Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 MAY 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BY LOU SOMOGYI F ollowing a 2019‑20 reconstruction year capped with a 13‑18 record, Notre Dame's 2020‑21 campaign will cen‑ ter first on providing more numbers and internal com‑ petition on the roster. Next year 's probable starting lineup will feature junior Katlyn Gilbert at point guard, plus sixth‑year senior Destinee Walker, sophomores Sam Brunelle and Anaya Peoples, and se‑ nior center Mikki Vaughn (who also has a fifth season of eligibility in 2021‑22). All five averaged double‑ figure scoring last year, led by Walker's 14.5 points per game. The only two other schol‑ arship players returning from 2019‑20 are junior forward Danielle Cosgrove a n d s o p h o m o re g u a rd Abby Prohaska, sidelined the past year with pulmo‑ nary embolism, although she was able to practice later in the campaign. Brought in to continue t h e re b u i l d i s a f i v e ‑ woman class that collec‑ tively ranked No. 3 nation‑ ally, but does not possess individually a perceived t o p ‑ f i v e g a m e ‑ c h a n g e r, w h i c h had been routine during the nine‑ year stretch from 2011‑19 when the Fighting Irish ad‑ vanced to seven Final Fours and captured the 2018 national title. What it can provide for now is enough quality to enhance the depth and especially supply competition in practice. "We can play man‑to‑man more, we can press, we can change things, we can trap, we don't have to worry about foul trouble, we don't have to worry about pacing ourselves for the end of the game," reflected Naismith Hall of Fame head coach Muffet Mc‑ Graw of her 34th season at Notre Dame next year. "There are so many good things from a strategy perspec‑ tive that we can do differently that we couldn't this year. Then there is the competition factor, you're com‑ peting against your teammates now for playing time. "This year they pretty much knew they could do about anything they wanted and we couldn't take them out of the game. … You can't just make careless passes and not be accountable. The competition should help people be‑ come accountable." MADELINE WESTBELD 6-2 • Kettering, Ohio • Fairmont H.S. National Rankings: No. 20 by ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 27 b y P r o s ‑ pects Na‑ tion S t a t i s t i - cal Over- view: The l o n e M c ‑ Donald's All‑American in the Irish class and the Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year, Westbeld paced her team in scoring (18.0 points per game), rebound‑ ing (11.2), assists (3.6) and steals (2.8) as a senior. The 25‑3 Firebirds lost to Mount Notre Dame in the Division I Regional final 47‑41, with Westbeld tal‑ lying 15 points and 11 re‑ bounds. In November against the nation's No. 2 team, Ten‑ nessee's Hamilton Heights Academy, Ohio's Ms. Bas‑ ketball led a 53‑46 win by scoring 36 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, making eight steals and handing out four assists. McGraw's Take: While taller than older sister Kath‑ ryn, the glue fig‑ ure of the 2018 national champi‑ ons, the younger Westbeld is a dif‑ ferent player and possesses the most star power in the class. "She is much more of a guard, so she will be handling the ball a little more, she'll be great when teams press us," McGraw said. "She'll be the perfect in‑bounder to get the ball back and then bring it up herself. She's not going to play the point, but she can handle the ball. "She's a three‑point shooter who can score on the block. She can take people off the dribble, she can re‑ Madeline Westbeld was named a McDonald's All-American and the Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year, after pacing Kettering (Ohio) Fairmont in scoring (18.0 points per game), rebounding (11.2), assists (3.6) and steals (2.8) as a senior. PHOTO COURTESY FAIRMONT HIGH SCHOOL Take Five A quintet of freshmen should provide immediate relief for the Fighting Irish