10th-ranked Notre Dame won the ACC regular-season championship (15-3) and has its eyes on nabbing an automatic NCAA bid.
An injury to guard Dara Mabry has focused the Irish resolve. And though they lost a large part of their senior leadership on the floor, they finished the regular season on top of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with a 24-4 record. Of course, they would improve as all talented teams with well-experienced coaching do.
Ivey is a winner (photo courtesy Twitter)
But then that’s the skill and personality of WNBA veteran and former Memphis Grizzlies assistant Niele Ivey, head coach of Notre Dame and Coach of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Irish match their coach in every manner of performance during her playing days. They are slashing, cutting to the basket, diving for every loose ball, and sprinting from one end of the floor to another. The bigs, on many occasions, outsprint the guards.
That’s the work ethic, hustle, and love for the game that Ivey executed with the help of guard Ericka Haney and center Ruth Riley to help win Notre Dame’s first national championship in 2001.
Ivey’s current squad has the fire of Notre Dame’s 2001 national championship team, and Ivey’s adjustment to the lineup after Mabry’s injury has been on point. There’s the rise of guard Sonia Citron, with a team-leading 14.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG, guard K.K. Bransford at 8.5 PPG and 2.8 RPG, and forward Maddy Westbeld at 10.9 PPG and 6.5 RPG. Not only have they not lost a step, but they have improved, peaking right on time for the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Let’s see how they finish out the ACC Tournament. The semifinal clash vs. the Cardinals is on tap at Noon today (Eastern Time) on the ACC Network.
