Blue and Gold Illustrated

Nov. 7, 2016

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 7, 2016 57 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Graw said. "She's athletic and really can guard on the perimeter, and we need that." Young credited Rachel Thompson, her coach from the third grade through high school, for instilling a defensive mentality. "She would always preach that de- fense wins games, and we would work on defense," Young said. "She nailed that into my head, so I always want to make sure I play good defense . "I feel like on this team I have to play good defense and I have to get rebounds to be on the floor. I have to take pride in that and work hard every day in practice so that whenever I get into a game, it just becomes natural." At 6-2, Boley will have the role of a "stretch four," a power forward with guard-like skills that can beat you off the dribble or drain the three-point shot, her forte. "She's the best on the team, no ques- tion about it," McGraw said of Boley's marksmanship beyond the arc. "We want her to be our leading three-point shooter." Like Young, Boley does not want to be labeled as primarily a supreme scorer or one-dimensional player. "I am a shooter, but there are a lot of other parts to my game as well," Boley said. "I consider myself petty versatile. Talking to Coach, shooting the three is one role she wants me to fill, and so that is one thing I definitely will be do- ing for this team. I'm going to need to be able to play different spots. I need to be a stretch four and a big three, and be able to play on the wing. I need to be able to guard the post." Boley recorded a perfect 4.0 grade point average in high school, while Young also nearly did with a 3.87 GPA. One way or the other, they always seem to make the grade. ✦ Irish Seeking A Second Post With the early signing period of Nov. 9‑16 closing in, the Irish are still seeking to sign a second post player in the 2017 recruiting cycle to join 6‑3 Virginia native Mikayla Vaughn, who is ranked the No. 90 overall player nation‑ ally by ESPN HoopGurlz. Scheduled for an official visit for the Oct. 29 Miami football game was Brooklyn's 6‑3 Dani‑ elle Patterson, who plays for Mary Louis Acad‑ emy and also has been considering Tennessee, St. John's and Virginia. Patterson is ranked as the No. 30 overall prospect by HoopGurlz and No. 28 by Prospects Nation. Maya Dodson, a 6‑2 wing from Georgia, vis‑ ited for the Oct. 15 Stanford game, but com‑ mitted to the Cardinal shortly thereafter. The Irish also are still in the running for Vir‑ ginia guard Megan Walker and Oregon guard Evina Westbrook, the nation's No. 1‑ and No. 2‑ranked players, respectively. Both took official visits to Notre Dame for the Sept. 24 football game versus Duke. — Lou Somogyi Senior Kristina Nelson Adding To Irish Depth Although head coach Muffet McGraw has a national title and seven Final Four appearances on her dossier, she believes the 2016‑17 Notre Dame team could be her best in 30 years. "We have a lot of All‑Americans; we've got a lot of veteran college players," McGraw said of a roster that includes a record eight McDonald's All‑Americans. "We've got the depth pretty much at every position. I think it's probably our best team. "Just watching them work gives me confidence." That doesn't mean it will win the national title like the 2001 unit, because there are more viable contenders now. There was virtually no bench help back then, and the Irish mainly played a 2‑3 zone defense because of it. "We've got the best point guard in the country," McGraw said of senior Lindsay Allen. "I think [junior forward] Brianna Turner is the best player in the country. "We've got great people around her — we've got a lot of positives." The sudden rise of 6‑4 senior Kristina "Koko" Nelson has been a bonus. While Turner was healing from April shoulder surgery, Nelson — slowed in the past because of multiple shoulder surgeries — worked with the starting unit and was the surprise of the preseason. According to McGraw, in the first scrimmage this season against the men's practice squad, Nelson scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds. "She's made tremendous strides with her mind‑ set," McGraw said. "She's always had the ability but not the mindset. She's in better shape. I think she's moving well. Her feet look a little bit quicker. "Offensively she is killing on the block, and that has been her biggest improvement." Nelson's development is vital because after not signing a post player in 2015 and 2016, McGraw plans to use her more frequently with Turner and junior Kathryn Westbeld in a three‑person rotation up front. — Lou Somogyi The 6-4 Nelson has asserted herself as a post presence during the preseason practices. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND 2016-17 NOTRE DAME WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Nov. 3 Roberts Wesleyan# 7 p.m. Nov. 11 Central Michigan! 7 p.m. Nov. 14 Fordham or Furman! 7 p.m. Nov. 17 WNIT Semifinals^ 7 p.m. Nov. 20 WNIT Final% (CBSSN) 3 p.m. Nov. 22 vs. Louisiana Lafayette& 8 p.m. Nov. 26 TCU TBA Nov. 30 at Iowa@ 9 p.m. Dec. 4 Valparaiso 1 p.m. Dec. 7 Connecticut (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at DePaul 8 p.m. Dec. 18 at Toledo 2 p.m. Dec. 20 at Michigan State 7 p.m. Dec. 27 at Chattanooga 6:30 p.m. Dec. 29 at North Carolina State* 7 p.m. Jan. 2 at Georgia Tech* 7 p.m. Jan. 5 Wake Forest* 7 p.m. Jan. 8 at Miami* (ESPN flex) 3 p.m. Jan. 12 Pittsburgh* 7 p.m. Jan. 16 at Tennessee (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at Boston College* 7 p.m. Jan. 22 at North Carolina* (ESPNU) 12 p.m. Jan. 26 Duke* 7 p.m. Jan. 29 Virginia* (ESPNU) 12 p.m. Feb. 2 at Virginia Tech* 7 p.m. Feb. 6 Louisville* (ESPN2) 7 p.m. Feb. 12 Georgia Tech* 1 p.m. Feb. 16 at Clemson* 7 p.m. Feb. 19 at Syracuse* (ESPN2) 5 p.m. Feb. 23 Boston College* 7 p.m. Feb. 26 Florida State* (ESPN2) 1 p.m. # Exhibition; ! Preseason WNIT; ^ would face Elon, Green Bay, Little Rock or North Texas; % would face Abilene Christian, Colorado State, Eastern Washington, Missouri, Nebraska, Omaha, UT Rio Grande Valley or Washington; CBSSN — CBS Sports Network; & at the Campbell Center in Houston; @ ACC-Big Ten Challenge; * ACC game; dates and a venue for the ACC Tournament will be announced at a later time

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