Notre Dame 2024-'25 Post-Season Thread

[Frankus]

Notre Dame women’s basketball adds former South Bend Saint Joe star through transfer portal

Former South Bend Saint Joseph standout Kelly Ratigan is reportedly coming to the Irish.

www.wndu.com

This is a very ND men's basketball type pick up. Local player, great family, nice story for a program headed nowhere. I had hope that we'd have some elite portal players coming in, but I'm losing hope. I hope I'm wrong, but all signs are pointing to a reset. I do think a lot of the alumini, of which I am one, will be dissapointed if we just strive for excellence only in Men's football, and non NIL sports like Fencing and LaCrosse.

 

[Zonepress]

I just read this Tom Noie Article in the South Bend Tribune. Here's the money quote:

"At Notre Dame, athletics is headed in the direction of let’s pour much of what we have into football. For the other sports, do your best with less. A lot less."

I have no idea if this is accurate, and I love the football program, but this is something I fear is happening in the wbb situation this offseason.

A counter is that the basketball program signed and has the best incoming freshman class since the Digger Phelps years. Perhaps the new normal is to have more robust signing classes and hope they stay.

imho there is only one logical explanation for the implosion of the program and it’s that players
don’t want to play with Hannah Hildago and
her comments regarding the LQBTQ community
are the reason
pls see Muffet Mcgraws comments from last year
which succinctly put good context to her comments
this is not about her right to have and speak about her own views even if they are not mainstream
it’s how the are viewed with Wbb
i would think it would be difficult if not impossible
to recruit todays players when the leader of the team has the views she expressed
in short she is radioactive
pls do not respond to this post about free speach etc it’s just the consequence of the speach
it’s the elephant in the room and the article by tom Noie ran everything thing else up the Flag pole
the idea that one of the blue blood programs
that has been very successful with transfers
with all kinds of playing time avaliable suddenly cannot recruit in the portal as well as Seton Hall
is just foolish
very difficult spot for coach Ivey

 

[Frankus]

imho there is only one logical explanation for the implosion of the program and it’s that players
don’t want to play with Hannah Hildago and
her comments regarding the LQBTQ community
are the reason
pls see Muffet Mcgraws comments from last year
which succinctly put good context to her comments
this is not about her right to have and speak about her own views even if they are not mainstream
it’s how the are viewed with Wbb
i would think it would be difficult if not impossible
to recruit todays players when the leader of the team has the views she expressed
in short she is radioactive
pls do not respond to this post about free speach etc it’s just the consequence of the speach
it’s the elephant in the room and the article by tom Noie ran everything thing else up the Flag pole
the idea that one of the blue blood programs
that has been very successful with transfers
with all kinds of playing time avaliable suddenly cannot recruit in the portal as well as Seton Hall
is just foolish
very difficult spot for coach Ivey

I don't buy your anti-Hannah conspiracy theory one bit. She's a young girl who made a mistake which she has apologized for. Not every player in the country is going to hold a grudge, particularly if they're handed a million dollars to play in a great basketball conference where the Purcell Pavillion is packed most nights, and the premeir home and away games are prime time games. Since some lesser players have indeed signed, for presumably less money, I think the more likely theory is the one by Mr. Noie, who is the beat writer for ND, that the NIL spigot got shut off.

 

[Zonepress]

I don't buy your anti-Hannah conspiracy theory one bit. She's a young girl who made a mistake which she has apologized for. Not every player in the country is going to hold a grudge, particularly if they're handed a million dollars to play in a great basketball conference where the Purcell Pavillion is packed most nights, and the premeir home and away games are prime time games. Since some lesser players have indeed signed, for presumably less money, I think the more likely theory is the one by Mr. Noie, who is the beat writer for ND, that the NIL spigot got shut off.

with all due respect, you are completely out of touch with how young people view of the world
for most of them, they have no tolerance for people with homophobic attitudes
To say she” made a mistake and apologize “
and all is okay is laughable

 

[Geew1992]

I don't buy your anti-Hannah conspiracy theory one bit. She's a young girl who made a mistake which she has apologized for. Not every player in the country is going to hold a grudge, particularly if they're handed a million dollars to play in a great basketball conference where the Purcell Pavillion is packed most nights, and the premeir home and away games are prime time games. Since some lesser players have indeed signed, for presumably less money, I think the more likely theory is the one by Mr. Noie, who is the beat writer for ND, that the NIL spigot got shut off.

No..No she didn't . It's all still pinned on her instagram page. With that being said, I don't think players aren't going there because of her. I think Coach Ivey has something to do with it as well as NIL.

 

[cancontent]

No..No she didn't . It's all still pinned on her instagram page. With that being said, I don't think players aren't going there because of her. I think Coach Ivey has something to do with it as well as NIL.

Agreed. Basing it on that one situation is too simplistic. The sensationalism behind it because of the topic doesn't help either. It's an easy thing to latch onto based on personal opinions.

 

[Dillon77]

With the start of the WNBA season this evening, UConn has 14 former players in the W this year. Just behind them is Notre Dame, with 12 (see below). If Azzi Fudd and/or Olivia Miles had come out, those numbers would've gone up by one each.

• This year's additions are Sonia Citron on the Washington Mystics and the Westbeld sisters, Kathryn (Kat) on the Phoenix Mercury and Madeleine (Maddy) on the Chicago Sky.
• Jess Shepard (Minnesota Lynx) returns after taking one year off from the W.
• Kat Westbeld, for those who don't remember, was the starting forward and captain of ND's national championship team. She's had an odyssey to make it to the W, spending seven (7) years playing in leagues everywhere from Puerto Rico and Australia to Spain and France, working on her game every step along the way. Congrats to Kat and she's an example to many top-of-mind players who got cut that to make this league requires a lot of expertise and grit.
• From an ND perspective this now means every starter on the 2018 NC team and the 2019 runners-up are on WNBA rosters:

Westbeld; Shepard; Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wing); Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces); Marina Mabrey (Connecticut Sun); and, Bri Turner (Indiana Fever). Turner took over for Westbeld in the 2018-19 season after sitting out the prior year, recuperating from an ACL.

 

[yhun89]

No..No she didn't . It's all still pinned on her instagram page. With that being said, I don't think players aren't going there because of her. I think Coach Ivey has something to do with it as well as NIL.

My thoughts were that it's the way the team is run. It was blatantly obvious in the tourney that Ivey designated Hannah as the go to no matter how many shots she bricked. Miles, Citron, nobody else touched that ball unless they got a rebound. Ivey's poor gameplan is what knocked them out despite having an incredibly talented roster. No star athlete is going to want to play for a coach who prioritizes one player over everyone else.

 

[VA Huskie]

All we know is stated in the old Buffalo Springfield song For What It’s Worth: “There’s something happening hear, what it is ain’t exactly clear”

 

[Zonepress]

All we know is stated in the old Buffalo Springfield song For What It’s Worth: “There’s something happening hear, what it is ain’t exactly clear”

love it!!!

 

[WBBTakeover]

There was a guard who was underutilized last season, but her name wasn't Olivia Miles. My post in the WNBA thread indicates who it is.

 

[Dillon77]

As noted in the Transfer Portal thread, Iyana Moore has committed to Notre Dame for next season.
Here's an article from beat reporter Tyler Horka on Moore, how she fits into the Irish squad and where Niele Ivey's squad currently stands.
They are now up to 8 scholarship players, but incoming freshman Leah Macy is recuperating from a knee injury/surgery.

MSN

 

[Geew1992]

As noted in the Transfer Portal thread, Iyana Moore has committed to Notre Dame for next season.
Here's an article from beat reporter Tyler Horka on Moore, how she fits into the Irish squad and where Niele Ivey's squad currently stands.
They are now up to 8 scholarship players, but incoming freshman Leah Macy is recuperating from a knee injury/surgery.

MSN

Is there any height there?

 

[Dillon77]

Is there any height there?

Not a lot without Macy.
Malaya Cowles is 6'3" and she played consistently at Wake Forest last year. Gisela Sanchez is a 6'4" forward who didn't play much at Kansas State, so the Irish are pretty thin at the frontcourt.

If this situation doesn't change, this is what I see happening next season: Cass Prosper, the 6'2" guard/wing, will play a wing on offense, but will guard a forward on defense, which she's capable of doing (has good feet and long arms). KK Bransford will probably play wing on defense.

 

[Frankus]

Pat Garrity ‘98 Named New Men’s and Women’s Basketball General Manager

Garrity will also serve as the primary administrator for men’s basketball

fightingirish.com

 

[Dillon77]

Pat Garrity ‘98 Named New Men’s and Women’s Basketball General Manager

Garrity will also serve as the primary administrator for men’s basketball

fightingirish.com

This could -- should -- be an important move for Notre Dame. The times they are a chagin' and ND Women's Hoops is administered and structured the same way it was in the Muffet McGraw days. With all due respect, I'm not sure that operation -- not quite mom and pop, but nothing like many other P5 schools -- was ready to be in the game, so to speak. Garrity will oversee NIL and help develop long-term recruiting and retention strategies for the Irish teams. He was a heckuva college player, a decent pro and worked on NBA teams for years.
He's got a press conference Thursday, which I'll catch and report back on....

 

[Vowelguy]

As noted in the Transfer Portal thread, Iyana Moore has committed to Notre Dame for next season.
Here's an article from beat reporter Tyler Horka on Moore, how she fits into the Irish squad and where Niele Ivey's squad currently stands.
They are now up to 8 scholarship players, but incoming freshman Leah Macy is recuperating from a knee injury/surgery.

I think they gotta add at least 3 more players.

 

[Geew1992]

 

[LwrcasefaN]

With the start of the WNBA season this evening, UConn has 14 former players in the W this year. Just behind them is Notre Dame, with 12 (see below). If Azzi Fudd and/or Olivia Miles had come out, those numbers would've gone up by one each.

• This year's additions are Sonia Citron on the Washington Mystics and the Westbeld sisters, Kathryn (Kat) on the Phoenix Mercury and Madeleine (Maddy) on the Chicago Sky.
• Jess Shepard (Minnesota Lynx) returns after taking one year off from the W.
• Kat Westbeld, for those who don't remember, was the starting forward and captain of ND's national championship team. She's had an odyssey to make it to the W, spending seven (7) years playing in leagues everywhere from Puerto Rico and Australia to Spain and France, working on her game every step along the way. Congrats to Kat and she's an example to many top-of-mind players who got cut that to make this league requires a lot of expertise and grit.
• From an ND perspective this now means every starter on the 2018 NC team and the 2019 runners-up are on WNBA rosters:

Westbeld; Shepard; Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wing); Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces); Marina Mabrey (Connecticut Sun); and, Bri Turner (Indiana Fever). Turner took over for Westbeld in the 2018-19 season after sitting out the prior year, recuperating from an ACL.

Last few nights it’s been the Notre Dame WNBA show.

 

[Vowelguy]

Last few nights it’s been the Notre Dame WNBA show.

Arike going 2 for 72 is the "ND WNBA show"?

 

[WBBTakeover]

Arike going 2 for 72 is the "ND WNBA show"?

Huh?

 

[Dillon77]

ND and Coach Ivey get their first 2026 commit: Bella Ragone, a 6'0" lefty wing from Georgia.
Both her parents went to Louisville, so this is a solid get over another top ACC progam.
Given that Leah Macy, ND' sole 2025 frosh, could very well not play this season due to ACL rehab, the Irish could very well have new starting forwards in 2026.

 

[Dillon77]

This transfer was rumored for awhile, but was just announced today. Kelly Ratigan, a shooting guard from Loyola of Maryland, who was injured early enough last year to miss most of the season, will have two years of eligibility. Ratigan is a South Bend native who starred at nearby St. Joseph's. Her dad is now a surgeon assigned to Notre Dame.

A smallish -- 5'8" -- guard, Ratigan is supposed to be a stellar athlete, so it will be interesting to see if ND's Carlos Knox, who works on player development, can work with her on jab steps, step backs, etc. to free up her long-range shots.

Ratigan is Coach Ivey's 5th portal pick-up, which brings up the active Irish scholarship player count up to eight. (Leah Macy is and probably will be rehabbing an ACL injury most of her academic frosh year). From what I understand, the Irish will also return two walk-ons from last year, so there will be 10 players available for the 2025-26 season.

Here's a tweet from a local beat reporter and a press release from ND Sports Information.

South Bend Native Ratigan Transfers To Notre Dame

She joins the Irish with two years of eligibility remaining

fightingirish.com

 

[Vowelguy]

Ratigan is Coach Ivey's 5th portal pick-up, which brings up the active Irish scholarship player count up to eight. (Leah Macy is and probably will be rehabbing an ACL injury most of her academic frosh year). From what I understand, the Irish will also return two walk-ons from last year, so there will be 10 players available for the 2025-26 season.

So what's the line up looking like?

Hidalgo - Moore (Vandy) - Bransford - Prosper​

​

and then Cowles/Sanchez as C or a 4-guard lineup with deJesus/Ratigan ?​

Anyone left in the portal?

 

[Dillon77]

So what's the line up looking like?

Hidalgo - Moore (Vandy) - Bransford - Prosper​

​

and then Cowles/Sanchez as C or a 4-guard lineup with deJesus/Ratigan ?​

Anyone left in the portal?

I think you've pretty much got those first four. Gut tells me that Coach Ivey needs to have Cowles in there at the start in that she's more of a traditional power forward/center. While Prosper can go under for defense/weak side help and rebounding, she's more of a wing (face the basket) type on offense. So it will be a bit of hybrid approach from the get go.

I'm not familiar with Sanchez's game so it will be interesting to see what she can bring to the mix.
de Jesus is steady, smart and I've seen her provide outside shooting from time to time. Ratigan's tape has been pleasant: she's got some moves to free up her jumper, which she's not scared to launch. I'm guessing this is it for the portal. That said summer school starts in mid June so we'll see ...

Guessing most Benchers will be patient with this crew in the beginning and also be looking at the HS recruiting haul to see who will join Leah Macy (Westbeld-like forward) and Bella Ragone (lefty wing) in 2026.