Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL T he 6 ‑3 Al l‑America n Tu r ner missed nearly a dozen games the past two Decembers with a right shoulder problem (requiring a harness) that was operated on in early April. She will undergo four to six months of rehab, which will limit her off‑court work. With Turner, the Irish are bona fide championship contenders. Without her, they might not have enough post presence to get beyond the Elite Eight. "She knew she had to have sur‑ gery," McGraw said. "The question was whether she was going to try to get through the year and have it after the season, or did she want to have it immediately when it happened." McGraw believes the shoulder problems inhibited Turner to a de‑ gree. "I think she would say not, but at times I think you're a little more pro‑ tective on the right side," McGraw said. "It definitely took some time for her to be more willing to use it." Through her first two seasons, the 2014 Gatorade National Player of the Year has been a soft‑spoken figure and comfortable staying in the back‑ ground. That must change now that she will be a junior. In the Sweet 16 upset loss to Stan‑ ford she was AWOL in the first half while going 0 of 4 from the floor. When the adrenaline and intensity kicked in after the intermission, she finished with 16 points and 10 re‑ bounds. Elite programs are led by mar‑ quee figures such as a Stewart, Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi at UConn, and Turner has to embrace that lead‑ ership mantle to become an assertive National Player of the Year candidate. "Junior year is usually the year you see the big jump," McGraw said. "I thought in the last 10 games or so she changed her mindset a little bit. She was a lot more aggressive and demanding the ball. We were able to get it to her on most occasions. "We want her to be a dominant presence. I think she is defensively, but we would like that on both ends and would like her to do a little bit more." DEEPER THAN EVER Beyond Turner, the Irish easily could have a 10‑player rotation. Point guard Lindsay Allen has started every game the past three sea‑ sons and received some All‑America notice the past two. Her effectiveness might be buoyed with the addition of 2015 Miss Basketball in Indiana, Ali Patberg, who also was MaxPreps 2015 National Player of the Year. Patberg suffered an ACL tear in Oc‑ tober that sidelined her the duration of the season, and she had setbacks in rehabilitation that won't allow her to come back to full strength until perhaps the fall. Her presence might allow Allen to play at shooting guard on occasion. "Her leadership, and just her bas‑ ketball IQ — she is the kind of floor general that will be bumping people around a little bit, getting them in the