Notre Dame 2024-'25 Post-Season Thread

[Frankus]

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

Great family, great story- like J.R. Konieczny (from St. Joe also and is now at Florida Gulf Coast) -but let's face it: Nobody saw this coming and let's hope it's a one year NIL blip and not the new normal.

Good to see the Ragone recruiting commit. Recruiting is where the smoke signals about our future will come from imo.

 

[Dillon77]

Great family, great story- like J.R. Konieczny (from St. Joe also and is now at Florida Gulf Coast) -but let's face it: Nobody saw this coming and let's hope it's a one year NIL blip and not the new normal.

Good to see the Ragone recruiting commit. Recruiting is where the smoke signals about our future will come from imo.

Strongly agree and based on new GM Pat Garrity's comments, he wants to make that the main focal point -- augmented by development -- as well.

 

[cancontent]

 

[DefenseBB]

Can we address the elephant in the room-The main phrase that comes to mind here is “how the mighty have fallen” as the talk her and chatter on McGraws Bench is excitement on a 5’8” legacy (Ratigan) and the addition of their first 2026 commit 6’0” Ragone. I am lost on how mid major player having to have a role on an elite program? She adds a body is really the only value. I doubt she even contributes what Ines Bettencourt did this year at Gonzaga.

There are many aspects that have brought the program to this point- ND was always notoriously picky and thin at garnering recruits and that had continued with Ivey leading the program. Hannah’s comments as the “face” of the program are a bit troubling, Miles (while not my fav as a player) was a beast, a two time AP All-American, the program was rolling with a #1 ranking until Feb 23 when they lost at NC State, which was not a bad loss per se, dropped to #3 but then lost at home to FSU and the media were kept waiting an hour while discussion occurred in the locker room. The loss to Duke in the ACC 2nd round was also not terrible but again, delays in the locker room keep foretelling of deeper issues. The mass exodus after the season of many quality players, a scramble on who to try to get from the portal, the ugly TikTok video of Miles and Hannah certainly paint an ugly picture. I am sure there are some program structural issues that hiring Garrity will help but the fact that a need for Garrity and NIL as being lead concerns is fake news and a poor attempt to distract away. I like Niele and hope she can turn this hot mess around as I do think she can coach with the X’s and O’s but another phrase also comes to mind “something is rotten in Denmark”….

 

[cancontent]

Can we address the elephant in the room-The main phrase that comes to mind here is “how the mighty have fallen” as the talk her and chatter on McGraws Bench is excitement on a 5’8” legacy (Ratigan) and the addition of their first 2026 commit 6’0” Ragone. I am lost on how mid major player having to have a role on an elite program? She adds a body is really the only value. I doubt she even contributes what Ines Bettencourt did this year at Gonzaga.

There are many aspects that have brought the program to this point- ND was always notoriously picky and thin at garnering recruits and that had continued with Ivey leading the program. Hannah’s comments as the “face” of the program are a bit troubling, Miles (while not my fav as a player) was a beast, a two time AP All-American, the program was rolling with a #1 ranking until Feb 23 when they lost at NC State, which was not a bad loss per se, dropped to #3 but then lost at home to FSU and the media were kept waiting an hour while discussion occurred in the locker room. The loss to Duke in the ACC 2nd round was also not terrible but again, delays in the locker room keep foretelling of deeper issues. The mass exodus after the season of many quality players, a scramble on who to try to get from the portal, the ugly TikTok video of Miles and Hannah certainly paint an ugly picture. I am sure there are some program structural issues that hiring Garrity will help but the fact that a need for Garrity and NIL as being lead concerns is fake news and a poor attempt to distract away. I like Niele and hope she can turn this hot mess around as I do think she can coach with the X’s and O’s but another phrase also comes to mind “something is rotten in Denmark”….

Couldn't the same have been said about Chen last year when joining UConn? Or Karlen leaving Marquette to join the Irish? There always seems to be a mid-major/non-P4 who blossoms at a higher level every season. Only time will tell whether Ratigan's commitment to Notre Dame will pay off.

 

[Dillon77]

"...as the talk her and chatter on McGraws Bench is excitement on a 5’8” legacy (Ratigan) and the addition of their first 2026 commit 6’0” Ragone. I am lost on how mid major player having to have a role on an elite program? She adds a body is really the only value. I doubt she even contributes what Ines Bettencourt did this year at Gonzaga."

Couldn't the same have been said about Chen last year when joining UConn? Or Karlen leaving Marquette to join the Irish? There always seems to be a mid-major/non-P4 who blossoms at a higher level every season. Only time will tell whether Ratigan's commitment to Notre Dame will pay off.

Well, of course, there are examples of mid-major players of playing for Top D1 programs and making contributions at varying levels. Yes, Kaitlyn Chen made solid contributions to the Huskies, as did -- a few years earlier -- Lou Lopez-Senechal who came up to Storrs after a stellar career at Fairfield.

Lopez-Senechal turned out to be a godsend, given how many injuries UConn suffered that year and she stepped into the void and filled it admirably...and then some. Notre Dame "took a chance" on Anna DeWolfe from Fordham (if you can call taking one of the Ram's leading scorers ever a chance) and she stepped into a similar situation as Lopez-Senechal. Viewed initially as a substitute who could come in and shoot some threes, she started every game next to Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron.
Timely and very good get.

My initial take, btw, on Ratigan was that she was an adequate roster filler who could shoot the three...ND needed someone besides Hidalgo to stretch defenses. I'm on record as saying on The Bench and here as saying Coach Ivey should expand her roster to include what could be called "developmental" players. As such, I've had friends and contacts from South Bend tell me she is a great athlete who works hard on defense as well, so maybe there will a surprise there; maybe not. The good news is due to an injury is that they'll have her for two years to segue into the next round of -- knock on wood -- a replenished high-school based roster.

BTW, don't see the knock on the excitement on Bella Ragone. Most ND watchers -- let alone Benchers -- know Ivey has only had one commitment each the last year (and one of them left), so getting someone prior to summer break is cause for an exclamation point or two.

 

[cancontent]

 

[DefenseBB]

Couldn't the same have been said about Chen last year when joining UConn? Or Karlen leaving Marquette to join the Irish? There always seems to be a mid-major/non-P4 who blossoms at a higher level every season. Only time will tell whether Ratigan's commitment to Notre Dame will pay off.

I am perusing the AP Honorable mention All-American list and I don't see Ratigan. You can't equate Karlen or Ratigan to Chen. Karlen barely made a dent for ND and I feel the same on Ratigan. Nice kid, wish her luck but her skills are way behind the elite program needs.

Not all mid-major players blossom at higher level schools. Nor are all mid-major players to be put into the same boat. I would argue that Chen was just a nice part in the UConn success but she had much higher skills than either Karlen or Ratigan.

 

[Dillon77]

I am perusing the AP Honorable mention All-American list and I don't see Ratigan. You can't equate Karlen or Ratigan to Chen. Karlen barely made a dent for ND and I feel the same on Ratigan. Nice kid, wish her luck but her skills are way behind the elite program needs.

Not all mid-major players blossom at higher level schools. Nor are all mid-major players to be put into the same boat. I would argue that Chen was just a nice part in the UConn success but she had much higher skills than either Karlen or Ratigan.

I think I see where you're ultimately going this but the examples don't necessarily add up for various reasons.

• First and foremost, I don't think Ratigan was close to anywhere near what Chen or Karlen accomplished their last years at Princeton or Marquette, respectively. Personally, ND needed to fill out a roster -- big time -- and was fortunate to find a match with a good mid-major long-range shooter who also plays pretty good defense. On top of that, her father is part of the surgeon pool for ND Athletics. Good fit for one and all. Plus, ND gets her for two years.
• However, Karlen was quite good playing in the same conference as UConn. Here's a list of her final season accomplishments at Marquette under Megan Duffy:

• Averaged 17.7 points and 7.9 rebounds a game starting in all 32 contests. Led the team with 10 double-doubles
• Scored 10+ points in 31 games and posted 12 20-point games
• Unanimous selection to All-BIG EAST First Team
• Katrina McClain Award Top 10 finalist
• Three-time BIG EAST Player of the Week
• Two-time USBWA Player of the Week
• First and only BIG EAST player to be named AP National Player of the Week

• BTW, in an in-depth article prior to the season, Karlen said UConn was a finalist for her services, so Geno and staff thought she could make a fit.
• Now, did ND use Karlen's services the right way? Nope. Nor did they fully utilize Kate Koval or Maddy Westbeld. I don't think that's on her; if anything it's one thing new Irish GM Pat Garrity has probably had talks with Coach Ivey about already.

Karlen seemingly enjoyed her experience and teammates, flying to New York to watch Soni Cintron get drafted. However, the previous season had to be a let down for all concerned.

We'll see what Ratigan -- coming off an injury herself -- does this year. Or next. If ND can even get her to be a spot version of Anna DeWolfe, not bad.

 

[cancontent]

I am perusing the AP Honorable mention All-American list and I don't see Ratigan. You can't equate Karlen or Ratigan to Chen. Karlen barely made a dent for ND and I feel the same on Ratigan. Nice kid, wish her luck but her skills are way behind the elite program needs.

Not all mid-major players blossom at higher level schools. Nor are all mid-major players to be put into the same boat. I would argue that Chen was just a nice part in the UConn success but she had much higher skills than either Karlen or Ratigan.

1) I said some mid-major, which is the same as you saying not all mid-major players.

2) I'm not equating, but using Chen and Karlen as examples. which is why I said, time will tell whether the Ratigan move pays off. It's no different when looking at top-100 ESPN players who never live up to their ranking, which we see all the time.

You're fully entitled to be skeptical. I just see it differently.

 

[DefenseBB]

1) I said some mid-major, which is the same as you saying not all mid-major players.

2) I'm not equating, but using Chen and Karlen as examples. which is why I said, time will tell whether the Ratigan move pays off. It's no different when looking at top-100 ESPN players who never live up to their ranking, which we see all the time.

You're fully entitled to be skeptical. I just see it differently.

Ratigan is equal to what Ines Bettencourt was when UConn signed her, they needed bodies due to roster limitations. The ND first 7 is pretty good with Hidalgo, Moore, Prosper, Sanchez, Bransford, Cowles and DeJesus. They just lack any real size. Macy will be good when she gets healthy but the rest of the roster is just that, the rest of the roster.

You absolutely equated Ratigan to Chen which was not logical on any sense. Kaitlyn was an HM All-American and the Ivy League player of the year coming into UConn from a known strong mid-major team that had qualified for the NCAAT many times. Ratigan was the 3rd option 2 years ago (8.4 pts PPG) from a 16-15 team (this year's team was a 9-21) before her injury that lost her the season. You seem to think that Ratigan could "blossom" or that Karlen did blossom last year. Usually, players that "blossom" at a P4/BE have had enough pedigree at a lesser school to project that. Liatu King absolutely "blossomed" at ND last year. Ratigan does not have this same background. Karlen did have pedigree at Marquette but did not "blossom" at ND last year so why @Dillon77 is regurgitating Karlen's Marquette stats is curious. As I said, Karlen was good at Marquette but did not remotely move the needle at ND with 3.4 REB and 5.3 PPG. King was good a Pitt but was absolutely a star at ND.

ND was and wants to be considered an elite program still and this past season did some serious damage to that reputation that Niele and the school need to figure out how to best recover and move forward and it starts with HS recruiting and filling in needs via the transfer portal. Just filling out a compliment of players is not a great look but yet, here we are.

I understand the passion Dillon has for ND, but touting Ratigan as a "nice piece" is a reach. I will be shocked if she gets any real playing time and certainly not enough to "stretch the defense" shooting 3s- she was a .298 three pt shooter two years ago! How can you even say something like that??? Don't try to sell me chicken as chicken salad, it isn't.

I still think Niele is a very good coach and is a solid tactician. I was as shocked as anyone with what went done on the "team chemistry" front and hope a reset helps.

This is most definitely a rebuilding year and finding quality 6'4". 6'5" players is key. I also hope the ND-UConn series gets renewed...

 

[GoChips20]

It’s for sure a rebuilding year for Notre Dame but I don’t think it’s a hopeless situation. They have one of the five best players in the country in Hidalgo who has decent efficiency as a lead option. I was pretty worried about their guard rotation but Moore’s commitment helps. We’ll see what de Jesus can bring, the real benefit I see there is she’ll enable Hidalgo to play off the ball and be a scorer first which is where she’s best.

Proposer and Bransford are some nice wing pieces, definitely not elite but help balance the roster. I think the issue is at the 4 and 5. Neither Cowles nor Sanchez have been particularly productive at their previous schools, but we’ll see what Carol Owens can get out of them.

Macy is recovering from an ACL so I doubt we’ll see her at all this year, although the roster is so thin I could see her playing if she’s ready by the 2/3rds mark of the year.

ND not making it past the Sweet Sixteen this year was as big an underperformance as I can remember in the last four or five years, but I think the potential is there for this year’s team to get back there or close to it. Probably the ceiling though.

 

[Bone Dog]

Proposer and Bransford are some nice wing pieces, definitely not elite but help balance the roster

Not disagreeing, just wondering why Prosper hasn’t become something more. She looked like a major prospect coming out of high school: good size and speed and handles. I remember thinking she’d turn out to be like another Soni Citron. What do you think is holding her back?

 

[Reypl21]

Not disagreeing, just wondering why Prosper hasn’t become something more. She looked like a major prospect coming out of high school: good size and speed and handles. I remember thinking she’d turn out to be like another Soni Citron. What do you think is holding her back?

She wants to be a 3, but doesn't have the shooting or ball handling to. Her 3PT shot has improved some, but she can't hit dribble pull ups or anything mid range. She also doesn't look that comfortable in the post. She has some success driving and cutting, but with Miles gone She may not get as many passes.

Her skills aren't really highlighted in the offense. The offense is a lot of ISO, and she doesn't have those skills yet.

She has a lot of potential though. I'm hoping this year she can put more pieces together. We'll need her to not foul as often.

I'm excited to see how Bransford has developed. She looked in shape last off season, and i was getting excited to see her mesh with the team. Her freshman season she showed flashes, sophomore year she was coming off a summer injury and regressed. Those two will need to be 10+ PPG scorers for ND.

 

[GoChips20]

Not disagreeing, just wondering why Prosper hasn’t become something more. She looked like a major prospect coming out of high school: good size and speed and handles. I remember thinking she’d turn out to be like another Soni Citron. What do you think is holding her back?

She wants to be a 3, but doesn't have the shooting or ball handling to. Her 3PT shot has improved some, but she can't hit dribble pull ups or anything mid range. She also doesn't look that comfortable in the post. She has some success driving and cutting, but with Miles gone She may not get as many passes.

Her skills aren't really highlighted in the offense. The offense is a lot of ISO, and she doesn't have those skills yet.

She has a lot of potential though. I'm hoping this year she can put more pieces together. We'll need her to not foul as often.

I'm excited to see how Bransford has developed. She looked in shape last off season, and i was getting excited to see her mesh with the team. Her freshman season she showed flashes, sophomore year she was coming off a summer injury and regressed. Those two will need to be 10+ PPG scorers for ND.

Agree with @Reypl21. Not a great shooter with an incomplete offensive game. Her roster value at this juncture is mostly as a rebounder and defender, but she should take on a much bigger offensive role this year, even if it’s trial by fire.

ND can probably safely get 20/game from Hidalgo (she’s averaged more than that in both her seasons so far) and will be alright if they can get 45-50/game combined from Prosper, Bransford, Moore, Cowles, and de Jesus. They’re going to need that though.

 

[cancontent]

She wants to be a 3, but doesn't have the shooting or ball handling to. Her 3PT shot has improved some, but she can't hit dribble pull ups or anything mid range. She also doesn't look that comfortable in the post. She has some success driving and cutting, but with Miles gone She may not get as many passes.

