Canadian status and visa laws could affect her NIL earnings. Still, this is a situation ND needs to address when going after players like Johnson, who chose LSU, or the Betts sisters, who both chose UCLA and what LA might offer.
ND has a new athletic director, brought over from NBC, who could have some ideas for ND teams on this front.
So, many Benchers are inclined to enjoy this year while we have the players we do have. Citron came back last game and hopefully Karlen and Westbeld aren't that far behind.