Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 25, 2023 49 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Just imagine if Koval does for Notre Dame post play what Hidalgo has im- mediately done for the Irish backcourt. Hidalgo was No. 4 in the nation in scor- ing through two games at 28.5 points. She also had 15 steals in those two matchups, instantly asserting herself as one of the best two-way guards in women's college basketball. "That's what her special gift is — she loves to defend," Ivey said of Hidalgo. "It's contagious with the team. She feeds her game off her energy on the defensive end, and that's what makes her so special. "You don't see too many guards, especially freshman guards, that can change the trajectory of the game with their willingness and the want to play defense. I love that about her. "She's feisty, and she wants to make teams uncomfortable. She loves that role. Having somebody that can run the team and score but loves to play defense is just amazing for the team." A native of Ukraine, Kova l m ove d to t h e United States a couple years ago to focus on her budding basketball career. She has thrived at Long Island Lutheran in New York, averaging 15.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.4 blocks in leading the school to a 20-2 record and a state title in her junior season. She was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in New York. Prior to dominating local teams in the Empire State, Koval averaged 26.0 points and 14.2 rebounds per game for Ukraine at the 2021 FIBA U16 Women's European Challengers, which ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, among a talented collection of players at the esteemed tournament. Koval is the quintessential unstop- pable post player. Ivey did not shy away from a comparison to Notre Dame great Ruth Riley. Teams go into games with their No. 1 o b j e c t i ve b e i n g to keep Koval off the score sheet. I t's c o m p a ra b l e to going all in on stopping Denver Nuggets star cen- ter Nikola Jokić or A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces. If you don't have a plan for them, they'll beat you. Koval has that element to her game, too. Koval's mindset is a natural fit at Notre Dame as is, too. She'll adapt to the college game any way she needs to. Like Hidalgo, it shouldn't be much of a leap for Koval — especially since she plays some of the best prep players in the country at Long Island Lutheran, a perennial prep powerhouse. Koval won't enroll early like five-star forward Cass Prosper did a year ago. She's chasing one more state champi- onship in New York. She already con- sistently faces the best of the best at the high school level — and she gets their best shots, too. "She's super competitive, just as competitive as my guards, just as com- petitive as anybody in high school," Ivey said. "That confidence that she has for her position, she's a great leader, she's very vocal for a post. I think she's just going to take the college world by storm since she's really gifted. I love the intan- gible piece about Kate even more than I do the talent." In No. 16 Notre Dame's 2-1 start this season, the guards have been vastly su- perior to the posts in all three games. The Irish's 29-point loss to now-No. 1 South Carolina is traced back to be- ing thoroughly outclassed in the paint. South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso had 20 points and 15 rebounds. Notre Dame center Kylee Watson had 2 and 4, respectively. Koval is the signee who can change the narrative. "It's been somebody that I've been trying to get, a powerful center," Ivey said. "I think I've got a lot of power- ful centers from the transfer portal, but unfortunately their time has run out. I can only have them for a year, two years max. "To have somebody of her caliber for four years is going to make a big impact on our program, and I'm hoping that can continue to draw great post players to play with us." ✦ 2023-24 NOTRE DAME WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ROSTER No. Name Pos. Ht. Cl. Hometown (High School) 0 Jenna Brown G 5-10 Gr. Atlanta (The Lovett School) 2 Emma Risch G 6-1 Fr. Melbourne, Fla. (Palm Bay Magnet) 3 Hannah Hidalgo G 5-6 Fr. Haddonfield, N.J. (Paul VI) 4 Cassandre Prosper G 6-2 So. Montreal, Quebec (Cairine Wilson SS) 5 Olivia Miles G 5-10 Jr. Phillipsburg, N.J. (Blair Academy) 10 Becky Obinma F 6-2 Gr. Menifee, Calif. (Rosary Academy) 11 Sonia Citron G 6-1 Jr. Eastchester, N.Y. (The Ursuline School) 13 Anna DeWolfe G 5-8 Gr. Cumberland, Maine (Greely) 14 KK Bransford G 5-11 So. Cincinnati (Mount Notre Dame) 15 Natalija Marshall F 6-5 Sr. Queens, N.Y. (Christ The King) 21 Maddy Westbeld F 6-3 Sr. Kettering, Ohio (Fairmont) 22 Kylee Watson F 6-4 Sr. Linwood, N.J. (Mainland) 25 Sarah Cernugel G 5-4 Sr. Westmont, Ill. (Hinsdale Central) NOTRE DAME BOUNCES BACK FROM SEASON-OPENING LOSS Niele Ivey suffered the worst loss of her head coaching career by point differential in a 100-71 defeat against now-No. 1 South Carolina Nov. 6. The Fighting Irish responded by hitting the century mark in back-to-back games, a 104-57 win over the New Jersey Institute of Technology Nov. 12 and a 110-52 triumph over Northwestern in the home opener Nov. 15. The 110 points marked the most Notre Dame has scored in a game since 2017. Freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo has been the star in the early going. Playing in place of junior Olivia Miles, still waiting to make her season debut coming back from offseason knee surgery, Hidalgo aver- aged 26.0 points, 7.0 steals, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists in Notre Dame's first three games. Junior guard Sonia Citron averaged 20.3 points in the Irish's first three games, but she left the North- western game with an apparent knee injury with one minute remaining in the third quarter. She had to be helped off the floor by a pair of trainers. Ivey did not have an injury update that night. — Tyler Horka "Having someone with that size, 6-5, is what I've always wanted. She's going to make a big impact on our pro- gram. I'm excited for her." IVEY ON KOVAL