Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/276022
Seniority Counts Entering the NCAA Tournament, Notre Dame's starting senior trio of center Natalie Achonwa, forward Ariel Braker and All-American guard Kayla McBride had posted a career record of 133-14 (.905 winning percentage) and three straight Final Four appearances. McBride was ranked sixth on the Fighting Irish all-time scoring list with 1,767 points and is a likely All- American for the second straight year. "She's got the most beautiful jump shot in the country," head coach Muffet McGraw said of McBride. "She's definitely the most complete player in the country and works incredibly hard to be there." Achonwa, described by McGraw as being among the most intelligent and organized players she's ever coached, was 13th on the program's career scoring list with 1,464 points, and also one of six players to grab at least 900 rebounds. "The voice of the team and such a great leader," McGraw said. "She says what needs to be said and really helps the younger players. She makes it easy for others. I love talking to her about basketball and really respect her opinion." Braker, who battled back from knee problems throughout her career, is the classic foot soldier whose value as a starter is not measured by individual data but what she does to make others excel. "The unsung hero of our team," McGraw said. "Some days she has trouble walking, she has such bad knees, and she's in the training room more than in the gym. Yet she gets into practice and she's the first one diving for loose balls, hustling for rebounds and doing the little things. "Whatever the game plan is, she's going to remember it, she's going to do it." — Lou Somogyi Notre Dame seniors (from left to right) Ariel Braker, Natalie Achonwa and Kayla McBride have won 133 of their 147 games in the last four seasons. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS