Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JUNE/JULY 2021 59 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BY ANDREW MENTOCK O n April 22, 2020, Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick announced the hiring of new head women's basketball coach Niele Ivey. The dec- laration came mere hours after head coach Muffet McGraw retired. Outside of bringing in another Hall- of-Fame coach, Ivey was considered a home run hire, especially since she'd agreed to take over an Irish program that finished 13-18 in 2020. She's been a part of both of Notre Dame's national championships, first as the starting point guard in 2001 and then as the associate head coach in 2018. "We had talked to Niele about the possibility of this happening and so we were able to move pretty rap- idly once Coach McGraw made her decision," Swarbrick said. "Finding someone who understood the pro- gram, the ability to build on what we have. That was the No. 1 factor." Fast-forward a year, and there are already subsets of the fan base frus- trated with Ivey, who went 10-10 in her first season as a head coach and just missed the NCAA Tournament. As late Blue & Gold Illustrated senior editor Lou Somogyi stated many times, it's challenging to follow a legend. Yet the building blocks for a pro- gram resurgence are in place, even if a return to national prominence is still years away. Of the 10 scholarship ath- letes, six are former McDonald's All- Americans. There's also the addition of an intriguing graduate transfer. Here's a look at the 2021-22 roster: • Maya Dodson, 6-3 fifth-year se- nior forward — The Stanford gradu- ate transfer should start at the five for the Irish. As a sophomore with the Cardinal, she averaged 7.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, before she suffered an injury-plagued junior season and then opted out as a senior this past winter. • Dara Mabrey, 5-7 senior guard — A three-point specialist, she hit 38.5 percent of her shots beyond the arc in 2020-21, the fifth-best mark in the ACC. She started all 20 games, and will continue to be a major con- tributor going forward. • Olivia Miles, 5-10 freshman guard — In the near future, it's easy to see the dynamic point guard be- coming a triple-double threat each and every night. Still a freshman, Miles was the No. 8 overall player in her class per ESPN. She enrolled at the 2020-21 mid-year and appeared in six games, averaging 22.0 minutes, 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 as- sists per game. • Katlyn Gilbert, 5-10 senior guard — She earned ACC All-Freshman honors in 2019-20 as a redshirt fresh- man, but also missed a combined 43 games in her first and third seasons due to injuries. If healthy, this former McDonald's All-American should be a major asset off the bench. • Sonia Citron, 6-1 freshman guard — The 24th Notre Dame signee to be named a McDonald's All-American, Citron averaged 26.5 points, 11.2 re- bounds and 5.0 assists as a senior at The Ursuline School in Scarsdale, N.Y. • Abby Prohaska, 5-10 senior guard — Played in 16 games last season, start- ing 13. Considered a plus defender, she has also scored in double figures twice throughout her Irish career and consis- tently makes the right play. • Natalija Marshall, 6-5 sophomore forward — ESPN's No. 34 overall player in the class of 2020 took a med- ical redshirt in 2020-21 while rehab- bing an ACL injury suffered in high school. She should assist the team as a reserve post player this winter. • Anaya Peoples, 5-10 junior guard — Peoples started all but one contest last season and averaged 9.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. She's also an aggressive and willing defender. • Sam Brunelle, 6-2 junior forward — After garnering ACC All-Freshman honors in 2019-20, Brunelle moved to a reserve role as a sophomore. She scored 8.7 points per game and hit 38.3 percent of her threes. Next season, she's projected to start on the wing. • Maddy Westbeld, 6-3 sopho- more forward — The reigning ACC Rookie of the Year, she led the team in scoring (15.7 points per game) and rebounding (7.9 board per contest). Westbeld should be able to spend more time at power forward — her stated preference — next season. FUTURE TALENT ACQUISITIONS After missing out on 6-2 wing Ayanna Patterson from Fort Wayne, Ind., who committed to Connecti- cut, the Irish are currently without a pledge in the class of 2022. Given the recruiting chops of Ivey, though, Notre Dame should continue to attract top prep players for years to come. ✦ Ivey's first season in charge resulted in a 10-10 record, but next year's roster is expected to boast six former McDonald's All-Americans. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS STATE OF THE PROGRAM Checking in one year after Niele Ivey was hired COSGROVE TRANSFERS TO ST. JOHN'S On April 15, 6-4 rising senior forward Danielle Cosgrove entered the transfer portal before com- mitting to St. John's soon after. In 2020-21, she took the first semester off to focus on her mental health and then returned to the program at the mid-year. She saw action in two games.