Tag: Skylar Diggins

Notre Dame women’s basketball reaches milestones in win over Virginia

A lot was accomplished in this game.

It’s hard to pinpoint the most impressive part about Notre Dame’s ACC home opener against Virginia. So we’ll just say everything was great. Still, we’ll talk about what made this 95-54 win so great.

Initially, the Irish (11-2, 2-0) appeared they would get a competitive game from the Cavaliers (8-6, 0-2), who scored the first four points and deadlocked the score at 9 midway through the first quarter. It was all Irish after that though as they rattled off 28 consecutive points. The Cavaliers didn’t score again until near the halfway point of the second quarter.

The game was never remotely close after that, and [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] became the fastest coach in both Irish and ACC history to reach 100 career victories. That only was the tip of the iceberg for the Irish’s accomplishments though.

[autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] recorded the sixth triple-double of her career with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists, which tied a career high. She also became the third player in program history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists. Only [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag] and [autotag]Lindsay Allen[/autotag] had done it before her.

Miles also tied the ACC record for career triple-doubles. Alyssa Thomas was the first to reach that total during Maryland’s final years in the conference.

[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] tied her season highs with 25 points and 11 rebounds. She also set her season with five 3-pointers.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] led all scorers with 28 points. [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag] scored 12 points and blocked three shots before fouling out, and [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] came close to a double-double with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

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Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Three Notre Dame basketball players make point guard award watch lists

Who would you most trust to run your offense?

Even as basketball moves more and more towards a positionless game, offenses still rely heavily on their point guards. Notre Dame is blessed to have a lot of talent up top for both the men’s and women’s teams. People nationwide are starting to take notice, too.

For the past two years, one of [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] or [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has been running the Irish’s offense and done very well at it. Now, they finally will join forces for the first time this season, and there might not be a backcourt in women’s basketball that can compete with it.

So it should come as no surprise that both Miles and Hidalgo have been named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List. If either of them wins this award, which is given to the top female point guard in the country, they would be the second player in Irish history to win this award after [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag] in 2012 and 2013:

On the men’s side, Markus Burton is trying to build up a campaign in which he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year. The Mishawaka native is off to a good start by being named to the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award, which is awarded to the best male point guard in the country. He would be the first Irish player to win it:

Point guards are not in short supply at Notre Dame. We can say at least that much when it comes to basketball.

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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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A Late Spring Check-In With Trojans Wire

Checking in on Troy

We’re still a way away from the college football season getting underway but headlines are being made just about every day for some reason or another.

Over at Trojans Wire they’re getting ready for the third season of Lincoln Riley and USC’s first year in the Big Ten.

That is, if you still consider USC a football school.

USC has assembled what appears to be a women’s basketball big-three since the NCAA Tournament’s conclusion and will enter the 2024-25 season among the favorites to end up in the Final Four (as will Notre Dame).

These were only a couple of the topics on hand when Trojans Wire editor Matt Zemek invited me and Geoffrey Clark for a visit on the Trojans Wired Podcast earlier this week.  You can check out the episode below.

[lawrence-related id=86050,85910,84905]

Kentucky Derby Racehorse Names, Notre Dame Style

The Kentucky Derby is Saturday as we’re into May and the weather is finally starting to turn in the Midwest. I won’t pretend to be a horse racing expert by any means and honestly, I wouldn’t even consider myself a horse racing fan. The so-called …

The Kentucky Derby is Saturday as we’re into May and the weather is finally starting to turn in the Midwest.  I won’t pretend to be a horse racing expert by any means and honestly, I wouldn’t even consider myself a horse racing fan.  The so-called “sport of kings” does very little for me but if I’m around a betting window then I’ll throw 10 bucks on the 10-horse to win.

I do always enjoy seeing the names of the racehorses however.

So my mind got moving a bit before Derby Day.  If I had a racehorse and was naming him after something Notre Dame related – what would that name be?

In the spirit of the annual “Run for the Horses” here are a lucky 13 of the best Notre Dame themed racehorse names I could come up with.  

One of the most popular campus landmarks on a campus full of them meets an Elvis classic. One can’t help but think this one might have just a little bit more of that “Notre Dame Spirit” Lou Holtz and others always talk about.

An ode to Notre Dame’s most famous professional player, Joe Montana, who used a little “Chicken Soup for the Soul” to help the Irish to an unforgettable comeback win over Houston in the 1979 Cotton Bowl.

For the first roughly 20 years of his life Joe Theismann’s last name was pronounced “THEEZ-man”.  Then at Notre Dame the eventual Washington Super Bowl winning quarterback’s “Theismann rhymes with Heisman” campaign resulted in how his name has been pronounced ever since.

There is no better way to honor Lou Holtz than by using perhaps his most famous quote at Notre Dame (spoken to the team just before kickoff in the ’88 game vs. Miami).

This one covers a couple of bases as legendary Notre Dame radio play-by-play voice Tony Roberts used to use this phrase whenever Raghib “The Rocket” Ismail found an open field.

Speaking of – remember that time Bo Schembechler decided to kick it to Rocket a second time?

Michael Stonebreaker was a darn good football player for the Irish, helping guide Notre Dame to a 1988 national championship and eventually became a College Football Hall of Famer.  The last name alone is horse-naming worthy.

There have been plenty of megastars from the Notre Dame women’s basketball team but no name plays as well when naming a filly as that of [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag].

It may not be the most original but you can’t pass on the opportunity to blend a line from Notre Dame’s alma mater with one of the most electric players in the history of Notre Dame football, Golden Tate.

The Kentucky Derby takes place each year in Louisville so how could you possibly pass up having a horse named after Paul [autotag]Hornung[/autotag] in the city he grew up in, and the fact that plenty of people would bet on it would only honor the Heisman Trophy winner more!

[autotag]Frank Leahy[/autotag] was as successful of coach as Notre Dame has had and that includes Knute Rockne.  Leahy’s teams went 87-11-9 in his 11 seasons as Notre Dame head coach.  On top of all that did we mention he left his post to go serve his country in World War II?  

Perhaps that nice lady named Mary on top of the Golden Dome deserves a horse being named after her. She was rather important after all.

You could fall out of Notre Dame Stadium and practically land at Linebacker Lounge.  Nearly every Notre Dame fan who has attended a game has at least stepped foot in “The Backer”, easily the most popular bar in the area.

You can’t have this makeshift horse race themed around Notre Dame names and not include an ode to the greatest and most important head coach in the history of college football, Knute Rockne.

Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo wins Dawn Staley Award as top guard

Add yet another honor for the freshman phenom.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] began her collegiate career when Notre Dame faced South Carolina in Paris to open this past season. That meant she got to make her debut with Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley watching from the opposite sideline. She aced her first exam, leading all scorers with 31 points in an Irish loss. Now, Staley gets to honor her.

Hidalgo has been named the winner of this year’s Dawn Staley Award, given to the country’s top guard. She unseats Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, who had won it each of the previous three seasons. She is the second Irish player to win the award after [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag], who was the first honoree in 2013.

Staley, whose Gamecocks are in the Final Four trying to complete a perfect season, said the following about Hidalgo:

“The Dawn Staley Award goes to the player who demonstrates exceptional skills, leadership, and performance at the guard position. Hannah Hidalgo’s court vision, passing ability, ball-handling and ability to create scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates combined with her relentless defense is unmatched. She is the embodiment of a two-way force on the basketball court and the essence of what the award represents. In a season where there are several deserving candidates Hannah has separated herself from the group.“

Hidalgo will receive her award during a virtual ceremony April 11, and it’s great to know that she still is collecting hardware even with the Irish’s season over. That trophy case is gonna be awfully crowded by the time she’s done in South Bend.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

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:

Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo wins record 11th ACC Rookie of the Week

Another record for the freshman. What new?

There’s a new queen for weekly freshman honors in ACC women’s basketball, and it’s Notre Dame’s [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag]. When Hidalgo won her 11th ACC Rookie of the Week honor this week, she broke a tie with Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson, who earned the distinction 10 times only a season ago.

Ironically, it likely was Hidalgo’s performance in the win over Latson’s Seminoles on Sunday that put her over the top. No, her 27 points didn’t beat the 30 she scored in the loss to Louisville, but she also had nine assists, seven rebounds and five steals. Additionally, she broke [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag]’ program record by bringing her steals total for the season to 115.

With the Irish having a tough schedule in the final month of the regular season, we’re about to find out just how much more Hidalgo can do in her first collegiate season. If what we’ve seen so far is any indication, it will be something special.

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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’s Hannah Hidalgo makes top 10 for point guard award

Another honor for the Irish freshman.

Notre Dame’s [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] is racking up records and honors one at a time. Another one came down from the Basketball Hall of Fame. Hidalgo was named one of 10 finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award. This honor is given annually to the top women’s point guard in the country.

Hidalgo, the only freshman finalist, would be the second Irish player to win this award after [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag] did so in 2012 and 2013. However, she’ll face some stiff competition as two-time defending award winner Caitlin Clark of Iowa also is a finalist. The pool, which will be cut to five in March, also includes high scorer McKenna Hofschild of Colorado State and ACC assists leader Georgia Amoore of Virginia Tech.

Given the field she’s in, a lot would have to go right for Hidalgo to come away with this award. Still, the fact that she’s even on this list is evidence of how good she really is. Who knows what else is in store for her between now and March?

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