Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1162458
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 16, 2019 49 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BY LOU SOMOGYI F or seven straight years from 2012-18, the Notre Dame wom- en's basketball program has had family representation from the Mabrey clan in Belmar, N.J. That relationship is going to last much longer with the Aug. 26 an- nouncement of 2016 graduate Mi- chaela Mabrey as the third bench as- sistant coach for the Fighting Irish. Mabrey replaces former Fighting Irish star point guard Niele Ivey, who had been with the staff since 2007 before taking a position this August as an as- sistant with the NBA's Memphis Griz- zlies. "This is a lifetime job," Mabrey said. "When you come here, you rarely see people leave here. It's that special." Well … maybe not lifetime, but cur- rent head coach Muffet McGraw is in her 33rd season at Notre Dame. One associate, Carol Owens, is in her sec- ond 10-year stint at Notre Dame, while another, Beth Cunningham, is in her eighth at her alma mater, where she is still the third all-time leading scorer. From 2012-16, three-point specialist Mabrey — who converted 184 treys at a strong 37.8-percent clip — tallied 758 career points to go with 261 assists, and was a two- time captain. The program went 141-8 with three Final Four a p p e a r a n c e s , and that four- year winning percentage of .946 is the best among any four-year class. Her senior year in 2015-16 over- lapped with younger sister Marina's — now with the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks — freshman campaign. Marina tallied 1,483 career points and was the starting point guard for the 2018 na- tional champions. Because of the elder Mabrey's lead- ership and basketball acumen, Mc- Graw had encouraged her to look into coaching as a profession. Unsure of her future path after deciding not to continue potentially playing overseas, Mabrey first was hired as coordinator of program and player development at ACC rival Mi- ami (2016-17) under head coach Ka- tie Meyer — and then the next season joined another Miami (Ohio), this time as a bench assistant for former Notre Dame starting point guard Megan Duffy (2002-06). In Duffy's first year as the head coach, the RedHawks improved from 11-21 to 21-11, which in turn led to Mabrey getting hired at LSU as direc- tor of recruiting. (After a 23-9 record in year two, Duffy was hired this year as the new head coach at Marquette.) Now in her fourth job in four years, the single and 25-year-old Mabrey is more than ready to settle down at Notre Dame with her second family. She was the one who initiated contact with McGraw when she heard that Ivey was headed to the NBA. "I immediately texted her and just said, 'I really hope that you'll con- sider me for this job,'" Mabrey said. "She wrote back immediately and said, 'You're on my short list. I'll be in touch.'" Among the other candidates was 2004-08 Notre Dame guard Charel Allen, who is now an assistant at Cal State Fullerton. For McGraw, numerous factors, including Mabrey's youth, played a factor in her hiring. Especially pivotal was understanding the immense ex- pectations, on and off the court, she experienced as a player. "She's got the energy, and she's somebody that has played in this sys- tem exactly the way we're playing now," McGraw said. "She's been to three Final Fours — she understands the stress. She understands the aca- demic pressure. "She can really relate to the players." At the same time, McGraw wants Mabrey to offer fresh perspectives. "Even though she played here, that doesn't mean no new ideas can be added," she said. "That's always a good thing. … We're certainly not coming in telling her this is how we're doing it and this is exactly how we want it to be run. "I want somebody who can look at things and give us something new." Because Ivey also held the re- cruiting coordi- nator title, Cun- ningham will now take on that role, but Mabrey will have a ma- jor hand in it that is likely to expand, especially with her experience at LSU. She also has a clear understanding that even though Notre Dame's roster has been replete with McDonald's All- Americans (including both Mabreys), that alone will not make one successful at the school. McGraw always wants input from the current roster after of- ficial visits on whether a top prospect would fit in with the team's chemistry and attitudes. "We have to have certain GPAs [grade-point averages], certain test scores … we're not offering every- body," Mabrey said. "It's definitely a specific type of kid that we look for in recruiting." The school found it with the Mabreys this past decade. ✦ FAMILY MATTERS Michaela Mabrey returns 'home' to Notre Dame as an assistant coach During Mabrey's time as player at Notre Dame from 2012-16, the Fighting Irish compiled a program-record .946 winning percentage (141-8) and made three Final Four appearances. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND