Tag: Muffet McGraw

Muffet McGraw praises former players for winning Olympic gold

Always nice to hear from the legend.

[autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] knows [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag] and [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] very well. She coached both of them at Notre Dame at separate times and undoubtedly knew the sky was the limit for both of them. That definitely can be said now that both have won their second consecutive Olympic gold medals for the U.S., though Young won her first during the 3-on-3 competition.

McGraw was asked to comment to OSV News about her thoughts on her two former players being Olympic champions for a second time each. While not surprising to read these words, they’re nice to read anyway:

“So proud to see Jackie and Jewell win a gold medal. It’s great to see their hard work pay off. They are excellent representatives of our program and of Notre Dame. I am thrilled to watch them succeed at the highest level of our sport.”

Congratulations again to Jackie and Jewell. Hopefully, at least one of them can return to the Olympics in 2028 to try for a third gold medal.

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Notre Dame to face Purdue on Nov. 10 in West Lafayette

Mark your calendars.

The rivalry between Notre Dame and Purdue should be more of a thing. After all, they’re the only two programs in Indiana to have won national championships. The good news is they’ll play each other for a second straight season.

The Boilermakers have announced that they will welcome the Irish to Mackey Arena on Nov. 10. It will be the Irish’s first trip to West Lafayette since a 66-38 victory in December 2011. That team included future WNBA players [autotag]Devereaux Peters[/autotag], [autotag]Natalie Novosel[/autotag], [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag], [autotag]Kayla McBride[/autotag] and [autotag]Natalie Achonwa[/autotag].

The Irish hosted the Boilermakers in South Bend last season on the day [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag]’s statue was unveiled outside Purcell Pavilion. They cruised to a 76-39 victory to tie the all-time series at 14 wins apiece. [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] led the charge with 23 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and seven steals. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] had a double-double of 15 points and 12 boards, and [autotag]Natalija Marshall[/autotag] scored 14 points off the bench.

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Two former Notre Dame players make WNBA All-Star roster

Congrats, Arike and Kayla!

The final decade or so of [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag]’s tenure at Notre Dame saw her develop many future WNBA stars. Those stars have their mark on today’s league and have earned the right to display their skills as much as possible.

The WNBA All-Star roster for the annual All-Star Game on July 20 in Phoenix has been announced. That roster will include the Dallas Wings’ [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag] and the Minnesota Lynx’s [autotag]Kayla McBride[/autotag], two players who came up with the Irish.

Ogunbowale was named to the team by virtue of being one of the top 10 vote-getters among fans, players and media. McBride was one of eight additional players named after coaches completed the final round of voting. Among those on the final ballot but not making the roster were the Seattle Storm’s [autotag]Skylar Diggins-Smith[/autotag] and the Chicago Sky’s [autotag]Marina Mabrey[/autotag].

The WNBA All-Stars will face the U.S. Olympic team, which includes the Las Vegas Aces’ [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag], who also was one of the top 10 WNBA vote-getters, and the Storm’s [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag].

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Five former Notre Dame players among top 20 WNBA scorers

These ladies are making Irish fans proud.

Before too long, Notre Dame coach [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] will be sending players she’s had as head coach to the WNBA. For now though, a few of [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag]’s former players are tearing the league up through their scoring. But a lot of people might not seem to realize just how much they’re lighting up the scoreboard.

While most fans are focused on the budding rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, just as much focus should be going to the professionals the Irish have developed. If you need more convincing of that, check out this tweet from @trendyhoopstars:

That’s unbelievable. It’s a testament to how great the program has been for a while now but especially during McGraw’s final decade coaching the Irish. It should come as no surprise that these players have blossomed professionally and are giving the development at some other prominent women’s basketball schools a run for their money. UConn and South Carolina aren’t the only two programs worthy of attention.

So who are the former Irish players turning heads through the first month-and-a-half of the WNBA season, and where do they rank among the league’s scoring leaders? It’s these five:

Fourth anniversary of Niele Ivey’s hiring as Notre Dame coach

A look back at Ivey coaching the Irish so far.

Monday meant four years since [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] took over the Notre Dame women’s basketball program. Hall of Famer [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] had been at the helm for 33 years, but she chose to retire after completing the worst season of her career. While Ivey had plentiful experience as an assistant coach, including on McGraw’s staff, the question obviously was whether she could be a worthy successor to her mentor.

Four years later, Ivey has laid the groundwork for her own long tenure as Irish coach. She has accumulated an 89-32 record, made three straight Sweet 16s for the NCAA Tournament and won both an ACC regular-season championship and ACC Tournament championship. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to a win a national championship like she did as a player for the 2001 Irish.

Until that national title comes, Irish fans can be happy to know the program is in good hands with Ivey. Here are some images of her tenure so far:

Niele Ivey speaks day before Notre Dame opens NCAA Tournament

Niele Ivey is living her best life right now. Not only is she coaching Notre Dame’s women’s basketball program, the same one she’s won national championships with as both a player and assistant coach, but she’s excelling at it. She’s proven to be a …

[autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] is living her best life right now. Not only is she coaching Notre Dame’s women’s basketball program, the same one she’s won national championships with as both a player and assistant coach, but she’s excelling at it. She’s proven to be a worthy successor to the legendary [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag], whom she gave praise to live on the ACC Network right after the Irish won the ACC Tournament. That victory gave the Irish a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a first-round date with Kent State.

Ivey didn’t repeat as ACC Coach of the Year, but she easily could have. With so many injuries, the Irish had no business coming into the tournament on an eight-game winning streak and getting the seed they did. It happened though, and the reward is her team getting to play in front of its home fans. The first of those games at least is sold out, and the second game surely will be, too, assuming there is one. It probably is a safe bet given all the momentum the Irish have right now.

Ivey met with the media the day before the Irish began their third straight tournament run. Here is some of what she had to say:

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Watch: Niele Ivey praises Muffet McGraw after ACC Tournament title win

Get some tissues ready.

Even though she’s retired from coaching, Basketball Hall of Famer and Notre Dame legend [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] has not slowed down. She’s kept busy these days providing women’s basketball analysis for the ACC Network. Still, she has not shied away from the university she established a legacy at, and [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] didn’t let viewers forget that Sunday.

After ESPN’s coverage of the Irish’s ACC Tournament title win wrapped up, the ACC Network picked up the postgame coverage, and McGraw was there as she has been the entire tournament. Ivey knew that and chose to include her in her triumphant moment, and you can see her reaction in this video from co-analyst Kelly Gramlich:

But that only was the beginning as soon after, Ivey crashed the desk during an interview with tournament MVP [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag]. After wrapping her mentor in a bear hug, she took the mic and gave her all the praise she could:

The bond that ties these women together is strong and must be admired. Hopefully, we can see this over and over again for a long time to come.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Social media reacts to Notre Dame’s ACC Tournament championship

Notre Dame has won its sixth ACC Tournament championship. That happened after beating NC State in a close 55-51 contest. Niele Ivey has won first such championship since taking over for Muffet McGraw, and we can safely say that the coaching …

Notre Dame has won its sixth ACC Tournament championship. That happened after beating NC State in a close 55-51 contest. [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] has won first such championship since taking over for [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag], and we can safely say that the coaching excellence will continue for the foreseeable future. Not every program has that luxury.

As one can imagine, social media was filled with chatter about the Irish’s title afterwards. They ranged from former players to alumni to people who cover both this program and women’s basketball. It’s hard not to be excited about the future regardless of how the NCAA Tournament shapes up for this year’s Irish. After a couple of lean years, the Irish are back to being among the class of women’s basketball, and they no plans to divert from that anytime soon.

Here is what some people said on social media afterwards, and you likely will recognize a few of them:

Notre Dame 2024 signee named Naismith Second Team All-American

Another top talent on the way to Notre Dame is honored.

Hannah Hidalgo has set a high bar for future Notre Dame freshmen. That doesn’t mean future first-year players won’t try to top her though. One player who could do it during the 2024-25 season is [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag].

Koval is a five-star player at Long Island Lutheran in Brookeville, New York who signed with the Irish in December. Now, she’s been named to the Naismith Trophy Girls’ High School All America Second Team.

Hidalgo made the Second Team in 2023, and [autotag]Emma Risch[/autotag] was an honorable mention. [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] was a Third Team honoree in 2022 and an honorable mention in 2021. [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] made the Third Team in 2020, and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] and [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] were senior honorable mentions.

It’s evidence that even in the post-[autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] era, Notre Dame continues to attract top talent for women’s basketball, and there’s no reason to think that will stop anytime soon. Even so, a strong postseason showing would do wonders to show just how attractive the program still is.

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Notre Dame Athletics the Last Time the Detroit Lions Won A Playoff Game

Where were you in January of 1992?

One of the longest streaks in professional sports ended Sunday night as the Detroit Lions beat the Los Angeles Rams in what was their first playoff win since January 5, 1992.

The Lions now head to the divisional round where they’ll take on either the Philadelphia Eagles or Tampa Bay Buccaneers next weekend.

But just how long is 32 years in terms of sports?

Let’s take a look at a few of the things that were going on at Notre Dame at that time and where some key figures in the Fighting Irish athletic program were back then.

Buckle up and get in your time machine because here we go…