Notre Dame incoming freshman point guard Hannah Hidalgo will be on the national stage again Saturday night in Portland, Ore,, when she suits up for Team USA in the inaugural Nike Hoop Summit women's game against a team of 19u World All-Stars. Team USA comprises some of the nation's top high school seniors in girls basketball. Tipoff at the Moda Center is 7:30 p.m. ET and will be followed by the 25th anniversary men's game at 10 p.m. The game can be seen on NBATV and the NBA app.
Hidalgo was recently named co-MVP of the McDonald's All American girls game in which she broke the scoring record (26) and tied the game's record for steals (8). She is ranked the as No. 1 point guard nationally in her class by ESPNw and the No. 5 player overall. The Irish coaching staff was not surprised by her dominant performance in the March 28 senior showcase.
Her advanced skills will allow Notre Dame to take its time getting All-American Olivia Miles up to speed for summer workouts, which begin in mid-June, when the 5-foot-6 Hidalgo enrolls. Miles, I'm told, had deferred her impending knee surgery a couple of times but is expected to finally have the procedure done next week after Easter. Head coach Niele Ivey said after the Irish were eliminated in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 by Maryland on March 25 that she expected Miles' timeline for recovery to be June. Sometimes those timelines are moved up or back depending on what doctors discover during the surgical procedure.
Once Miles is healthy, a source says Hidalgo won't simply be Miles' backup, but they'll play together at times. The lineup composition could consist of anything from four guards and a forward to two posts with a forward and two guards. Center Lauren Ebo and guard Dara Mabrey, both out of college eligibility, are the only two Irish players at this juncture expected to exit the roster.
McDonald's All-American Emma Risch, a 6-2 guard and one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation, will enroll with Hidalgo in June. She's also an outstanding passer.
As far as post players go, that's Notre Dame's priority both in the transfer portal this offseason and on the recruiting trail in the 2024 class. Keep in mind for transfers, grad transfers and players who just finished their freshmen seasons are the best fits when it comes to admissions. Players who just finished their sophomore and junior seasons are often going to be a hard no. So Murphy's Law would have it that most players showing an interest in transferring to ND this offseason so far are sophomores/juniors and wing players.
The transfer portal is open for players to submit their names until May 11, May 1 for grad transfers, and new players continued to populate the portal. The staff is confident there will be a match eventually and would consider taking two post players if they can find two they like and two who admissions also likes.
For those wondering about 6-5, senior-to-be Nat Marshall, the hope is that with a full summer under strength coach Jarrett Moore and a run of good health can help Marshall transform into a key rotational player next season. Marshall averaged 3.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in just over 10 minutes a game last season.
As far as 2024 recruiting cycle, the Irish remain in play for some of the nation's elite post prospects, but none of them seem to be in a hurry to make a decision.
• Sarah Strong, 6-2 F; Sanford (N.C.) Grace Christian: Ranked No. 4 overall in the 2024 ESPNw playing ratings.
• Blanca Thomas, 6-5, C; Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic: Ranked No. 9 overall in the 2024 ESPNw player ratings.
• Kate Koval, 6-4, C; Glen Head (N.Y.) Long Island Lutheran: Ranked No. 17 overall in the 2024 ESPNw playing ratings.
• Kennedy Umeh, 6-3, F; Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh: Ranked No. 27 overall in the 2024 ESPNw player ratings.
No future recruiting visits have been scheduled, and probably the earliest would be June. The staff will be out and about this month checking out 2024s and 2025s at national events like the Boo Williams Girls Nike Invitational, April 21-23 in Hampton, Va.
Hidalgo was recently named co-MVP of the McDonald's All American girls game in which she broke the scoring record (26) and tied the game's record for steals (8). She is ranked the as No. 1 point guard nationally in her class by ESPNw and the No. 5 player overall. The Irish coaching staff was not surprised by her dominant performance in the March 28 senior showcase.
Her advanced skills will allow Notre Dame to take its time getting All-American Olivia Miles up to speed for summer workouts, which begin in mid-June, when the 5-foot-6 Hidalgo enrolls. Miles, I'm told, had deferred her impending knee surgery a couple of times but is expected to finally have the procedure done next week after Easter. Head coach Niele Ivey said after the Irish were eliminated in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 by Maryland on March 25 that she expected Miles' timeline for recovery to be June. Sometimes those timelines are moved up or back depending on what doctors discover during the surgical procedure.
Once Miles is healthy, a source says Hidalgo won't simply be Miles' backup, but they'll play together at times. The lineup composition could consist of anything from four guards and a forward to two posts with a forward and two guards. Center Lauren Ebo and guard Dara Mabrey, both out of college eligibility, are the only two Irish players at this juncture expected to exit the roster.
McDonald's All-American Emma Risch, a 6-2 guard and one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation, will enroll with Hidalgo in June. She's also an outstanding passer.
As far as post players go, that's Notre Dame's priority both in the transfer portal this offseason and on the recruiting trail in the 2024 class. Keep in mind for transfers, grad transfers and players who just finished their freshmen seasons are the best fits when it comes to admissions. Players who just finished their sophomore and junior seasons are often going to be a hard no. So Murphy's Law would have it that most players showing an interest in transferring to ND this offseason so far are sophomores/juniors and wing players.
The transfer portal is open for players to submit their names until May 11, May 1 for grad transfers, and new players continued to populate the portal. The staff is confident there will be a match eventually and would consider taking two post players if they can find two they like and two who admissions also likes.
For those wondering about 6-5, senior-to-be Nat Marshall, the hope is that with a full summer under strength coach Jarrett Moore and a run of good health can help Marshall transform into a key rotational player next season. Marshall averaged 3.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in just over 10 minutes a game last season.
As far as 2024 recruiting cycle, the Irish remain in play for some of the nation's elite post prospects, but none of them seem to be in a hurry to make a decision.
• Sarah Strong, 6-2 F; Sanford (N.C.) Grace Christian: Ranked No. 4 overall in the 2024 ESPNw playing ratings.
• Blanca Thomas, 6-5, C; Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic: Ranked No. 9 overall in the 2024 ESPNw player ratings.
• Kate Koval, 6-4, C; Glen Head (N.Y.) Long Island Lutheran: Ranked No. 17 overall in the 2024 ESPNw playing ratings.
• Kennedy Umeh, 6-3, F; Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh: Ranked No. 27 overall in the 2024 ESPNw player ratings.
No future recruiting visits have been scheduled, and probably the earliest would be June. The staff will be out and about this month checking out 2024s and 2025s at national events like the Boo Williams Girls Nike Invitational, April 21-23 in Hampton, Va.