Her skills aren't really highlighted in the offense. The offense is a lot of ISO, and she doesn't have those skills yet.

She has a lot of potential though. I'm hoping this year she can put more pieces together. We'll need her to not foul as often.

I'm excited to see how Bransford has developed. She looked in shape last off season, and i was getting excited to see her mesh with the team. Her freshman season she showed flashes, sophomore year she was coming off a summer injury and regressed. Those two will need to be 10+ PPG scorers for ND.

Some of this stems from her high school days and AAU play because she changed programs going into her senior year. She should be a wing/forward, but somewhere she was told she should be a guard.

When she was at Capital Courts, as the best overall athlete, she was allowed to be a primary ball handler. It was necessary based on the roster at the time. While with Kia Nurse, she was more of a wing as they would have Swords and Gibb be the primary ball handlers. However, when she switched to BecomeOne (now known as Become One Canada Elite), that coach had her as a primary ball handler along with Deniya Prawl.

Then add in Canada Basketball and the different ways she was utilized in U17, U19 and the Olympic squad. She's gotten a lot of mixed messages as to the type of player she should be. What I hope she does with her last two seasons is take a page out of Aaliyah Edwards' development at UConn which focused on improving range and ball handling to improve her draft prospects.

 

[Frankus]

It’s for sure a rebuilding year for Notre Dame but I don’t think it’s a hopeless situation. They have one of the five best players in the country in Hidalgo who has decent efficiency as a lead option. I was pretty worried about their guard rotation but Moore’s commitment helps. We’ll see what de Jesus can bring, the real benefit I see there is she’ll enable Hidalgo to play off the ball and be a scorer first which is where she’s best.

Proposer and Bransford are some nice wing pieces, definitely not elite but help balance the roster. I think the issue is at the 4 and 5. Neither Cowles nor Sanchez have been particularly productive at their previous schools, but we’ll see what Carol Owens can get out of them.

Macy is recovering from an ACL so I doubt we’ll see her at all this year, although the roster is so thin I could see her playing if she’s ready by the 2/3rds mark of the year.

ND not making it past the Sweet Sixteen this year was as big an underperformance as I can remember in the last four or five years, but I think the potential is there for this year’s team to get back there or close to it. Probably the ceiling though.

Other than Cowles, who is going to defend and rebound inside? This is one of the major question marks for me going into the season.

I do not want to see another year of "positionless basketball". It failed spectacularly last year imo, despite having Citron, Hidalgo and Miles.

 

[Steelerone]

I wonder if all those people who were hoping Muffit McGraw would retire are having second thoughts?

 

[Dillon77]

I wonder if all those people who were hoping Muffit McGraw would retire are having second thoughts?

Hell's bells! That was five (long) years ago. As one of the longer-standing posters who are affiliated with ND in some capacity (either as an alum and/or one who follows them closely), I don't think there were a lot of true fans that were hoping MM would hang up her heels . However, that fashion statement, tough instruction and love and the modified Princton offense have moved on.

Something that I hope new GM Pat Garrity will bring (back) to the mix is a willingness to develop (some) players over the course of a few years, which used to be a staple of many Muffet McGraw teams. Coach Ivey seems be aiming high, higher, highest for her high school recruits and certainly should be in many instances (see Citron, Miles, Hidlago, etc.). But there should also be another level of recruit that shows promise and a desire and willingness to "be there" at ND, which would behoove the team in this day of the portal.

 

[BRS24]

Whatever that was from Notre Dame women's basketball to end 2025, don't expect a repeat

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua believes what happened to the women's basketball program to end last year won't happen again.

www.ndinsider.com

“When you’re on that plane flying home from that (TCU) game and the world is changing underneath you, you have to get out ahead of it,” Bevacqua said. “Going forward, we’re going to be better prepared to manage that moment of change.” ​

​

There it is − a non-National Enquirer explanation of what happened to Notre Dame. Everyone around the program was so focused on winning ― an ACC regular season championship, a league tournament championship, an NCAA regional and a national championship ― that they were oblivious to everything else in the college basketball world. ​

​

The future didn’t matter. Relationships didn’t matter. At that point ― February and March ― all that mattered was winning. Change hit Notre Dame hard because Notre Dame had never been affected so much by change. It’s long been a program that players ran toward. ​

 

[TheFarmFan]

Whatever that was from Notre Dame women's basketball to end 2025, don't expect a repeat

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua believes what happened to the women's basketball program to end last year won't happen again.

www.ndinsider.com

“When you’re on that plane flying home from that (TCU) game and the world is changing underneath you, you have to get out ahead of it,” Bevacqua said. “Going forward, we’re going to be better prepared to manage that moment of change.” ​

​

There it is − a non-National Enquirer explanation of what happened to Notre Dame. Everyone around the program was so focused on winning ― an ACC regular season championship, a league tournament championship, an NCAA regional and a national championship ― that they were oblivious to everything else in the college basketball world. ​

​

The future didn’t matter. Relationships didn’t matter. At that point ― February and March ― all that mattered was winning. Change hit Notre Dame hard because Notre Dame had never been affected so much by change. It’s long been a program that players ran toward. ​

That was a lot of words to basically say nothing I didn't already know, other than that there were two long locker room huddles after losses prior to media appearances. If there's actually juicy stories from last season, apparently they aren't getting aired.

 

[Plebe]

“When you’re on that plane flying home from that (TCU) game and the world is changing underneath you, you have to get out ahead of it,” Bevacqua said. “Going forward, we’re going to be better prepared to manage that moment of change.” ​

​

Not a Notre Dame alum here, but probably best to wait at least until the plane lands before you get out ahead of it.

 

[ucbart]

As I sit here and watch Citron in the W, see Westbeld get minutes, and knowing what Miles and Hidalgo are, it becomes more and more apparent that Ivey should be on a very hot seat. How on earth did that roster become such a hot garbage mess?

 

[visitingcock]

Whatever that was from Notre Dame women's basketball to end 2025, don't expect a repeat

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua believes what happened to the women's basketball program to end last year won't happen again.

www.ndinsider.com

“When you’re on that plane flying home from that (TCU) game and the world is changing underneath you, you have to get out ahead of it,” Bevacqua said. “Going forward, we’re going to be better prepared to manage that moment of change.” ​

​

There it is − a non-National Enquirer explanation of what happened to Notre Dame. Everyone around the program was so focused on winning ― an ACC regular season championship, a league tournament championship, an NCAA regional and a national championship ― that they were oblivious to everything else in the college basketball world. ​

​

The future didn’t matter. Relationships didn’t matter. At that point ― February and March ― all that mattered was winning. Change hit Notre Dame hard because Notre Dame had never been affected so much by change. It’s long been a program that players ran toward. ​

That reads of a poor or inexperienced coach who failed to prepare her team for a loss such as TCU. Nobody should let her team live on a dream of going undefeated. Her team should have been mentally prepared to lose a game ANY game and shake it off.

UConn had regular season upset losses like Tennessee and shook them off. No known team meetings - and destructive finger pointing -following them. Shake it off. Corrections to be made in practice and future games. Scar lost in a huge upset to Mizzou in 2022 and in the SEC tournament championship game to Kentucky but rolled through the tournament.

But Neille has plenty of time to learn how to handle upset losses and keep her team focused on the ultimate goal.

 

[Bone Dog]

UConn had regular season upset losses like Tennessee and shook them off. No known team meetings - and destructive finger pointing -following them. Shake it off. Corrections to be made in practice and future games. Scar lost in a huge upset to Mizzou in 2022 and in the SEC tournament championship game to Kentucky but rolled through the tournament.

Good points. I suspect Dawn and Geno achieve this by demanding self-discipline from their players and challenging them. It may seem counterintuitive at first glance. But players shake off immense disappointment by digging deep inside and by bonding intensely with their teammates. There aren’t a lot of coaches who can teach that, and to do it they may have to be a taskmaster more than a friend.