Tag: Niele Ivey

Niele Ivey, Olivia Miles and Kylee Watson discuss Notre Dame win

The Irish speak about their win in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS — Notre Dame’s 90-79 win over California at the Shamrock Classic in St. Louis came tougher than anticipated. Still, a win is a win, and to have it come live from the Enterprise Center on NBC made it all the more special. The opportunity for [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] to do it in her hometown was among the topics covered in her postgame news conference with [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] and [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag]. Here is some of what they said:

Notre Dame overcomes foul trouble to win Shamrock Classic over Cal

A bit tight, but still a win.

ST. LOUIS — [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag]’s St. Louis homecoming could have gone a lot smoother. She didn’t plan on so many key players having to sit at a crucial time so that could be on the court at the end of the Shamrock Classic. Still, she gladly will take a 90-79 win over California.

The Irish (2-0) led by as much as 14 in the third quarter, but three players ([autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag], [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] and [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag]) had four fouls before the end of that frame. With Ivey forced to go to her bench as the fourth quarter began, the Bears (1-1) whittled the deficit down to three. Fortunately, the Irish were able to calm themselves down, and the reserves were able to tread water before the foul-plagued starters could return. Once that happened, it was relatively smooth sailing.

[autotag]Dara Mabrey[/autotag] led the Irish with 16 points before fouling out. [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] had 15 points and a game-high seven rebounds. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] scored 14, Miles achieved a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists, and 12 points came from Westbeld.

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Notre Dame prepares to face California in Citi Shamrock Classic

The Irish will be part of history in St. Louis.

It could be argued that [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] is looking forward to this game more than any other in which she’s been Notre Dame’s head coach. She’ll be coaching the Irish in her hometown of St. Louis for the Citi Shamrock Classic against California, which is coached by fellow St. Louis native Charmin Smith. This also is the city where Ivey won the 2001 national championship with the Irish as a player.

There are many reasons to be excited about this game. The Irish will enter it with confidence after their season-opening win over Northern Illinois. This will be the first time a women’s basketball game is broadcast live on NBC, so you can flip over to this after the football team’s contest with Navy is finished.

Most importantly for us, we will be on location to cover this game. Our thanks to Ashton Pollard of Fighting Irish Media for making this possible. We look forward to being part of what should be a great day.

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How Twitter reacted to Notre Dame-Clemson: Irish side

You’re happy, right?

It had been 40 years since an unranked Notre Dame team last defeated a top-five team. That came when the 1982 Irish upset Dan Marino and top-ranked Pittsburgh. Clemson wasn’t the top-ranked team entering Notre Dame Stadium in 2022, but the final outcome was no less impressive. The Irish beat the Tigers, 35-14, almost two years to the day of them beating this same program in the same location.

Irish fans in South Bend and beyond will be celebrating this one for a long time. If a national championship wasn’t in the cards, this was the next best thing. All reservations about [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] have gone out the window, at least for the moment. There no longer appears to be a limit on the possibilities with him at the helm in the years to come.

Here are some of the best reactions to the big win on Twitter, many of which came from program alumni:

Twitter reacts to Audric Estime’s fourth-quarter touchdown

The way this touchdown was set up was just as impressive.

Notre Dame was living dangerously against Syracuse, allowing its lead to be whittled down to a single touchdown. Many Irish fans hesitantly waited for the other shoe to drop and the game to be tied. Then, [autotag]Howard Cross[/autotag] and [autotag]Marist Liufau[/autotag] teamed up to do this:

With just a little over half the field to work with, [autotag]Tommy Rees[/autotag] began the drive by calling [autotag]Chris Tyree[/autotag]’s number five straight times. Then, [autotag]Drew Pyne[/autotag] completed an 11-yard pass to [autotag]Deion Colzie[/autotag]. A pass interference then put the Irish in the red zone, and [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] covered the rest of the field on the next play:

A 31-17 fourth-quarter lead put the Irish on the verge of upsetting the ranked Orange at home. The Estime touchdown was seen by many as the moment  the Irish might have put this game out of reach. Here’s how some happy folks reacted to this touchdown on Twitter:

Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey speaks at ACC media day

Think the Irish have another deep tournament run in them?

