Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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"I want her to lead the team in re- bounding, blocked shots and then of- fensively just get comfortable," she said. "She can run the floor in transition and she's going to really help us in the press — she'll be that De- vereaux Peters type in front of the press that can cause some havoc up there. "She's working really hard and a very smart player. She's picking up things really quickly." Projected by McGraw to be the next energizing force off this year's bench is 6-2 fresh- man Kathryn Westbeld, yet another five- star recruit. "She is fantastic in the Princeton of- fense, very versatile," McGraw said. The Irish will be younger than usual, with senior captains Markisha Wright and Whitney Holloway (who join Mabrey in that role) the only players out of eligibility following this season. The main missing element is a pow- erful voice in the locker room that has defined the recent string of Final Four teams, from Becca Bruzewski to Dig- gins to Achonwa. Loyd is an extraordinary talent, but not necessarily an in-your-face personality. "It's really been hard to fig- ure out who the next leader is going to be," McGraw admit- ted. "I don't think anybody has that [forceful] personality. We're trying to groom them to be that person. "Michaela Mabrey is the voice, she's the one we hear the most at practice right now. I think Lindsay Allen will be, in the future, that forceful voice." ✦ Jackie Young Is Second Commit For 2016 After securing a commitment from 6-2 Kentucky forward Erin Boley in September, Muffet McGraw and Co. added 5-11 wing Jackie Young from Princeton, Ind., in early October. Boley is the No. 9-rated junior by ESPN HoopGurlz and Young is No. 16. As a sophomore last season, Young averaged 28.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, and her recent in-home visits included No. 1 Connecticut and rising force UCLA all the way from the West Coast. ProspectsNation.com ranks her as high as No. 10 overall in her class. "She is a playmaker who has played the point forward role in summer basketball from time to time and can make the game easier for others," ProspectsNation.com noted. "… She is a natural distributer who has the ability to find a comfort zone in Notre Dame's Princeton-style offense. She can play on the wing and create offense through the pass and off the bounce or step to the high post and act as a facilitator as a talented stretch-four player." Notre Dame's 2015 class features Ali Patberg, a 5-9 guard from Columbus (Ind.) North and the No. 14 prospect, and Marina Mabrey, a 5-10 guard at Manasquan (N.J.) High and the No. 26 prospect. The Irish are also still vying to land 5-9 Milwaukee point guard Arike Ogunbowale, who took an official visit to the Sept. 6 Notre Dame-Michigan football game. ESPN HoopGurlz has her rated as the No. 10 prospect in her class. — Lou Somogyi LINDSEY ALLEN