Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL however, list the Irish No. 1 in its ini‑ tial 2016‑17 rankings.) Stanford didn't start a senior this year while knocking off Notre Dame. UCLA had the nation's No. 1 recruit‑ ing class three years ago and lost in overtime this past season to the Irish. South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisville and Maryland also have recruited at or near Notre Dame's level. There were more upsets in the women's tournament this season, and UConn was the lone top‑three seed to make it to the Final Four. Maybe the best is still to come talent‑wise for the Irish — but the path to return to the Final Four, as it did five straight years from 2011‑15, also could be more ar‑ duous. "We'll still be fairly young, and so much depends on just one game," McGraw said. "We played great for 32 games and then had one bad game defensively — and unfortunately it was the last one. Anything can hap‑ pen in one game. We saw that more than ever in the NCAA Tournament, and I think it's going to continue that way the next few years. "It's a good thing for women's bas‑ ketball, but we've got a lot of work to do." ✦ Notre Dame Signees Earn National Player Of The Year Honors Notre Dame became the first women's basketball program in the 30‑year history of the Gatorade and Naismith awards to have two different incoming freshmen earn the national player of the year accolades in the same season. On March 10, 5‑11 guard Jackie Young of Princeton (Ind.) Community was selected the Naismith Na‑ tional High School Player of the Year. Nearly two weeks later, 6‑2 forward and Hodgenville, Ky., native Erin Boley earned the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year honor (also won by current Irish sophomore Brianna Turner in 2014 and guard Skylar Diggins in 2009). The duo excelled in the McDonald's All‑American Game held at the United Center March 30 in Chi‑ cago, with Young's West squad posting a 97‑88 overtime victory over Boley's East team. Young scored 15 points on 7‑of‑13 shooting in 28 minutes, but Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw was particu‑ larly pleased at how Young snared 10 rebounds and two steals. "That's something that we need — rebounding," McGraw said. Boley, a "stretch four" in today's vernacular, played 21 minutes and tallied 13 points on 6‑of‑15 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and handed out three assists in 21 minutes. McGraw has referred to Boley as the best pure shooter in the high school ranks, but noted how she was utilized in the blocks during the game. "I was happy to see that because we're still a little thin in the post," McGraw said. "We didn't recruit anybody coming in, and we're still down a post. I think both Erin and Jackie both at times could play the 'four' position in a four‑guard look." The state of Indiana's all‑time scoring leader for boys or girls with 3,268 career points, Young led Princeton Community to a state title last year and this season guided it to 27‑1 record, ranking third