It’s fun reading this thread in retrospect.
Here’s what we do know:
Ivey is building a team where there are very few “Tweeners” on the court. See Brunelle (neither a slashing/shooting forward, or a post up player) and Prohaska (neither a point , or a shooting guard). She brought in two strong post players in the portal - they rarely leave the block except to screen - who are rebounding forces and layup outlets for Miles- to add a physical inside presence and recruited a very strong physical player in the Jackie Young vein in Bransford. Each have made Notre Dame a better team in 2022-2023.
With Prosper coming in at the break, Ivey adds another fast, athletic player who can defend, drive and shoot to spell Citron/Westbeld/Mabry. For next year she also brings in a pure shooting guard in Risch and a pure point guard in Hidalgo. Ivey
It can be argued that Ivey still has a tweener in Mabrey (who is a very hot/cold 3 point shooter who is not a point guard and not a great defender) and Westbeld
( who is not a monster post player or a slashing/shooting forward), but both have a place in what will be Ivey’s transition to a non tweener team. And lots of teams would love to have Westbeld, who is capable inside and outside.
Ivey hasn’t won anything yet, but she is producing a tough, hard working team and is just starting to stockpile elite high school talent. Starting this season and going forward, teams that play Notre Dame are going to see a very hard to beat team. The biggest difference being that Ivey’s teams will be more physical than the Muffet era, when defense took a backseat to offense. Her teams will reflect her style. Relentless, physical, tough.
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People hoping that the McGraw to Ivey transition will be similar to the Summit -> Holly Warlick transition are going to be disappointed.
A few comments here or there:
- Westbeld is, indeed, not an Ivey recruit per se in that she committed to McGraw while Ivey as coaching in the NBA with the Grizzlies. However, Ivey has known Maddy since the younger Westbeld has been 11 or 12 and has been her only college coach.
While Maddy is not a slasher, she can shoot (47% from the field, 50% from three). In fact, many of us would like her shoot more. And she rebounds well enough - at 6.3 rpg, more than the centers on the team. And she leads the team in blocks, showing a good instinct for weak-side defense.
- Many on McGraw's Bench hope Dara's time on the court would match what she does well: scoring from the outside and in bunches. We've started to see her minutes given to KK Bransford in situations that call for defense and spelling Olivia Miles, which Jenna Brown will hopefully step into more and more.
- Interestingly. while you see less tweeners. I actually see more versatile players who can slip into multiple roles. This will happen more as Hidalgo and Risch get to campus and Mabrey moves on.
Right now, I'd argue that Lauren Ebo (center), Maddy Westbeld (really, a good old fashioned forward) and Dara Mabrey (small shooting guard) are the three players who should play one role only.
Watson and Nat Marshall play both center and forward; Citron can play 1-4 (although 2-3 are most common), Bransford the 2 and 3 and Brown the point and off-guard. Prosper is being pegged as a "guard" but I seen her as versatile player who can, as pointed out, spell Citron and Westbeld, particularly when there's a big center (Watson or Ebo) in the lineup.