Entering her third season as the legendary [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag]’s successor, Notre Dame coach [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] has every reason for optimism. She went from .500 in her first year at the helm to 24-9 and an appearance in the Sweet 16. But for a late Irish collapse against NC State in their final game, the Final Four would have been within their reach. Alas, neither Ivey nor her team could be disappointed by how far they had come.

All of that is history now, and Ivey is ready to see what she can do with this year’s Irish. She answered questions about it during the ACC’s media day Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina:

Photos of Notre Dame alumnus Jackie Young in the WNBA Finals

The Irish should be proud to have helped develop this champion.

Former Notre Dame player [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag] has joined a club previously occupied only by [autotag]Ruth Riley[/autotag]. By winning the WNBA championship with the Las Vegas Aces, Young is the second Irish player to win a a national championship, an Olympic gold medal and a WNBA title. She was on the Irish’s national title team in 2018, and she was on the gold-medal team for the inaugural 3-on-3 women’s basketball competition at the Tokyo Olympics.

During the Aces’ finals victory over the Connecticut Sun, Young averaged 12.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game while shooting 38.3% from the field. Those numbers as well as matching Riley’s distinction caught the attention of Irish coach [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag]:

Appreciate this moment, Irish fans, because it might be a while before we see this again. This program has built some winners, but it rarely churns out winners quite like this. Until the next one comes, enjoy these photos of Young in the 2022 WNBA Finals:

Notre Dame to play California in Shamrock Classic in St. Louis

Football not your thing? Get to St. Louis for a women’s hoops game one day instead.

Football no longer is the only sport in which Notre Dame and California will play each other this year. As the guys on the gridiron get set for battle at Notre Dame Stadium, the schools’ respective women’s basketball program are looking forward to their own meeting. The teams will play each other Nov. 12 in the first Shamrock Classic at St. Louis’ Enterprise Center, where Irish coach [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] won the national title along with her other Irish teammates in 2001:

Ivey is not the only St. Louis native coaching this game. It’s also the city where Bears coach Charmin Smith is from, so you better believe both coaches are looking forward to this a lot.

Also of note is that this will be the first women’s basketball game to be shown on NBC and Peacock. Don’t worry about it interfering with football though. That program is facing Navy in Baltimore that day, so it won’t even be on the same network.

Here’s hoping this event is a big success (and an Irish win).

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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

Charel Allen returns to Notre Dame as assistant coach

It’s a homecoming for one of the Irish’s own.

In the mid-2000s, [autotag]Charel Allen[/autotag] was one of Notre Dame’s biggest stars. She was an All-American twice, an All-Big East First Team selection twice and was team captain as both a junior and a senior. She finished her collegiate career with 1,566 points, ranking her 15th in Irish history. Now, she’s coming back to South Bend as an assistant coach under [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] after five seasons on the staff at Cal State Fullerton.

After Notre Dame, she was drafted by the WNBA’s now-defunct Sacramento Monarchs, for whom she played six games in 2008. She then thrived over eight seasons in Bulgaria, winning five championships, being selected to the all-league first team four times and earning one player of the year honor.

Ivey has this to say about the hire:

“Excited to welcome Charel back to the Notre Dame family. Charel brings a high-level mentality that leads to great player development. She possesses experience at every level – collegiately, professionally and internationally. She’s a rising star in this industry. She’s extremely passionate and loyal and understands what it takes to excel as a student-athlete at Notre Dame.”

Best of luck to Allen in her return.

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

Four former Notre Dame players named WNBA All-Stars

Which All-Star is your favorite?

[autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] isn’t long removed from coach, so her legacy in form of WNBA players will continue for some time. Eventually, we hope to see the same effects from [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag]’s coaching. For now, Notre Dame fans should be pleased that four former Irish players have been named to the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game. No other university has more representation in this year’s event.

The number of Irish alumni in this year’s game became official with the announcement of the 12 reserves, On Saturday, they, along with the 10 selected starters, will be split up into teams captained by A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm. The teams then will face off in the game, which is being held in Chicago.

If you’re a Notre Dame women’s basketball enthusiast, you won’t be disappointed with this game. Here are the players for you to watch and reminisce about: