Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 DEC. 5, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BY LOU SOMOGYI R enowned as a supreme recruiter during her days as a Notre Dame assistant for Muffet McGraw from 2007-19, Niele Ivey is not about to let that reputation fade now that she is the first-year head coach at her alma mater. During the early signing period from Nov. 11-18, Notre Dame an- nounced the signing of 5-11 five-star point guard Olivia Miles from Phil- lipsburg, N.J., and 6-1 four-star guard/ wing Sonia Citron from Scarsdale, N.Y. Miles is ranked the nation's No. 2 point guard and No. 8 player overall by ESPN HoopGurlz, while Citron is listed No. 6 at her position and No. 16 overall. Prospects Nation has Miles as the nation's No. 4 overall player and Citron No. 31. "They exemplified everything I was looking for as I began to build this new era: strong work ethic, high character, confidence, competitive mentality and swagger," Ivey said in a university press release. The class is ranked No. 5 in the na- tion, and the Fighting Irish are one of four schools that signed multiple top-20 ESPN HoopGurlz prospects. • South Carolina led the way with four among the top 14 — including No. 2 (5-8 point guard Raven John- son), No. 3 (6-0 guard Saniya Rivers) and No. 4 (6-3 forward Sania Feagin). The Gamecocks, who won the 2017 national championship, previously signed four of the top 11 in 2019, in- cluding No. 3 Aliyah Boston — who also visited Notre Dame — and No. 4 Zia Cooke. As freshmen last year, they helped lead South Carolina to a 32-1 record (16-0 in SEC) and No. 1 final ranking before the NCAA Tournament was canceled because of COVID-19. • Connecticut had three recruits among the top 15, led by the consensus No. 1 player in guard Azzi Fudd, who Notre Dame also pursued ardently. • Rapidly rising Notre Dame ACC rival North Carolina signed four players among the top 20, while Stanford inked two. Miles and Citron already have been teammates, and their relation- ship helped both decide on Notre Dame. They were members of the U16 USA National Team in 2019, where they brought home the gold medal in Chile with a 6-0 record. Citron started all six games, aver- aged 13.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists, and was named to the all- tournament team. Miles also started all six games and averaged 5.2 points and a team-high 7.5 assists. They also played with the Phila- delphia Belles in AAU competition. Meanwhile, in June 2019, Miles and current freshman Alli Campbell won the Nike Girls EYBL together in Indianapolis. At Blair Acad- emy last season, M i l e s a v e r a g e d 13.6 points, 8.1 re- bounds and 7.6 as- sists while leading it to a Prep A state championship. "Olivia is a spe- cial talent and one of the most dy- namic guards I've ever seen," said Ivey, whose first major recruit was S k y l a r D i g g i n s . "She has incredible quickness, tremen- dous vision and the ability to make everyone around her better. She is a poised floor general that plays at a fast pace and brings a unique flair. "She is great at attacking one-on- one and is a true competitor. From her no-look passes, deep scoring range and elite finishing package, she will bring a whole new level of swag to South Bend. I can't wait to see her flourish in our system and help lead our program back to the top." Meanwhile, Citron was named the 2020 New York State Gatorade Player of the Year and already is The Ursu- line School's all-time leader in career points (1,874) and rebounds (1,035). Last year, she averaged 23.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.9 blocks while spearheading a per- fect 24-0 mark and the Koalas' first Sec- tion I title since 2003 before the state finals were canceled be- cause of COVID-19. "She has the capa- bility to stretch the defense with her three-point shooting range, attack off the dribble, distribute, and post up smaller defenders with her size," Ivey said. "On the defensive end, she uses her athleti- cism to rebound and loves to take on any challenges. "Mostly I am im- pressed by her unselfish persona, high IQ, and willingness to do what- ever it takes to help her team win." ✦ Olivia Miles, a 5-11 five-star point guard from Phillipsburg, N.J., averaged 13.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists while leading Blair Academy to a Prep A state championship last season. PHOTO COURTESY USA BASKETBALL A 6-1 four-star guard/wing from Scarsdale, N.Y., Sonia Citron was named the 2020 New York State Gatorade Player of the Year after averaging 23.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.9 blocks. PHOTO COURTESY USA BASKETBALL Irish Seeking Size In 2022 Cycle With a backcourt replete in quantity and quality in the years to come, including 2021 recruits Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron, the fo- cus on the 2022 cycle is more frontcourt help. Senior Mikayla Vaughn (6-3) is projected to miss the first month of this season while recovering from knee surgery, junior Danielle Cosgrove (6-4) has taken a temporary leave of absence until the turn of the year, and fresh- man Natalija Marshall's (6-5) status is uncer- tain after undergoing ACL surgery last winter. Prime targets in 2022 are Colorado's 6-7 Lau- ren Betts, ranked the nation's No. 1 prospect by ESPN HoopGurlz, and 6-2 Ayanna Patterson, who is from Fort Wayne, Ind., and ranked No. 3. — Lou Somogyi Notre Dame Women's Basketball Signs Top-Five Class