Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 OCT. 19, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TYLER HORKA T here isn't a rush to watch film in the offseason like there is in the middle of the season. There isn't really a need, for instance, for Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey to finish a practice session and immediately pour through the tape so observations can be relayed to assis- tants and players right away. It can wait until the evening. Infor- mation can be shared the next day. Ivey, though, has found herself want- ing to get right to it lately, still a few weeks out from beginning the 2024-25 in-season schedule. Any coach with two of the best guards in the game would feel the same way. Wouldn't you yearn for a detailed peek into the powers of sophomore Hannah Hidalgo and gradu- ate student Olivia Miles melding to- gether to concoct a backcourt with a strong and potentially unbeatable case for being the best in the nation? It's going to be must-see TV. For Ivey, it's must-see practice footage. "It's been spectacular," Ivey said at ACC Tipoff Oct. 8. "That's one word I can say. I've been leaving practices like, 'Wow, what I just watched …' And I run to go watch the film. And this is just practice." Just practice indeed. How will two ball-dominant guards who had a couple of the more memora- ble inaugural collegiate seasons in recent memory, Miles becoming the first fresh- man men's or women's college basketball player to record a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament in 2022 and Hidalgo setting new Notre Dame season-long re- cords for points per game (22.6) and total steals (160), coexist in actual games? That cannot and will not be answered until Notre Dame's exhibition against Davenport Oct. 30 and season opener against Mercyhurst Nov. 4. Ivey knows ball, though, and for her to set the hype train in motion the way she did at ACC tipoff three weeks be- fore that exhibition, she's clearly com- fortable and confident in her belief that Miles and Hidalgo will not have any problems sharing the basketball and prospering as a dynamic duo. "They've been very unselfish with each other as far as learning each other," Ivey said. "That's what I love the most, the chemistry they're building. They're just growing together. They're growing within the offense together. "Our pace is really fast. The way that they share the ball, one time Liv is bring- ing the ball down the court. The next time Hannah. They're finding each other. And obviously they're making everybody bet- ter around them. They're so electrifying the way that they play together. It's some- thing college basketball has not seen." Ivey admitted there is some sacrifice involved for both. Hidalgo attempted 17.8 shots per game last season. That's a number that will probably dwindle while reintroducing Miles into the mix, even though Miles has never attempted more than 11.8 shots per game in a sea- son. She's always looking for her next assist as opposed to her next shot. On one hand, that makes it seem even more plausible this particular pair will work well together. On the other, that's still nearly 30 shots per game for Notre Dame's starting backcourt. Anna De- Wolfe deferred to Hidalgo in her lone season as a starting Notre Dame guard, attempting 7.6 shots per game with the Irish after averaging over 18.0 in her three prior seasons at Fordham. Hidalgo made it clear at ACC Tipoff, however, that she doesn't feel she needs to be the team's No. 1 option every time down the floor. Miles can be that. Senior guard Sonia Citron can, too. And gradu- ate student Maddy Westbeld when she returns from rehabbing from foot sur- gery she had at the beginning of the se- mester. Even transfer forwards Liatu King of Pitt and Liza Karlen of Mar- quette are candidates to take the lead as shooters on any given possession. "We have such phenomenal scorers," Hidalgo said. "I'm here to win. If that re- quires me to score less points, then that's what's going to have to happen. I'm try- ing to get a national championship." Miles is on the same page. She's never needed to see 20s or 30s in her personal scoring column to feel validated follow- ing a 40-minute game. Every 40 min- utes she spent watching Hidalgo last year grew her closer to the player who took over for her as the face of Fighting Irish basketball, too. The best-case scenario would have been for Miles to return from rehabbing her knee at some point last season to get acclimated with her running mate. Never happened. That's OK. It's on the verge of happening this season, and the mental connection Miles created with Hidalgo as a player-coach could work wonders during their first — and, maybe, last — year on the floor as a tandem. "Hannah and I both understand that when we're on the same page, it's a scary sight," Miles said. "The chemistry is there," Hidalgo added. "We put our pride aside and we do what's best for the team." ✦ The Irish Will Feature An 'Electrifying' Backcourt From left to right, graduate student forward Liatu King, graduate student guard Olivia Miles, sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo and head coach Niele Ivey at the ACC Tipoff. Ivey is excited to watch the formi- dable backcourt duo of Miles and Hidalgo this season. PHOTO COURTESY ACC WOMEN'S B A S K E T B A L L