Tag: Brianna Turner

Top 10 scorers in Notre Dame women’s basketball history

Here are some Irish legends.

The sports world is abuzz with Caitlin Clark becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball. She hasn’t even gone professional yet, and many already are crowning her the GOAT. That label gets tossed around very liberally these days, but it’s hard to picture many athletes who have transcended their sport the way she has.

Despite what our site editor Nick Shepkowski might have said about me, Caitlin Clark is not my sister. Athleticism is not in my immediate family’s gene pool, or I would have kept following my NBA dreams years ago. Alas, the closest I can get to organized basketball these days is to write about it and create listicles about it.

I would like to demonstrate that ability right now by assembling a listicle of the top 10 scorers in Notre Dame women’s basketball history. It’s a great way to celebrate the new scoring queen in women’s college hoops, and the timing couldn’t be more appropriate:

Social media reacts to Notre Dame’s upset win over UConn

You’re loving this moment, right?

With Notre Dame battling UConn in prime time on Fox, all eyes were on this game. The Huskies have such a big reputation that it might be forgotten among casual fans that the Irish have their own track record of success. They definitely can see that after the Irish upset the Huskies on their floor in convincing fashion, 82-67. It is without question the biggest moment of the season to this point.

The people who felt best about this win obviously were Irish fans and those who are connected to the program one way or another. The only thing they could do was take to social react and share their thoughts. These are the folks who either support all things Notre Dame or know the program so well that they’ll remember nights like this long after most others have forgotten about it.

Here are some of the best reactions to this win on social media:

Hannah Hidalgo breaks Notre Dame conference rookie award record

She is just incredible.

For the seventh time this season, Notre Dame’s [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has been named the ACC’s rookie of the week. This came after two solid games for her against Pittsburgh and North Carolina that the Irish split. She posted averages of 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals a game.

With this honor, Hidalgo now is the Irish’s all-time leader in conference rookie of the week honors. The previous record of six stretched back to the program’s Big East days and was shared by [autotag]Brianna Turner[/autotag], [autotag]Jacqueline Batteast[/autotag], [autotag]Alicia Ratay[/autotag] and current Hidalgo teammate [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag]. Hidalgo needs three more such honors to match the ACC record set by Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson a season ago.

The Irish are not even halfway through their regular-season schedule, and one only can imagine what else Hidalgo will do as conference play continues. There are many more bars in front of her waiting to be cleared, and it would not be shocking if she cleared all of them or at least the ones that are attainable this season.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo both ACC Player and Freshman of the Week

This young lady is going places.

To say Notre Dame freshman [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] is off to a fantastic start would be a huge understatement. She looked phenomenal in the Irish’s first game of the season and hasn’t looked back. Now, the ACC has rewarded her with both ACC Player and Freshman of the Week honors for her stellar play against Northwestern and Illinois over the past week.

[autotag]Brianna Turner[/autotag] is the only other Irish player to sweep both awards, doing so in January 2015. Hidalgo already is on her way to joining Turner among the plethora of Irish legends. She’s the ACC’s top scorer at 25.5 points a game, and she leads the nation in steals at 6.8 a game. The 27 steals she has accumulated through her first four games are the most in that span for any Division I player over the past 25 years.

While it is very early in her collegiate career, all signs point to Hidalgo keeping this incredible pace going. The Irish will be worth watching for her alone.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame legend Muffet McGraw to have statue outside Joyce Center

Congrats, Coach!

[autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] coached herself to two national championships with Notre Dame and the Basketball Hall of Fame. Now, her likeness will live forever outside the Joyce Center. Joining the many Notre Dame coaching legends with statues on the school’s athletic complex, McGraw will have her own statue unveiled before the Irish’s Dec. 17 game against Purdue.

McGraw earned 848 of her 936 career victories at Notre Dame, where she coached the women’s basketball program from 1987 to 2020, finish below .500 only twice during that time. Only six coaches are ahead of her on the all-time Division I wins list. She was named the consensus national coach of the year three times.

McGraw coached 20 WNBA players, five Olympians and 22 All-Americans. Among her most notable players at Notre Dame were [autotag]Ruth Riley[/autotag], [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag], [autotag]Brianna Turner[/autotag], [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag], [autotag]Kayla McBride[/autotag] and [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag].

Join us in congratulating this Irish coaching legend. May she serve as an inspiration for Notre Dame women’s basketball players and coaches in the generations to come.

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

Watch: Jewell Loyd ties WNBA record with nine 3-pointers in a game

She is on fire this season.

