[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] began her collegiate career when Notre Dame faced South Carolina in Paris to open this past season. That meant she got to make her debut with Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley watching from the opposite sideline. She aced her first exam, leading all scorers with 31 points in an Irish loss. Now, Staley gets to honor her.
Hidalgo has been named the winner of this year’s Dawn Staley Award, given to the country’s top guard. She unseats Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who had won it each of the previous three seasons. She is the second Irish player to win the award after [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag], who was the first honoree in 2013.
Staley, whose Gamecocks are in the Final Four trying to complete a perfect season, said the following about Hidalgo:
“The Dawn Staley Award goes to the player who demonstrates exceptional skills, leadership, and performance at the guard position. Hannah Hidalgo’s court vision, passing ability, ball-handling and ability to create scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates combined with her relentless defense is unmatched. She is the embodiment of a two-way force on the basketball court and the essence of what the award represents. In a season where there are several deserving candidates Hannah has separated herself from the group.“
Hidalgo will receive her award during a virtual ceremony April 11, and it’s great to know that she still is collecting hardware even with the Irish’s season over. That trophy case is gonna be awfully crowded by the time she’s done in South Bend.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89