Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1438218
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2022 57 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL on underclassmen gave Ivey more than a glimmer of hope for the future. "It's a testament to them being ready for the collegiate level," Ivey said of Miles and Citron. "They're extremely talented. I knew that recruiting them. But to see them translate, it's just amaz- ing to watch. "It happened so fast. They're so un- selfish. That's what I love about them. But they're just big-time players." Notre Dame can't solely rely on that trip, though. Senior guard Dara Mabrey is going to have to keep hitting threes. She has made a team-high 24 of them this season through 11 games. No other Irish player reached double digits in that statistic during that stretch. Graduate student center Maya Dod- son did not record one double-double in the team's 9-2 start. She came close with 14 points and nine rebounds in a 64-62 victory over then-No. 16 Or- egon State Nov. 27, but she didn't grab more than seven rebounds in any of the four games thereafter. She was hum- bled by UConn's post players in a six- point, seven-rebound effort against the Huskies. For Notre Dame to make a serious run this season, the Irish need consistent play from more than just Miles and Cit- ron. Even Westbeld has had her share of down moments. Miles, Citron, West- beld, Mabrey and Dodson have to make up a strong five-player core. If they do, the Irish can certainly build on their successful start and carry it through an NCAA Tournament run. ✦ 2021-22 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Nov. 9 Ohio W, 105-69 Nov. 11 Western Illinois W, 76-50 Nov. 14 at Syracuse* W, 82-56 Nov. 18 Fordham W, 71-56 Nov. 21 Bryant W, 94-35 Nov. 26 vs. Georgia# L, 71-67 (OT) Nov. 27 vs. Oregon State# W, 64-62 Dec. 2 at Michigan State% W, 76-71 Dec. 5 at UConn L, 73-54 Dec. 8 at Valparaiso W, 73-56 Dec. 12 Purdue-Fort Wayne W, 78-41 Dec. 19 Pitt* (ACCNX) 2 p.m. Dec. 22 at DePaul 8:30 p.m. Dec. 30 at Virginia* 7 p.m. Jan. 2 at Duke* 2 p.m. Jan. 9 NC State* (ACCN) 2 p.m. Jan. 13 at Wake Forest* 7 p.m. Jan. 16 North Carolina* (RSN) 1 p.m. Jan. 20 at Boston College* (RSN) 6 p.m. Jan. 23 at Pitt* 2 p.m. Jan. 27 Syracuse* (ACCN) 6 p.m. Jan. 30 Boston College* (ACCN) 2 p.m. Feb. 3 Virginia Tech* (ACCN) 8 p.m. Feb. 6 at Florida State* (ACCN) 2 p.m. Feb. 10 Miami* (ACCN) 6 p.m. Feb. 13 at Louisville* (ESPN/2/U) 2 p.m. Feb. 17 at Georgia Tech* (ACCN) 8 p.m. Feb. 24 Clemson* (ACCN) 8 p.m. Feb. 27 Louisville* (ESPN/ACCN) TBA Mar. 2-6 ACC Tournament$ TBA *ACC; # Daytona Beach Invitational in Day- tona, Fla.; % ACC-Big Ten Challenge; $ at Greensboro, N.C.; ACCN — ACC Network; ACCNX — ACC Network Extra; RSN — Regional Sports Networks MUFFET MCGRAW INDUCTED TO NOTRE DAME RING OF HONOR Muffet McGraw walked into a familiar room in an unusual manner. The former Notre Dame women's basketball coach emerged through the entrance of the media room at Purcell Pavilion with a huge smile on her face. There were many instances during her 33 years in South Bend when she wasn't so chipper. "I wasn't always this happy," a still smiling McGraw quipped as she sat down in front of a jumble of microphones at a table on the dais. Dec. 12 was different. It was a day for celebration and reflection. McGraw became just the second Notre Dame basketball coach (men's or women's) to be inducted into the Fighting Irish ring of honor, joining Digger Phelps. McGraw's stay in the press room lasted a shorter amount of time than her pregame ceremony, and rightfully so. She spoke for nearly 10 minutes on the court and thanked everyone from the Notre Dame administration to former players, assistant coaches, family, fans and even the Fighting Irish band. "I just never wanted to be anywhere else," McGraw said. "This was my dream, and I got to live my dream. And somehow it was even better than I ever imagined it would be." A video preceded McGraw's speech. It showed highlights from Notre Dame's two national champion- ships with McGraw at the helm in 2000-01 and 2017-18. It included comments from her son, Murphy, and current Irish head coach Niele Ivey among others. "She is legendary, she is excellent and she de- serves to be celebrated for all of her accomplish- ments on and off the floor," Ivey said. Ivey's name, in addition to those of six of Mc- Graw's other former players, hangs in the rafters of Purcell Pavilion. The names and numbers are a reminder of the national titles, nine Final Fours, 848 total wins and 67 NCAA Tournament victories Notre Dame racked up during McGraw's tenure. Banners are a way to forever remember those accomplishments. So are statues. McGraw will have one soon. Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick announced that news to a roaring crowd at the end of the pregame ceremony. "I was overwhelmed with the word of the statue," McGraw said. "That was something that — I never even imagined it. People would kind of joke about it, and I was like, 'That's a football thing. That's not going to happen.'" Oh, but it will. The ring of honor ceremony was just the start of McGraw's immortalization in Notre Dame bas- ketball lore. Banners hang forever. Statues stand forever. Legacies last forever. Notre Dame's current players, clad in special lime green shoes and warm-up shirts with a gold silhouette of McGraw in a crouched coaching position, know all of that. Their 78-41 win over Purdue-Fort Wayne after the ceremony was an- other small part of them trying to write their own blue and gold stories. And as they do so, they'll never forget the one McGraw closed the book on when she retired in April 2020. — Tyler Horka Former Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw became the second Irish coach to ever be inducted into the school's basketball Ring of Honor. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS