Notre Dame 2024-'25 Post-Season Thread | Page 5 | The Boneyard

Notre Dame 2024-'25 Post-Season Thread

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Frankus said:
I doubt if Ivey is going to be on the hot seat this year, but it is obvious to me that Sonia was underutilized, and those kinds kind of personnel decisions have to improve.
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Why? Her recruiting has been less than stellar and her team imploded this year. She has two years left of Hidalgo and not much coming in.
 
Dillon77 said:
I watched a lot of post-game pressers featuring Ivey -- often with Soni Citron next to her -- and Ivey would often refer her to the glue and would say something to the effect that "..we really don't have to set up that many plays" for her, per se. Now I know Ivey wanted a "read and react" type of offense, but Citron often had to react to how the point guards were doing that. As such, she was at the mercy of Hidalgo or Miles.

This didn't hurt Citron or the team too much her first three years because it was only Miles or Hidalgo at the PG. But senior year, there were both. You don't have to look back in retrospect to see that having a double read and react approach cut down on the other three players on the court. And when one of them averages 15 ppg at the next level...well, Ivey and/or new GM Garrity should make note.
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I just looked and she is shooting 47/44(!)/87. Maintained over the course of an entire rookie season in the WNBA. Frankly I don’t think it took a genius basketball mind to see that they should have played through her more last year. I watched about 10 or so ND games last season and it was obvious to me.

Efficient shooter who always makes good decisions with the ball = pass that player the ball. Who cares if it’s not flashy. It’s a shame Westbeld was injured the first part of the season and couldn’t get going. She was quite good the season before.

I really think ultimately Miles and Hidalgo were never going to work out even if Hidalgo’s social media thing didn’t happen. They are both too ball dominant and function best as the alpha, not 1A and 1B.
 
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ucbart said:
Why? Her recruiting has been less than stellar and her team imploded this year. She has two years left of Hidalgo and not much coming in.
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Pay attention to how this recruiting cycle plays out (2026). She's apparently put a lot of effort into this class. So far, she's got wing Bella Ragone and a lot of finalists. This is where ND has faltered since Hidalgo's class...closing the deal on the finalists.
Why is Class of 2026 so important? The early deadline is before most (all?) '25-26 games and this season -- in part, due to that implosion that possibly contributed to many transfers -- is probably not going to turn out well.

Ivey has two new full-time bosses in GM Pat Garrity and an athletic director who didn't hire her....stay tuned.
 
Dillon77 said:
Pay attention to how this recruiting cycle plays out (2026). She's apparently put a lot of effort into this class. So far, she's got wing Bella Ragone and a lot of finalists. This is where ND has faltered since Hidalgo's class...closing the deal on the finalists.
Why is Class of 2026 so important? The early deadline is before most (all?) '25-26 games and this season -- in part, due to that implosion that possibly contributed to many transfers -- is probably not going to turn out well.

Ivey has two new full-time bosses in GM Pat Garrity and an athletic director who didn't hire her....stay tuned.
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I like Ragone. A lot.
 
Jumper33 said:
I just looked and she is shooting 47/44(!)/87. Maintained over the course of an entire rookie season in the WNBA. Frankly I don’t think it took a genius basketball mind to see that they should have played through her more last year. I watched about 10 or so ND games last season and it was obvious to me.

Efficient shooter who always makes good decisions with the ball = pass that player the ball. Who cares if it’s not flashy. It’s a shame Westbeld was injured the first part of the season and couldn’t get going. She was quite good the season before.

I really think ultimately Miles and Hidalgo were never going to work out even if Hidalgo’s social media thing didn’t happen. They are both too ball dominant and function best as the alpha, not 1A and 1B.
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Soni reminds me of the shooting guard version of Nneka Ogwumike. She almost never takes bad shots, she almost never makes bad passes, she does whatever her team needs on the court, she has an endlessly high motor, and despite all that she's pretty mellow off the court. In other words: what's not to love? Of all the Stanford recruiting misses of the past half decade Citron is the one I was (and continue to be) most sad about.
 
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TheFarmFan said:
Soni reminds me of the shooting guard version of Nneka Ogwumike. She almost never takes bad shots, she almost never makes bad passes, she does whatever her team needs on the court, she has an endlessly high motor, and despite all that she's pretty mellow off the court. In other words: what's not to love? Of all the Stanford recruiting misses of the past half decade Citron is the one I was (and continue to be) most sad about.
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Agree. She's also a dedicated team player...almost to a fault. Last night, I was watching parts of the Liberty-Mystics game and Citron had a nice run. Then, in the fourth quarter, she dutifully kept moving the ball while other players would hoist up ill-advised shots rather than swing the ball back around (something the Liberty do flawlessly, btw).

