Notre Dame 2025-2026 Regular-Season Thread.

[Blue Huskie]

Ivey on hot seat?

 

[Puppy Love]

Ivey on hot seat?

I can’t understand how she wasn’t on the hot seat last year. She had a team that looked like National Champions early in the season and it spectacularly fell apart at the end of the year. I think that letting ‘Hannah be Hannah’ was part of the problem, but it seems like the chemistry issues ran much deeper. She can’t control for the injury problems, but the exodus at the end of last year seems telling.

I think it’s nearly impossible to be the coach who follows a long time winner. Up until last year, I thought that Coach Ivey had done better than most in that role. Now, it seems that the honeymoon is over and I’m wondering if she has the skills for the current mess, which is at least partially her own doing.

 

[Geew1992]

Ivey on hot seat?

Not with that recruiting class coming in

 

[Frankus]

I can’t understand how she wasn’t on the hot seat last year. She had a team that looked like National Champions early in the season and it spectacularly fell apart at the end of the year. I think that letting ‘Hannah be Hannah’ was part of the problem, but it seems like the chemistry issues ran much deeper. She can’t control for the injury problems, but the exodus at the end of last year seems telling.

I think it’s nearly impossible to be the coach who follows a long time winner. Up until last year, I thought that Coach Ivey had done better than most in that role. Now, it seems that the honeymoon is over and I’m wondering if she has the skills for the current mess, which is at least partially her own doing.

The biggest issue I have with Ivey has been her (or her offensive scheme's) inability (or lack of desire) to recruit quality bigs and help bigs thrive both as scorers and rebounders

This year's roster has two scholarship players over 6 feet, and one walk on who never plays.

UCONN and South Carolina's roster have 9 players over 6 feet [not sure how many walk ons] . This year, I only consider Cowles a true inside player. Last year, neither Karlen or Westbeld thrived in this offense inside. The year before only only Kylee Watson thrived as a big.

Compare this to the 2017-2018 National Chamionship team that had 7 players over 6 feet, two of which were true bigs and are still in the WNBA.

Next year, Ivey has 6'2" Leah Macy coming back from injury, 6'3" Cassandre Prosper presumably returning and is bringing in three 6'2" wings and one 6'3". Whether her offense thrives both outside and inside and whether Ivey's teams can or cannot compete with the heavyweight college basketball teams on both ends of the court is a huge question mark. I suspect she'll get at least two more years, if not three. I think ND is committed and has the money to be an elite woman's basketball team. Whether Ivey can get them there is up for debate, and it didn't help that she did a poor job with bigs in the portal, but she's not going anywhere. She is revered by Notre Dame's heirarchy.

 

[EricSD]

If you look at recruiting, it seems to have cooled off, sort of.

• 2021 she got Miles and Citron
• 2022 their highest was KK Bransford, in the 20's ranking
• 2023 Hidalgo, Prosper, and Risch, all top 20
• 2024 it was #5 Koval
• 2025 - Macy at #26 was the highest
• 2026 - #9 Alibi and then a bunch of 4* kids

Maybe not that much cooling off - pretty consistent with top 10 kids, but Miles left and she, Hidalgo, and Citron were their superstars. But none lately.

 

[DefenseBB]

Wait, I am not understanding why anyone would think Niele Ivey is on the "hotseat". I mean in addition to the Dr. Pepper endorsement 🤣, she's done a pretty good job following a legend who left the cupboard completely bare. She's been there 5 years, won 2 ACC titles and has made the Sweet 16 4 straight years. She's recruited pretty well and is able to compete in this new NIL landscape. I get the whole "Miles-Hidalgo thing" was bad and then losing multiple transfers was not a good look AT ALL, but she has proven worthy of being a good coach. She is 3-1 vs UConn and has won the last 3 games.

 

[Frankus]

If you look at recruiting, it seems to have cooled off, sort of.

• 2021 she got Miles and Citron
• 2022 their highest was KK Bransford, in the 20's ranking
• 2023 Hidalgo, Prosper, and Risch, all top 20
• 2024 it was #5 Koval
• 2025 - Macy at #26 was the highest
• 2026 - #9 Alibi and then a bunch of 4* kids

Maybe not that much cooling off - pretty consistent with top 10 kids, but Miles left and she, Hidalgo, and Citron were their superstars. But none lately.

I don't know enough about recruiting sites. Hoopgurl has Abii at 16, Ragone at 19 and Biles at 23. It's a solid class, but -at least by the high school evaluators- lacking a top 10 5 star player.

Ivey had to bring in a big class, as I think ND wbb is going for something like the football program, using small numbers of portal players to fill holes. But you're right, unlike Freeman who looks to be building a powerhouse, and who just signed 5 5* players, Ivey does not appear to be gaining substantial momentum as a coach via recruiting.

 

[Reypl21]

She will get a couple more years at least. I hope her team can remain as healthy as possible. They are logging heavy minutes, and there's only 6 of them in the rotation right now. Really hope Bransford and Prosper come back for another year.

 

[BRS24]

I am betting that Dillon may beat me to this post, however we had the game on, and although ND had 3 starters in DF, it was surprising that Duke had all 5. Wondering if this is a one off, or has Lawson figured out her team's offensive woes? Time will tell with the remainder of the ACC season.

 

[oldude]

I am betting that Dillon may beat me to this post, however we had the game on, and although ND had 3 starters in DF, it was surprising that Duke had all 5. Wondering if this is a one off, or has Lawson figured out her team's offensive woes? Time will tell with the remainder of the ACC season.

In contrast to all those P4 coaches whose OOC schedule is loaded with cupcakes, Kara Lawson & Duke stand in stark contrast. Duke had a brutal OOC schedule, took some tough losses and was knocked out of the top 25. Now they’re rolling at 4-0 in the ACC and will likely find themselves back in the top 25 tomorrow.

 

[triaddukefan]

I am betting that Dillon may beat me to this post, however we had the game on, and although ND had 3 starters in DF, it was surprising that Duke had all 5. Wondering if this is a one off, or has Lawson figured out her team's offensive woes? Time will tell with the remainder of the ACC season.

Don't want to hijack the ND thread, but Riley Nelson entered the starting lineup about 6 games ago replacing Jadyn Donovan. Unlike Donovan, Nelson is a natural scoring wing, and her play has allowed for Fournier to operate with more spacing.

 

[YKCornelius]

The biggest issue I have with Ivey has been her (or her offensive scheme's) inability (or lack of desire) to recruit quality bigs and help bigs thrive both as scorers and rebounders

This year's roster has two scholarship players over 6 feet, and one walk on who never plays.

UCONN and South Carolina's roster have 9 players over 6 feet [not sure how many walk ons] . This year, I only consider Cowles a true inside player. Last year, neither Karlen or Westbeld thrived in this offense inside. The year before only only Kylee Watson thrived as a big.

Compare this to the 2017-2018 National Chamionship team that had 7 players over 6 feet, two of which were true bigs and are still in the WNBA.

Next year, Ivey has 6'2" Leah Macy coming back from injury, 6'3" Cassandre Prosper presumably returning and is bringing in three 6'2" wings and one 6'3". Whether her offense thrives both outside and inside and whether Ivey's teams can or cannot compete with the heavyweight college basketball teams on both ends of the court is a huge question mark. I suspect she'll get at least two more years, if not three. I think ND is committed and has the money to be an elite woman's basketball team. Whether Ivey can get them there is up for debate, and it didn't help that she did a poor job with bigs in the portal, but she's not going anywhere. She is revered by Notre Dame's heirarchy.

Actually the Irish have three bigs >= 6'3", all averaging over 25 minutes, nine points and five rebounds per game: Cass Prosper, 6'3" Mayala Cowles, and 6'4" Gisela Sanchez. Additionally, all three are shooting above 54% from the field.

The ND problem isn't the bigs. The problem is committing the offense to a single player. And it will not get better next year if the Irish view all of the incoming talent as back-up to Hidalgo.

 

[cancontent]

Actually the Irish have three bigs >= 6'3", all averaging over 25 minutes, nine points and five rebounds per game: Cass Prosper, 6'3" Mayala Cowles, and 6'4" Gisela Sanchez. Additionally, all three are shooting above 54% from the field.

