Tag: MiLaysia Fulwiley

WNBA draft pick Nika Mühl headlines 2024 Kelsey Plum Dawg Class

Plum’s initiative with Under Armour was started in 2023 and helps ease the transition from college basketball to the pros.

Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum announced her 2024 Dawg Class, an initiative with Under Armour started in 2023 to “help ease the transition from college basketball to the pros.”

The second cohort of athletes includes players Plum believes have a tough mentality on the court and deserve a shot to be mentored by her. Some of the players were drafted in the 2024 WNBA draft and some are still in college and not yet eligible to declare for the draft. Plum believes this mix provides a great atmosphere for all players to grow in their journeys.

The players selected to the 2024 Dawg Class:

  1. MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina
  2. Raven Johnson, South Carolina
  3. Deja Kelly, North Carolina
  4. Saniya Rivers, NC State
  5. Dyaisha Fair, Aces
  6. Aziaha James, NC State
  7. KK Arnold, UConn
  8. Ta’Niya Latson, Florida State
  9. Nika Mühl, Seattle Storm
  10. Georgia Amoore, Kentucky
  11. Aneesah Morrow, LSU
  12. Shyanne Sellers, Maryland

“The Dawg Class with Under Armour will bridge the gap between college and the professional game,” Plum said when she launched the program last spring. “It’s difficult to jump to the next level and I didn’t have anyone helping me navigate the unknown. I want to pass on the knowledge that I’ve gained and the resources available to me now to young women who are about to take that next step.”

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The inaugural 2023 class included Azzi Fudd, Deja Kelly, Diamond Miller, Georgia Amoore, Gianna Kneepkens, Hailey Van Lith, KK Bransford, Raven Johnson and Rori Harmon.

A few players were invited to attend again this season, with Amoore, Johnson and Kelly being repeat dawgs.

The three-day camp will take place at the IMG Academy in Florida in April.

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Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo named AP First Team All-American

What a season she’s had.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has had a special freshman season at Notre Dame, and now, we know exactly how special. She has joined USC’s JuJu Watkins as the fourth and fifth freshmen to be named to the AP All-American First Team since it began during the 1994-95 season. They join Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley and Texas’ Madison Booker.

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Trojans coach Lindsay Gottlieb obviously has seen Watkins up close and personal throughout this season, but she reserved praise for Hidalgo, too:

“We’ve had a front row seat to JuJu, but what Hannah’s done is unbelievable Coach Niele (Ivey) has done an incredible job.”

Ivey also was quoted in the AP story and said this about Hidalgo, the nation’s steals leader at 4.6 a game and its third-leading scorer at 23.3 points a game:

“She deserves to be listed amongst the best in women’s basketball. Hannah is a fierce competitor and an elite performer who rises to the occasion and has been extremely consistent and dominant this season.”

What has to be scary to opponents is that Hidalgo only is getting started. She likely will hold many Irish records by the time she’s done with the program. Irish fans will be anxious to find out how many of those records she holds in the end.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Dawn Staley took a chance benching star freshman Milaysia Fulwiley, but it worked

There’s a reason why Dawn Staley is one of the best coaches in women’s college basketball.

Milaysia Fulwiley is a dynamic player who has made her impact felt from day one. However, being offensively sound doesn’t mean you’re immune to learning when you can improve. That’s why Dawn Staley benching Fulwiley earlier this season is now paying dividends for the South Carolina Gamecocks, just as Staley predicted.

Milaysia Fulwiley has been dropping buckets and breaking ankles since her collegiate debut. Her sick moves had an entire arena (and even celebrities) captivated. But being able to score at will isn’t enough for head coach Dawn Staley’s standards. Her players must also defend at a high level.

It’s why, despite being a starter, Fulwiley was benched in November during a game against UNC for a lack of attention to detail and subpar defense.

Staley predicted in early December that Fulwiley’s benching would help her in the long run, and now, Fulwiley is admitting that it did.

Per Kari Anderson of The Messenger, Fulwiley was entirely on board with the benching after she had time to reflect:

“My defense wasn’t up to par so I sat out a game and I watched my team fight for a win and they won,” Fulwiley said. “At first I was confused because I was actually doing good in practice, but then, when she (Coach Staley) broke it down for me, I came to the realization like, ‘You’re right, I don’t do that as well on defense.'”

“If you have a big ego, you’re just not gonna work here. You’re just not going to fit in because everyone is just all in for each other,” she said.

South Carolina says yes ‘oui’ can in win over Notre Dame in Paris

The South Carolina Gamcocks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played the first-ever NCAA regular-season basketball game in Paris.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played the first NCAA women’s basketball regular-season game in Europe. The Gamecocks walked away with the win, defeating Notre Dame, 100-71, in Paris, France.

“It was really a blank canvas,” said Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley, who posed in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece Mona Lisa at the Louvre a few days before the game. “But the chemistry that they’re building is very special.”

South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso had 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, and freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley had 17 points. Five Gamecocks finished in double figures. For the Fighting Irish, Hannah Hidalgo, in her collegiate debut, posted 31 points.

The game drew the attention of notable names in basketball, including Magic Johnson and Kevin Durant. Other notable players and former Gamecocks legends such as Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke also tuned into the game.

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Notre Dame crushed by South Carolina in Paris to open season

Yep, the season officially is on.

Even with a healthy [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag], Notre Dame would have been an underdog against South Carolina in the season opener in Paris. After all, the Gamecocks have a better recent track record and a higher preseason ranking.

Whether Miles would have made a difference for the Irish on Monday will remain a mystery. All we know is they’re off to an 0-1 start after a 100-71 blowout loss to the Gamecocks, the first NCAA game ever to be played in the City of Lights.

Freshman phenom [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] scored 13 of her game-high 31 points in the first quarter, leading the Irish to a 25-24 lead after the first 10 minutes. The second quarter was a completely different story as the Gamecocks outscored the Irish, 24-8, and never looked back. In fact, the deficit only continued to balloon from there.

The Gamecocks held considerable advantages over the Irish in many statistical categories. This included bench points (30-10), points in the paint (62-18), fast-break points (24-6), blocks (11-3) and assists (28-10). In short, the Irish were completely outplayed, outworked and outhustled after the first quarter, and it was obvious to anyone watching.

Kamilla Cardoso did the most damage for the Gamecocks with an astonishing line of 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. Freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley was equally lethal with 17 points, six assists, six steals and one of the smoothest moves you’ll ever see anywhere:

The move even got Magic Johnson’s attention:

Three other Gamecocks also reached double figures in scoring, and two of those players had at least six assists. It proved just how many complete players Dawn Staley is lucky to coach.

[autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] and [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] were the two other Irish players to score in double figures with 12 points apiece.

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