Soni might be advised to be a bit more "selfish" at crunch time (and for her, that would be a good shot for others). And/or, Coach Johnson -- assuming he's back -- should work on ball movement around the perimeter, I think most of his players would be ready and willing (although I miss Aaliyah Edwards in this hoped-for set-up.)

BTW, there is a residual emotional drop-off for this Irish fan now that Soni is in the pro's. (And also for "no more Westbelds") It's a bit harder getting back into Irish mode knowing we won't see #11 on the court.
 
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Oops, a tad late on this entry, but ND Women's Hoops has another commitment.
Isabella Sangha (#83 Hoopgurlz), 6'3" forward from Florida who plays both basketball and volleyball. Last season, she averaged 27.5 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game at Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, FL). Although Sangha has long had interest in ND (big Arike Ogunbowale fan), she got to know Coach Ivey more this summer and committed last week. Apparently -- at least initially -- she plans on playing both volleyball and basketball in South Bend.

According to this attached article by Talia Goodman, Sangha can already see how she’ll fit into this Notre Dame play style.

“Especially with how I run the court, I think it wouldn’t be a situation where I’m just a big and I stand there,” Sangha said. “I think it would definitely be using a lot of my athleticism and, kind of like how Maddy [Westbeld] played…She’s very versatile and she has good moves and mid-range and she’s around my size, maybe a little bit taller, I would say. But I think that is kind of the big thing – when they were able to play with her so well and have players that use their athleticism. Also, they have a lot of really good guards, so I know that if I’m in the right spot, or if I’m running the court, that they’ll get me the ball…Being able to develop under a really good coaching staff was important to me.”

This is Niele Ivey's 2nd commitment for the Class of 2026, following small forward/wing Isabella Ragone.
I'm now wondering if Coach Ivey will go for a hat trick of recruits with the first name, "Isabella."

 
Julia Scott, 2026 Frontcourt Prospect, Taking OV at ND Sept. 12-13
Scott, the 6'3" forward from Albertus Magnus High School in New York, is taking her official visit to Notre Dame during the Texas A&M football game weekend. She has previously visited her other two finalists, Michigan and Clemson, so this will be the proverbial third and final.

Her "guide," so to speak, is Class of 2025 Leah Macy, the frosh forward from Kentucky, who is recuperating from -- get this -- double ACL surgery last winter. This link is to her Instagram story account, showing Scott getting her picture done.

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Dillon77 said:
Leah Macy, the frosh forward from Kentucky, who is recuperating from -- get this -- double ACL surgery last winter.
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Double!? Whoa! I had no idea. That’s really tough for a kid. I can’t help wondering what the early recuperation for that was like. Did she have to spend a long time in a wheelchair?
 
Bone Dog said:
Double!? Whoa! I had no idea. That’s really tough for a kid. I can’t help wondering what the early recuperation for that was like. Did she have to spend a long time in a wheelchair?
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Not according to the pics that came out, but you never know. She's apparently now walking smoothly and even taking part in HORSE games, but no formal workouts of any sort. No one on McGraw's Bench expects to see her on a court until practice for the 2026-27 team. However, she's apparently living frosh life to the fullest and being an active member of the team; from community outreach and service, to accompanying Class of 2026 prospects. (After all, she'll probably be in the same class, athletically.)
 
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This season is probably going to be a frustrating one at times for Hidalgo, but she should have a nice supporting cast for her senior year. Hopefully get Leah Macy healthy and then have Jacy Abii and Bella Ragone as freshmen.
 
cancontent said:
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Hey, that's my job! ;-)
Excellent -- and necessary -- get by Head Coach Ivey, Recruiting Coordinator Michaela Mabrey and new GM Pat Garrity.
Abii is the third '26 recruit for the Irish, along with Wing Bella Ragone and Forward Isabella Sangha.

Still in play for Addison Bjorn, Amari Byles (apparently coming to visit campus next weekend) and Jenica Lewis.
Struck out at all post/paint recruits, which will have to be addressed in the portal.

btw, Abii is the first Texan to commit to ND since one Brianna "Breezy Bri" Turner, now of the Indiana Fever.
 
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GoChips20 said:
This season is probably going to be a frustrating one at times for Hidalgo, but she should have a nice supporting cast for her senior year. Hopefully get Leah Macy healthy and then have Jacy Abii and Bella Ragone as freshmen.
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I doubt Hannah is going to get frustrated this season. She understands that there is a learning curve involved going from high school level to college level and that each player brings to the team their skill and mental level. Hopefully all the players had a healthy and productive off-season. We shall see.
 
Looks like Jacy Abii and family surprised Coach Ivey with the timing and location (err, ND) of her commitment:

 
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triaddukefan said:
Interview with Hidalgo

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This interview definitely asks the messy questions everyone wants to know about last season, Olivia Miles, and Revenue Sharing at ND. Only asked a few questions about this year's team.
 
Dillon77 said:
I watched a lot of post-game pressers featuring Ivey -- often with Soni Citron next to her -- and Ivey would often refer her to the glue and would say something to the effect that "..we really don't have to set up that many plays" for her, per se. Now I know Ivey wanted a "read and react" type of offense, but Citron often had to react to how the point guards were doing that. As such, she was at the mercy of Hidalgo or Miles.

This didn't hurt Citron or the team too much her first three years because it was only Miles or Hidalgo at the PG. But senior year, there were both. You don't have to look back in retrospect to see that having a double read and react approach cut down on the other three players on the court. And when one of them averages 15 ppg at the next level...well, Ivey and/or new GM Garrity should make note.
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Ivey and Garrity need to take note of what Marcus Freeman demands of his players, and how he will give them tough love (see Christian Gray vs USC) and demand certain protocols (i.e. hand the ball to the official after a catch/scoring) while also maintaining a tight knitted championship caliber program. Watching Miles shimmy after scoring, as the person she was supposed to guard scored a quick layup, would NEVER happen under Freeman. Ivey needs to be in total control, and I did not sense that last season. I expect this year to be better.
 
I wonder how this season will unfold for Hannah. Part of what makes her great is being allowed to cheat or poach off her defensive assignments to disrupt passes or dribbles. She's quick enough to recover if she doesn't cause a steal or a turnover. But that also depended on who her teammates were and whether they could cover for her. Having a veteran core of stars like Maddy and Soni I'm sure mead a significant difference. I have a feeling this rather new roster may not be able to do that for her. If her poaching causes defensive lapses elsewhere, Niele may have to rein Hannah in on defense. Of course, her offense is still brilliant whatever happens on defense. But if she can't be a true defensive menace to the extent that she's been in previous seasons, it may take a bit of the luster off the season.
 
Bone Dog said:
I wonder how this season will unfold for Hannah. Part of what makes her great is being allowed to cheat or poach off her defensive assignments to disrupt passes or dribbles. She's quick enough to recover if she doesn't cause a steal or a turnover. But that also depended on who her teammates were and whether they could cover for her. Having a veteran core of stars like Maddy and Soni I'm sure mead a significant difference. I have a feeling this rather new roster may not be able to do that for her. If her poaching causes defensive lapses elsewhere, Niele may have to rein Hannah in on defense. Of course, her offense is still brilliant whatever happens on defense. But if she can't be a true defensive menace to the extent that she's been in previous seasons, it may take a bit of the luster off the season.
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True enough that Hannah's aggressiveness was bolstered by having teammates that could jump passing lanes and defend the rest of the floor if someone got by HH. Citron and Westbeld were two such players, but so were players like Kylee Watson in the middle and Cass Prosper, with her 6'3" frame and very long arms. Prosper will be back, as will KK Bransford, who missed last year but is a tough defender in her own right.

The key is how the rest of the new team will defend, both individually and collectively. The answer is: I have no idea. So we'll have to see how things play out. Mind you, ND wasn't totally having Hidalgo fly out all over the place willy nilly. She can cause havoc just picking up the main ball handler. I suspect that might be option 1 for this season's Irish.
 
Amari Byles publicly committed to Notre Dame today at an announcement that ran on You Tube.
However, based on a video segment that was run just after she showed a Notre Dame tee shirt, it looked like she announced to ND Coach and team when she was on-campus; something fellow Texas Jacy Abii did, as well.

2026 Recruits Who Have Committed Thus Far (in chronological order):
1) Isabelle "Bella" Ragone, 6'2" wing from Mill Creek H.S., Georgia who committed on May 22, 2025
2) Isabella Sangha, a 6'3" forward from Pine Crest H.S. in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, who committed in early September 2025.
3) Jacy Abii, a 6'2: wing from Plano, Texas who committed on Oct. 4, 2025
4) Amari Byles, a 6'2" wing from DeSoto, Texas who committed on Oct. 25, 2025

Yes, this is Coach Ivey's "wing" year, but they're all a bit different in the way they play.
In addition, ND is still pursuing yet another wing in Addison Bjorn and a shooting guard in Jenica Lewis.

Still, even at this point, this is a very solid rebounding recruiting class for Coach Ivey, Recruiting Coordinator Michaela Mabrey and new GM Pat Garrity.

Here's an update on ND recruiting by local writer, Eric Hansen:

 
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