Former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] already is having her best season ever with the Seattle Storm. Plus, she seemingly is pushing herself to new heights every game. The latest example came in the Storm’s 93-86 loss to the Washington Mystics. Despite the defeat, Loyd did everything she could in scoring 39 points and tying the WNBA single-game record with nine 3-pointers:

Loyd had a chance to break the record at the final buzzer, but her shot went off the rim. The way the All-Star and former top overall pick has been playing, don’t be surprised if she has another chance to break that record this season. For now, she’ll have to be content with matching the mark set by the Indiana Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell in 2019.

As well as Loyd as played, it hasn’t be enough to prevent a six-game losing streak for the Storm that has given them the league’s worst record at 4-16. All she can do is continue to play well. At least Storm fans can look forward to that.

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

Notre Dame players in WNBA for 2023 season

Who are the former Irish to watch this season?

The 2023 WNBA season is upon us at an all-time high in popularity for women’s basketball. More opportunities are opening up for female hoopsters at all levels, and everyone is better for it. After the thrilling college season we just had, it’s time for the professionals to show what they can do. Particular attention should be given to these players since they paved the way for the sport to reach these unprecedented levels of attention.

Notre Dame has been one of the best women’s programs for some time now. Their two national championships since the turn of the century are evidence of that, but you can see it in the WNBA, too. Ten former Irish are suiting up in the league this season, which gives Notre Dame the second-most players of any program. If you need a refresher as to who to follow over the next few months, here they are:

Top 10 Notre Dame women’s basketball players according to ChatGPT

Does the bot know women’s basketball?

I asked AI information bot ChatGPT to list what it believes are Notre Dame’s top 10 men’s basketball players. It only makes sense for me to give the women equal treatment. Plus the women have both a better recent past and future than the men. You know people want to know who’s made the program so special.

Please note that ChatGPT’s knowledge cuts off at September 2021, so you won’t find [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] on this list. Heck, she probably wouldn’t have made it anyway since she just completed her sophomore season. She still has a legacy to complete.

Here is ChatGPT’s disclaimer regarding the list:

“As a language model, I do not have personal opinions or beliefs, and my responses are generated based on data and information available to me. However, I can provide you with a list of some of the most notable Notre Dame women’s basketball players, based on their achievements, accolades, and impact on the program.”

It also says this:

“Please note that this list is not exhaustive and is subject to personal opinions and interpretations. There have been many talented and accomplished players in Notre Dame women’s basketball history, and different people may have different criteria for their top 10 selections.”

With that out of the way, let’s see who the information bot has deemed worthy of making this list and what it had to say about each player:

Notre Dame commit among finalists for national player of the year

Quite the honor for the future Irish star.

The Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year has ended up at Notre Dame a few times. [autotag]Brianna Turner[/autotag] won it in 2014 and [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag] in 2009. Two other winners, Erin Boley in 2016 and Michelle Marciniak in 1991, began their collegiate careers at Notre Dame but transferred elsewhere after one season. Another player could soon be joining those ranks.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] of Paul VI in Haddonfield, New Jersey, committed to the Irish on Nov. 15. This came a few months after winning gold with the U.S. in the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup. Now, she is one of three finalists for the Gatorade National Girls Player of the Year.

When Hidalgo announced her decision to commit to the Irish, [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] said the following:

“Irish eyes are smiling! We are ecstatic to welcome five-star point guard Hannah Hidalgo to the ND family!  Hannah brings swag, competitiveness, and a relentless drive that will instantly elevate our program. She is-multi dimensional, lightning fast and tenacious defensively with a scorer’s mentality and a high basketball IQ.  Hannah does a great job of pushing pace and making everyone around her better.  The Joyce Center will be electric to watch one of the fastest backcourts in the country with the additions of Hannah, Cass Prosper and Emma Risch.”

Here are some profiles of Hidalgo and the other two finalists for this award:

Former Notre Dame players on 2022 WNBA rosters

Which player(s) will you cheer for this season?

The 2022 WNBA season has tipped off, and there is plenty of Notre Dame representation. Not that this should come as any surprise given that they all played under Muffet McGraw. Hopefully one day, Niele Ivey will have just as many of her own former players competing at the pinnacle of professional women’s basketball. For now, McGraw’s legacy is far more apparent.

With nine former Irish players in the WNBA and a few of them even teammates, there’s a very good chance you’ll find one of them on a given night if you decide to flip on a random game this season. Maybe you happen to be a fan of a particular team that has Irish blood on it. In that case, congratulations for hitting the jackpot!

Don’t be so quick to write these athletes off just because it’s women’s basketball. It’s just as thrilling to watch them as it is male athletes, and you’re only hurting yourself if you refuse to watch solely based on gender. Now, with that out of the way, here are the former Irish players to look for: