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Notre Dame 2023-24 Season (merged)

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Dillon, the whole situation with Olivia Miles smacks of having taken Notre Dames medical staff out of the equation. Coach Ivy speaks confidentiality, if not always accurately, about other players timetable with injuries. But the phrase "Liv and her doctors" is a refrain.
Go back to the game vs Louisville where she comes out in the 2nd half with an ice pack. No brace. No crutches. The announcers even mention the possibility of her returning to the game. Later they put a wrap on her leg. She's jumping up and down on it on the sidelines and in the locker room. That Monday Sean Stires says they didn't believe it was anything serious. By the ACC tournament she can barely walk and she has surgery weeks later. It reads like the initial diagnosis may have been wrong and she's taken things out the hands of the ND medical staff.
 
Hmm. I'm not quite sure what the takeaway point is here, but I'll try to give my view:

- Not sure one can judge all injuries in the immediate aftermath of it/them happening. I've had injuries on the soccer team I coached over five years in which one girl thought she just twisted a knee in practice and turned out she had an ACL tear, while another girl who was whacked hard by an opponent in a game turned out to have a sprain (like Citron). So 'Liv's jumping around and Stires (and others) report(s) were probably premature, at best.

- So, "'Liv and her doctors" is a key component here. Are the doctors from ND? Recommended by ND? Other ones? Who knows? Ultimately, the choice on all these matters gets back to 'Liv and her family, from choosing the doctors to disclosing her prognosis. However, I don't think any of those choices came from what happened immediately thereafter.

- Sure, it's been frustrating to get a clear picture here, but that's her perogative.
By contrast, Mitchell Evans, ND's tight end, tore an ACL in the Pitt game and it was reported cleanly almost as soon as the MRI results came in. And Sonia Citron's knee sprain was brought up by Coach Ivey. Now, the actual time of return is really anyone's guess: "two weeks" has become "a few weeks" and now, "a few more weeks." I think that's the nature of injuries.

Just glad to see her on the court working out. We'll see how all that progresses....
 
Cass Prosper in Walking Boot; Won't Play in Tennessee Game

Prosper had entered the starting lineup when Sonia Citron was injured. With those two now out, expect KK Bransford -- who just got back from injury herself -- to start.

 
ND came back from 16 down to beat Tennessee by 5. I'm hoping the 18 point come back in 2018 will mean the same year end result!
 
A few observations, with the caveat that the Irish will be a much more wide open team if OM can come back 100%.

Maddy Westbeld transformed her body in the off season and is quicker for having done it. This makes her a better and more dangerous player.

Nat Marshall looks stronger and more explosive this year. She needs to be more consistent with her mid range jumper, and use her height and quickness to slash in the bucket.

Watson looks the same. Solid, but not an elite center.

Hidalgo is already a star. Pare her with Miles and we’re dangerous.

Prosper still struggling to score. It’s going to be awhile till she’s a complete player.

DeWolfe was needed, but we need OM if we’re truly going to contend.

Citron is steady. Let’s hope she’s fully recovered soon.

Bransford is like a wbb version of Adrian Dantley. She’s underside down low, but strong enough to consistently finish.

Ivey is putting us back on top. She’s done a tremendous job recruiting stars.
 
A few observations, with the caveat that the Irish will be a much more wide open team if OM can come back 100%.

Maddy Westbeld transformed her body in the off season and is quicker for having done it. This makes her a better and more dangerous player.

Nat Marshall looks stronger and more explosive this year. She needs to be more consistent with her mid range jumper, and use her height and quickness to slash in the bucket.

Watson looks the same. Solid, but not an elite center.

Hidalgo is already a star. Pare her with Miles and we’re dangerous.

Prosper still struggling to score. It’s going to be awhile till she’s a complete player.

DeWolfe was needed, but we need OM if we’re truly going to contend.

Citron is steady. Let’s hope she’s fully recovered soon.

Bransford is like a wbb version of Adrian Dantley. She’s underside down low, but strong enough to consistently finish.

Ivey is putting us back on top. She’s done a tremendous job recruiting stars.
- I saw the Irish live vs. NJIT. Hidalgo is remarkably quick with her first few steps and, obviously, has great hand-eye coordination.

- Excuse me for chuckling with Citron and "steady." She's steady in the same way John Havlicek was for the Celtics: consistently good at virtually everything. "Steady" or reliable in the sense that she never has a bad game. As good as the others have stepped up their games, the Irish need Citron back....

...because, until I see 'Liv back on the court, I'm not getting expectations up for her return.

- As such, DeWolfe is not really Mile's replacement: she's a combo guard who is the wingman to Hidalgo (who is 'Liv's replacement). Ivey likes what DeWolfe brings -- check out her minutes played.

- I'm trying not to get too high or too low, but like what Niele is consistently building. And just wait to next year (see my next post ;))
 
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Note Dame signee Kateryna "Kate" Koval and her Lutheran High School team kicked off their season and played traditional DC-area powerhouse Paul VI. Here's footage of Koval, which resulted in a double-double.

With MacKenley Randolph holding off on signing in November, ND only has one signee for 2024. But the one it got -- Kate Koval -- was A+, both from an individual talent perspective and collective need of the team going forward.

The concept of Kate being in the paint with guards Olivia Miles, Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron brings a (big) smile to Irish fans' faces. :D

 
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Injuries Continue To Mount Up, Even as Irish Defeat Lafayette

Notre Dame was down to 8 available players during last night's 96-42 thrashing of Lafayette last night, which
included a 58-pt. second half. The Irish pulled away from the Leopards with a 28-8 third quarter.

Freshman Emma Risch (hip soreness) joined Olivia Miles (knee), Sonia Citron (knee), Jenna Brown (knee) and Cass Prosper (lower leg soreness) on the bench, watching an unusually tall Irish lineup on the floor (note, it's not the bigs injured). At one point, 6'5" Nat Marshall was, in effect, playing the wing position, alongside centers Kylee Watson and Becky Obinma; herself just back from illness.

Hidalgo, who admitted not going full throttle on defense because the Irish couldn't afford her getting into foul trouble, had 26 points, three over her average, plus six rebounds and four assists. Senior forward Nat Marshall continued her strong play, with a dozen points, eight rebounds plus a career-high six assists.

This article (thanks to the Bench's RISteve) has Coach Ivey input on the game and managing injuries. Luckily, for all concerned, ND now heads into studying for finals and finals: they won't play until Sunday, Dec. 17, when they play Purdue and unveil a statue of Muffet McGraw. The walking wounded -- and those playing major minutes because of it -- can use the break to (continue) healing.


 
U.S.A. Basketball Names Hannah Hidalgo Female Athlete of the Year.

 
And here are some clips, U.S.A. Basketball put together on her. Congrats, Hannah!

 
ND Unveils Muffet McGraw Statue Outside of Joyce Center

This is the first statue of any woman on the ND campus (not just a coach) and it's now located outside of the ACC main basketball entrances. That's Muffet's husband Matt in the green sports coat and T-shirt (in case, longtime watchers of the Irish have forgotten). Congrats, Muffet!

 
ND Beats Purdue, 76-39.

There was a game after the unveiling of the Muffet McGraw statue...first regular season game between ND and Purdue in more than a decade. Maddy Westbeld had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds; Nat Marshall had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 6 blocks and Hannah Hidalgo attacked four categories: 23 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists and 7 steals.

Best play of the game: This one, with Hidalgo to DeWolfe to Marshall. Go Irish, indeed.

 
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A huge splash in the face after watching ND’s bigs play against Syracuse. There’s no way ND is going deep into the tournament with such poor play by Marshall and Watson. Poor rebounding, poor shooting, poor passing.
 
What a fun game to watch! Great seeing Syracuse hold on for the win. That Fair is a player! Ice water in her veins. Also gotta root for the Orange ever since they dumped Hillsman. Felicia Jack - she was fired by Indiana (deservedly so - driving that program into the ground 6-24 in her last season), but she did a great job at Buffalo.

Not sure what the deal was in Indiana, but she seems to have found the right place for her now - doing really well in her 2nd season. Also, a treat to see ND lose on any occasion. Really looking forward to UCONN's matchup against them later this season...
 
I was at the game today at the JMA Dome. Great atmosphere (perhaps the biggest turnout I’ve seen in a while, excepting tourney games). I was expecting Cuse to keep it close for a while but ultimately lose out, since that’s what has happened for most Cuse/ND games I’ve seen at the Dome.

