Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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A strong recruitng class will help Irish re- main among elite programs Bonanza Haul B BY LOU SOMOGYI and her staff in a complacent mood. At the rate recruiting is going, ack-to-back national championship game appearances haven't put Wom- en's Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Muffet McGraw McGraw might put in another 25 years at Notre Dame after complet- ing the first quarter century mark this spring. In the last week of April, the Irish landed three high school juniors that rank among the top 30 players in the country, including a top-five figure for the second year in a row. Unlike in men's basketball, there also is no consternation about one- and-done figures. • Power forward Taya Reimer is deemed by ESPN HoopGurlz as the No. 4 player in the nation and No. 1 at her position. Projected to attend Connecticut by many, the versatile 6-3 post player opted for the in-state Irish after lead- ing Hamilton Southeastern in In- dianapolis to a 20-1 record while averaging 19.4 points and 9.6 re- bounds per game. Her father, Ben Davis, played professionally from 1996-2008, including several years in the NBA, where he was the 43rd pick in the 1996 draft. • Lindsay Allen averaged 17 points and six Irish signee Jewell Loyd is ranked as the nation's No. 1 shooting guard and No. 4 overall player by ESPN HoopGurlz. PHOTO COURTESY USA BASKETBALL CLASS RANKINGS Rk. School 1. Connecticut 2. Texas A&M 3. Rutgers 4. Notre Dame 5. Tennessee 6. Syracuse 7. Duke 8. Baylor 9. Maryland 2012 ESPN HOOPGURLZ 10. North Carolina JUNE/JULY 2012 93 assists per game as a 5-8 point guard at St. John's in Washington, D.C. She is rated No. 23 overall by ESPN Hoop- Gurlz. • Center Kristina Nelson was hampered by a shoulder injury this past season at Buford (Ga.) High, but she still was rated as the No. 30 over- all prospect by ESPN HoopGurlz. At 6-3, she can provide a complemen- tary inside presence to Reimer. • Last November, the Irish landed a verbal pledge from 6-4 Diamond Thompson, a four-star prospect from Montini Catholic in Lom- bard, Ill. Notre Dame emphasized size in this recruiting cycle because the incoming freshman class is com- prised of three 5-9 guards/wings. The Irish employed mainly a four- guard offense this past season when they finished 35-4. Headlining the freshmen is Skokie, Ill., native Jewell Loyd, the nation's No. 1 shooting guard who might step right in for the gradu- ated Natalie Novosel and play alongside All-American Skylar