Tag: Ruth Riley

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:

Jewell Loyd selected for NBA All-Star Celebrity Game

Will you be tuning in?

Former Notre Dame player [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] had quite the 2023 WNBA season. She was the league’s scoring champion and the MVP for its All-Star Game. Now, she’ll get a chance to compete during NBA All-Star Weekend.

Loyd was among the many names announced for the annual NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, which will take place the Friday before the big event in Indianapolis. She will play for Team Shannon, named for coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, who is coaching because of his employment with ESPN, which is broadcasting the game. They’ll be playing a team coached by Stephen A. Smith.

By playing in the game, Loyd will be the fourth former Notre Dame player in the WNBA to do so. She’ll be joining [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag], [autotag]Ruth Riley[/autotag] and two-time selection [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag]. While you look forward to this year’s event, here are some images of a couple of these players in this game over the years:

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.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

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:

Two Notre Dame greats headed to Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

Congrats, ladies!

No state is prouder of its basketball tradition than Indiana, so to be honored for basketball in the state is extra special. Before Tuesday, 20 individuals with Notre Dame connections were inductees of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. The most recent of those inductees were [autotag]Ken Barlow[/autotag] and [autotag]Beth Cunningham[/autotag], both of whom were enshrined in 2019. Now, that number soon will be 22 with the announcement that [autotag]Ruth Riley[/autotag] Hunter and [autotag]Sheila McMillen[/autotag] Keller will be inducted in 2023.

Riley Hunter was the big player on the Irish’s 2001 national championship team, winning national player of the year and Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament among other honors. At the conclusion of her collegiate career, she held seven program records. She remains the Irish’s all-time leader in field-goal percentage, blocks average and personal fouls. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

McMillen Keller was the first Irish player to appear in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments. She was an All-Big East selection as a senior captain and graduated with 1,439 career points. Her 98 3-pointers during her final season still are a program record.

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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

Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles makes Naismith Trophy Watch List

Big honor for the point guard.

We’re getting to the point where we have to ask what Notre Dame point guard [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] hasn’t been honored for in the preseason. She’s made the all-ACC preseason team and is on the watch list for the Nancy Lieberman Award. Now, she’s made the watch list for the Naismith Trophy, the top award in college basketball. Only [autotag]Ruth Riley[/autotag] in 2001 has won this award for the Irish.

Obviously, there’s a long way to go before we seriously can consider Miles as a contender for the award. A list of 30 potential winners will come out in February, and that list will be trimmed to 10 in early March and then four March 21. The winner will be announced March 29, two days before the Final Four starts.

Miles will face a lot of competition just from within the ACC, which has nine watch list members total. Saying more about that competition would be too obvious, so we’ll just leave it as it is.

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

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 athletes who have won medals at the Summer Olympics

These Notre Dame products have done well on sports’ biggest stage.

After being delayed by one year, the 2020 Olympic Games are underway in Tokyo. Notre Dame has a record 20 current and former student-athletes seeking that coveted gold medal in this competition and the Paralympics. You can keep track of all of them here. With all of those names, the chances of at least one of them winning any medal are extremely high.

Notre Dame’s Olympic history goes back to 1912. While not every Olympian to go through South Bend has won a medal, quite a few of them have done just that. A few even won medals while representing countries other than the U.S. It’s a testament to how Notre Dame leaves no stone unturned when it comes to recruiting talent for its athletic program.

As we prepare to cheer on this year’s Olympians who have donned the Irish uniform, let’s look back at those who have made it to the podium in previous summer competitions:

Sam Brunelle Named to 2021 Naismith Trophy Watch List

Sam Brunelle has had quite the 2020-21 season, and Notre Dame doesn’t even tip off until Dec. 13 against Georgia Tech.

Sam Brunelle has had quite the 2020-21 season, and Notre Dame doesn’t even tip off until Dec. 13 against Georgia Tech. Already, the sophomore is a Preseason All-ACC member and a member of the Katrina McClain Award Watch List for the best power forward in women’s basketball. Now, she’s one of 50 players to be named to the 2021 Women’s Naismith Trophy Watch List. Ruth Riley became the first and only Irish player to win the award in 2001.

In early February, the list will be cut down to 30 as part of a midseason list. However, that may include players not on the preseason list. Ten semifinalists will be named in early March. Eventually, there will be four finalists with the winner being named during the Final Four.

Brunelle, one of nine sophomores to be named to the list, is joining four other ACC players who will be competing for women’s basketball’s top individual honor. They are Kiara Lewis and Tiana Mangakahia of Syracuse, Elissa Cunane of NC State and Dana Evans of Louisville.

Happy Anniversary (x 2), Notre Dame Women’s Basketball

April 1 is a rather important day in the history of Notre Dame Women’s Basketball – Celebrate it here!

2019-20 didn’t bring a season that Notre Dame Women’s Basketball fans would have hoped for.  Had there been a March Madness they wouldn’t have qualified for the first time since the 1993-94 season that saw them finish in the third round of the Women’s NIT.

However, April 1 is a rather important day in the history of Notre Dame Women’s Basketball because on it 19 years ago this evening, the 2000-01 squad beat Purdue for the second time that season and clinched their first national championship in program history as Ruth Riley saved her best moment for her last, leading all scorers with 28 points that included a pair of free throws to give the Irish the lead with five seconds left.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoxQTAIncS0&w=560&h=315]

17 years to the day later things came down to the final seconds again with Notre Dame battling Mississippi State and actually trailing by five points with under 100 seconds to play.

Enter Arike Ogunbowale and as big of shot as there has ever been in March Madness.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEvhwtXACxY&w=560&h=315]

Two national championships exactly 17 years apart. It doesn’t get much better than that.