ND missed some easy layups and got beat on rebounds; that to me was the biggest thing. But ND scored 100% of their FTs! :eek:

Also, Fair for Syracuse is just really good. Some of those 3s she made were just straight fire.
 
I was at the game today at the JMA Dome. Great atmosphere (perhaps the biggest turnout I’ve seen in a while, excepting tourney games). I was expecting Cuse to keep it close for a while but ultimately lose out, since that’s what has happened for most Cuse/ND games I’ve seen at the Dome.

ND missed some easy layups and got beat on rebounds; that to me was the biggest thing. But ND scored 100% of their FTs! :eek:

Also, Fair for Syracuse is just really good. Some of those 3s she made were just straight fire.
How many Fairs are there who played at Syracuse???
 
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ND Unveils Muffet McGraw Statue Outside of Joyce Center

This is the first statue of any woman on the ND campus (not just a coach) and it's now located outside of the ACC main basketball entrances. That's Muffet's husband Matt in the green sports coat and T-shirt (in case, longtime watchers of the Irish have forgotten). Congrats, Muffet!


She earned that. Good for her.
 
Apparently, chatter on The Bench and among various ND media is that this was a long-term condition that simply wasn't getting better/went south. Surgery was deemed the best path going forward.

First, best to Emma and her family and hope the best for her. She played in 7 games this year before having to sit out. Based on that she'll qualify for a medical redshirt (played in less than 30% of the games and injury occurred in first half of season). Hope surgery and rehab goes well.

At this point, the Irish have only former walk-on guard (given scholarship) Sarah Cernugel as a guard to bring off the bench. Niele Ivey has been starting KK Bransford at the small forward, using Nat Marshall off the bench and mixing various permutations to get by.

While she's saying Sonia Citron and Olivia Miles are getting better, no word on projected returns. Stay tuned.
 
Apparently, chatter on The Bench and among various ND media is that this was a long-term condition that simply wasn't getting better/went south. Surgery was deemed the best path going forward.

First, best to Emma and her family and hope the best for her. She played in 7 games this year before having to sit out. Based on that she'll qualify for a medical redshirt (played in less than 30% of the games and injury occurred in first half of season). Hope surgery and rehab goes well.

At this point, the Irish have only former walk-on guard (given scholarship) Sarah Cernugel as a guard to bring off the bench. Niele Ivey has been starting KK Bransford at the small forward, using Nat Marshall off the bench and mixing various permutations to get by.

While she's saying Sonia Citron and Olivia Miles are getting better, no word on projected returns. Stay tuned.

No updates on Prosper however per the posts on Twitter. That doesn't give me a good vibe.
 
FWIW, Anthony Anderson, the beat writer for the South Bend Tribune, wrote an article on Risch and the other Irish walking wounded. Most Irish who are injured are brought up, save Cass Prosper, which -- as @cancontent notes -- doesn't give one a good vibe. On the other hand, Citron is listed as questionable for the Pitt game tomorrow, which is a step towards light.;)

(Thanks to SB Jimbo on the Bench for the link)
 
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It would be a little crazy for Miles to rejoin the team less ~9 months after an ACL tear and halfway through the season, one would think. By the time she got back to full speed the season would be over and seems silly to burn a whole year of eligibility if thats the case.
 
Syracuse is getting their rear ends handed to them by North Carolina, which helps UConn in the big scheme of things.
 
Notre Dame barley beats Pitt, a team that is rated by Massey #143, that is worse than every team in the Big East except for Xavier. I don't see ND beating North Carolina this Sunday even if it is in South Bend.
 
Notre Dame barley beats Pitt, a team that is rated by Massey #143, that is worse than every team in the Big East except for Xavier. I don't see ND beating North Carolina this Sunday even if it is in South Bend.
I am afraid you're underestimating how inconsistent North Carolina can be. Today's dominant win over Syracuse was very much an outlier for them.

Notre Dame is just doing that typical ACC thing where they play down to the cupcakes. They'll have better games than today's.
 
I am afraid you're underestimating how inconsistent North Carolina can be. Today's dominant win over Syracuse was very much an outlier for them.

Notre Dame is just doing that typical ACC thing where they play down to the cupcakes. They'll have better games than today's.
Just like they did to Syracuse, a team that North Carolina just demolished?
 
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