The ND problem isn't the bigs. The problem is committing the offense to a single player. And it will not get better next year if the Irish view all of the incoming talent as back-up to Hidalgo.

Prosper doesn't play like a big. She's seen herself more as a guard when she came out of high school. I wouldn't put her in that category.

 

[Reypl21]

The Duke game went as expected. ND misses KK. The most concerning this is still ND's offense. Niele will not adjust to the talent she has. I don't expect a different offense to win these games, but it just shows Niele's lack of adjustments.it worries me for next year.

 

[Frankus]

Actually the Irish have three bigs >= 6'3", all averaging over 25 minutes, nine points and five rebounds per game: Cass Prosper, 6'3" Mayala Cowles, and 6'4" Gisela Sanchez. Additionally, all three are shooting above 54% from the field.

The ND problem isn't the bigs. The problem is committing the offense to a single player. And it will not get better next year if the Irish view all of the incoming talent as back-up to Hidalgo.

If you think prosper and Sanchez are "bigs" you and I have different definitions. Sanchez can hardly grab a rebound and hold onto it. Prosper is a slasher who is rarely on the block.

And ND isn't committed to one player, but she is indispenspible to us being decent, compared to bottom of the barrel.

 

[Frankus]

The Duke game went as expected. ND misses KK. The most concerning this is still ND's offense. Niele will not adjust to the talent she has. I don't expect a different offense to win these games, but it just shows Niele's lack of adjustments.it worries me for next year.

What talent? Beyond HH and Prosper, this is the least athletically talented team since the last McGraw team. We miss Bransford, but I'd rather bring in a real rebounder/inside scorer next year in the portal than have her for another year. She is too often injured and not a guard who can create her own shot.

 

[YKCornelius]

If you think prosper and Sanchez are "bigs" you and I have different definitions. Sanchez can hardly grab a rebound and hold onto it. Prosper is a slasher who is rarely on the block.

And ND isn't committed to one player, but she is indispenspible to us being decent, compared to bottom of the barrel.

Yes, I guess we do.

So, lemme get this straight: last year's Irish team implodes at the very end of the season catching Irish Nation by surprise and forcing NI and her staff to scramble finding players in the portal, and you think she should have done a better job of finding players to plug the hole in the USS Hannah Hidalgo?

Despite the fact that Notre Dame has three 6'3"+ players, who are each shooting over 53% from the field, the real issue is none of them suit an old-school back-to-the-basket definition of what a big is, correct?

Hence, the problem isn't that the offensive scheme runs almost exclusively through one offensive player, but rather that the supporting cast is missing the right mix of talent, correct?

Riddle me this: just what do you think is going to miraculously change next year when all of the seniors have departed? Do you believe a decent crop of incoming freshmen and another foray through the portal is going to result in a different approach?

I daresay the WCBB world is watching to see if NI and HH place the development of this year's team above attaining individual accolades, especially since the Irish are loaded with seniors this year. If they focus on the latter, it might be impossible to lure any level of portal talent to South Bend next year without breaking the NIL bank.

 

[Frankus]

Yes, I guess we do.

So, lemme get this straight: last year's Irish team implodes at the very end of the season catching Irish Nation by surprise and forcing NI and her staff to scramble finding players in the portal, and you think she should have done a better job of finding players to plug the hole in the USS Hannah Hidalgo?

Despite the fact that Notre Dame has three 6'3"+ players, who are each shooting over 53% from the field, the real issue is none of them suit an old-school back-to-the-basket definition of what a big is, correct?

Hence, the problem isn't that the offensive scheme runs almost exclusively through one offensive player, but rather that the supporting cast is missing the right mix of talent, correct?

Riddle me this: just what do you think is going to miraculously change next year when all of the seniors have departed? Do you believe a decent crop of incoming freshmen and another foray through the portal is going to result in a different approach?

I daresay the WCBB world is watching to see if NI and HH place the development of this year's team above attaining individual accolades, especially since the Irish are loaded with seniors this year. If they focus on the latter, it might be impossible to lure any level of portal talent to South Bend next year without breaking the

I'm looking forward to beating UCONN again.

 

[oldude]

I'm looking forward to beating UCONN again.

🤣

 

[Frankus]

A really nice win by the Irish. The 3rd quarter with de Jesus making all of her shots, HH playing like a NPOY player and ND clearing the defensive boards was the most impressive spurt since last year. We stayed out of foul trouble and Cass was a scoring and rebounding force, particularly in the first half. For us to be dangerous down the stretch, either de Jesus or Moore (who did not shoot well) have to have 4-5 nights from 3 and 6-7 overall like de Jesus did last night. If both can be consistent 3 point shooters, and HH/Cass play to their potential, we'll be a tough out. We don't have enough talent to win the inside game against the better teams, so compensating with stellar 3 point shooting from de Jesus/Moore is the key.

NC is better than they played last night, but we really took it to them in an impressive win.

 

[Dillon77]

Sorry for recent relative absence from the 'yard recently, but I've been busy on a number of back-to-back family/friend matters that have taken up time and effort. (Luckily, most were/are being resolved.). Rather than go back in time (although I have read most of the recent posts), I'll pick it up from the UNC game because one of the issues picks up on some posts about the HH-centric nature of this year's team.)

One of those was a major family gathering this weekend. Taped the game and managed not to see the outcome(!) until (very) early Monday when I watched it. With some air between then and now:

- Commentator Deb Antonelli -- like her or loathe her, but she knows hoops -- wondered out loud during the broadcast if Hannah Hidalgo can do for the Irish what Catilin Clark did for the Iowa Hawkeyes. She wasn't comparing the two as players (and was forceful about that), but as talents and drivers of teams that mainly are them and a supporting cast. In the case of Iowa, she brought up Kate Martin and Hannah Stuelke (or earlier, Monika Czinano).
For ND, Cass Prosper is the forward of note, while she mentioned Vanessa de Jesus this game (but it could've been Iyana Moore on another).

The main point is that Clark and Hidalgo make the teams rise through their respective individual skill sets and ability to collectively set a style of attack. In the case of Iowa, it was primarily offensive and -- aided by Lisa Blueders -- an aversion to not making mistakes (save Clark). With ND, Hidalgo sets tone primarily through defense and 50-50's. When she's on it, all boats on her tide rise. VdJ was all over the place yesterday and even Moore played hard on D.

We're not used to seeing this in most iterations of ND teams. Usually, it's a combination and variation of some very good players representing ND and "pick your poison" for the opposition. For ND, if one player was off, another could pick it up. Not so here. If Hannah isn't doing her thing in most aspects of her game, ND is in trouble. When it works, she's all on it. But it's got to be exhausting night-in, night-out. She even admitted to Antonelli that she was taught not never show she was tired and she conveys that to her current ND team.

You can also make the argument that the supporting cast is pretty right, right and limited, without KK Bransford and Sanchez down to 10-15 minutes per game for whatever reason. While Moore and Cowles weren't bringing it against UNC, VdJ and Prosper were. Good enough last night. Louisville will be another challenge with their almost mirror-image version of harassment by (very) pesky guards.

- Great to see the 2001 ND national championship team make the broadcast and hear the Antonelli shout out for the great Ruth Riley and kudos for just how good a shooter Alica Ratay was from outside. Ratay opened up the inside by hitting 55%(!) of her three's that season. Yes, the line was a tad closer, but not that much so. And, get this, Ratay was a freshman that season.

As for UNC:

• Nyla Harris was always a thorn to ND when she played at Louisville and she's still got it at UNC.
• Elina,Aarnisalo, the soph guard from Finland via UCLA, is a tough, smart talented player who I really thought would be a good fit for ND when she entered the portal last year. But Courtney Banghart got her to sign quickly. She's averaging 10 per game on 50% shooting.
• Cierra Toomey, the stretch forward from outside Philly, usually goes for 11 ppg, but she looked a bit slow and tentative yesterday (much like Sanchez did for ND).

 

[DefenseBB]

Welcome back @Dillon77 and I am sorry to hear your detour on the family issues and am happy to hear it seems to be resolved.

But as is my wont, am I allowed to note that the timing was impeccable that it allowed you to avoid the board during a rather tumultuous time and then have you noted you want to ignore that fact is also wanting me to direct a "sneer" at you, so I am giving you the "hairy eyebrow" raise

.

I do find it curious you wanted to point out UNC positive points. I watched that game and found NO POSITIVES. ND throttled UNC from the media timeout in the 3rd quarter onward. UNC is littered with HG top 50 players and is constantly underachieving. I find Banghart one of the most overrated coaches in the game now (move over Gottlieb and Close) as a program that gets talent but regularly underachieves with it. I also think another ACC coach is vastly over rated (Barnes at SMU) but she does not get the talent these 3 get. So why did you give the faint praise?

Anyway, ND played well and "the cast" did a good job. That said, the teams Assists (251) to Turnovers (211) is concerning as that is NOT the ND pedigree.

I think this week's game vs. Louisville will give many of us a good view of the ACC, ND and Louisville. While I am absolutely rooting for Louisville to beat ND in a similar fashion to Tenn, my money would actually be on ND to win this game at home in the Purcell Pavilion.

 

[Dillon77]

Welcome back @Dillon77 and I am sorry to hear your detour on the family issues and am happy to hear it seems to be resolved.

But as is my wont, am I allowed to note that the timing was impeccable that it allowed you to avoid the board during a rather tumultuous time and then have you noted you want to ignore that fact is also wanting me to direct a "sneer" at you, so I am giving you the "hairy eyebrow" raise

.

I do find it curious you wanted to point out UNC positive points. I watched that game and found NO POSITIVES. ND throttled UNC from the media timeout in the 3rd quarter onward. UNC is littered with HG top 50 players and is constantly underachieving. I find Banghart one of the most overrated coaches in the game now (move over Gottlieb and Close) as a program that gets talent but regularly underachieves with it. I also think another ACC coach is vastly over rated (Barnes at SMU) but she does not get the talent these 3 get. So why did you give the faint praise?

Anyway, ND played well and "the cast" did a good job. That said, the teams Assists (251) to Turnovers (211) is concerning as that is NOT the ND pedigree.

I think this week's game vs. Louisville will give many of us a good view of the ACC, ND and Louisville. While I am absolutely rooting for Louisville to beat ND in a similar fashion to Tenn, my money would actually be on ND to win this game at home in the Purcell Pavilion.

Good to hear from you, Defense BB and thanks for the interest. Some quick hitters, in no particular order:

• I initially wrote some of this post for McGraw's Bench and always like to comment on the opponent. I took most of it out for The Boneyard, but felt the comments on Nyla Harris were relevant due to her past work at Louisville. Plus, I was a fan of the Finnish guard when she was at UCLA and really wanted Coach Ivey to make a run at her when she entered the portal. Alas.
• That said, I've been really pleasantly surprised at how well Vanessa de Jesus has fit in alongside Hannah Hidalgo. VdJ, as we label her on the in-game comments, is one quick study and she complements HH well. Very heady player and when she's open, she can drill the 3.
• I'm with you and a few others: Niele Ivey isn't going anywhere for a variety of reasons. This is an acknowledged bridge year and the staff thinks they addressed some of the issues at hand by bringing in a General Manager (Pat Garrity) and staff. Ivey has brought in what is widely acknowledged to be a top 5 recruiting class with a possible breakout frosh in Jacy Abii. She'll get to coach that class, along with returning frosh Leah Macy. The only "unless" is if Ivey chooses to go somewhere on her own accord and I don't see that happening...as long as Hannah Hidalgo is around.
• Yup, Louisville and Walz/ND and Ivey. Should be a barometer for both teams.
• Lastly, good reports out of the Bend that KK Bransford is making progress in her healing/rehab process. No idea on timing, but if she can back by, say, February, she could be a big help in the stretch run.

Stay tuned.

 

[DefenseBB]

My main concern is for ND to lose on Monday when I am in attendance....

 

[triaddukefan]

It was great to see DeJesus do a favor for her Alma Mater in help sinking that evil blue school from Orange County NC. Glad to see she her getting to play major minutes and contributing in her final college season.