Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 SEPT. 19, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BY LOU SOMOGYI I n her first season as Notre Dame's head coach, Niele Ivey is going to be on guard. In more ways than one, too, during this changing of the guard. Her 14-women scholarship ros- ter for the 2020-21 campaign will be top heavy at the guard/wing posi- tions. Even taller players who are expected to be in the rotation, such as 6-2 sophomore Sam Brunelle and 6-2 freshman Maddy Westbeld, and perhaps even 6-4 Danielle Cosgrove, are at their best along the perimeter or the three-point arc. Furthermore, the top low-post fig- ures, 6-3 senior Mikayla Vaughn and 6-5 freshman Natalija Marshall, are both in rehab from knee surgeries and are awaiting clearance to gradu- ally, and then eventually fully, par- ticipate in practices next month. Fortunately, running a guard- and wing-heavy attack is hardly for- eign to Ivey, who served as a Notre Dame assistant from 2007-19 be- fore a one-year stint with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. That league has shifted beyond just stringently de- fining positions. "My system is going to require a lot of flexibility as far as it's going to be a positionless type of offense," she explained. "We definitely are guard heavy, but I feel like the guards we do have, especially with our incoming class, they have a lot of versatility. "Basically we're going to imple- ment the offense that is beneficial for who's healthy at this point. We are very fortunate to have so much ver- satility, and we have a lot of depth. A few years ago with Kayla McBride we had a four-guard lineup, so I'm familiar with that type of system. "We're going to do what's best for our team and what's best for the health of the players who can be out on the floor." As the starting point guard for the 2001 national champions, Ivey is par- tial to that position in the attack. Yet after losing the top two point guards to injury during the run to the 2018 national title, Ivey and head coach Muffet McGraw were able to effec- tively utilize Marina Mabrey and Jackie Young there on the fly. A similar approach might be needed this year, especially if Vir- ginia Tech two-year starter and ju- nior transfer Dara Mabrey, younger sister of Marina and current Notre Dame assistant coach Michaela, is not approved for immediate eligibil- ity by the NCAA. "It's going to be a point guard by committee," Ivey said. "[Junior] Kat- lyn Gilbert ran a little point last year, and she's familiar with the offense, which is very similar. "[Freshman] Alasia Hayes is a true point guard, and I was really excited to see her work out, but she has no experience. Dara will bring a lot of experience — but that obviously de- pends on if she is allowed to play this year by the NCAA. "Maybe they are not true point guards, but I feel like we have mul- tiple options to be able to initiate the offense. We have Coquese Washing- ton on the staff and myself with ex- perience at the point. We will prepare them." Two of the prime examples of not pigeonholing someone into one spot and playing positionless basketball are sophomore Anaya Peoples and the freshman Westbeld. Although only 5-10, Peoples dis- played exceptional innate skills as a rebounder last year, leading the team in that category (8.1 per game) before a shoulder injury required surgery in mid-January. Like 2018 No. 1 WNBA pick Jackie Young, who was six-feet tall but could play effectively at point or in the post, Peoples and Westbeld could have similar job descriptions. "Having recruited Anaya, I thought that was her biggest strength, that she doesn't really fit one mold — and she plays extremely hard," Ivey said. "She is one of our hardest workers, so I am not surprised with her re- covery. She's awesome and open to doing whatever we need." "I look at Maddy as one of our most versatile guards. She's a big guard who can play inside or the perimeter. Like Anaya, she also can play one [point guard] through four [power forward]. She has a fantastic skill set and a great motor. "I helped recruit most of these freshmen, so I am familiar with their strengths. Right now we're just assess- ing our personnel and how they work together. Those roles will be deter- mined right before practice starts." ✦ 2020-21 NUMERICAL ROSTER No. Name Ht. Year 1 Dara Mabrey 5-7 Junior 3 Amirah Abdur-Rahim 6-2 Freshman 5 Alasia Hayes 5-7 Freshman 10 Katlyn Gilbert 5-10 Junior 12 Abby Prohaska 5-10 Junior 15 Natalija Marshall 6-5 Freshman 20 Nicole Benz 5-8 Senior 21 Anaya Peoples 5-10 Sophomore 22 Danielle Cosgrove 6-4 Junior 23 Alli Campbell 5-11 Freshman 24 Destinee Walker 5-10 Graduate 30 Mikki Vaughn 6-3 Senior 33 Sam Brunelle 6-2 Sophomore 34 Maddy Westbeld 6-2 Freshman Junior Katlyn Gilbert, who averaged 13.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season, will be a big part of Notre Dame's guard-oriented attack in 2020-21. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER Notre Dame's 2020-21 Roster Is Guard Heavy