Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball
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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team is the intercollegiate women's basketball program representing
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
in
South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...
. The program currently competes in the
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
of
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
. The Fighting Irish play their home games in the Purcell Pavilion at the Edmund P. Joyce Center, and are currently coached by
Niele Ivey Niele Deirdre Jamillah Viveca Ivey (born September 24, 1977) is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's basketball team. She is a former Women's National Basketball Association (WNB ...
.


History

Former coach
Muffet McGraw Ann "Muffet" McGraw (born December 5, 1955) is an American former college basketball coach, who served as the head women's basketball coach at Notre Dame from 1987 to 2020, compiling a 848–252 (.771) record over 33 seasons. She led her team to ...
was the women's head coach from 1987 to 2020 and led the Irish to two
National Championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
in 2001 and
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
. The Irish's first national championship team in 2001 was led by 6-foot-5 center and future WNBA star
Ruth Riley Ruth Ellen Riley Hunter (born August 28, 1979) is a retired American professional basketball player (a center), playing most recently for the Atlanta Dream in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Her Notre Dame team won the NCAA ...
, who led the Irish past
Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
68–66. Under McGraw's stewardship, Notre Dame has reached the Final Four nine times (1997, 2001, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019), which currently ranks 5th all time in NCAA history. Notre Dame has made it to the Sweet Sixteen in each of the last ten seasons (2010–19), has won 20 or more games in 24 of the past 25 seasons, and has won 30 or more games in eight consecutive seasons (2011–19). The Irish have made 26 NCAA tournament appearances as of the end of the 2018–19 season, including a current streak of 24 appearances. In the current streak, Notre Dame has made it to the second round in all but one of the appearances. McGraw would take the Fighting Irish back to the Final Four in 2011 under the play of star point guard
Skylar Diggins Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith (born August 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Diggins was drafted third overall by the Tulsa Shock in the 2013 WNB ...
, beating
Pat Summitt Patricia Susan Summitt (; June 14, 1952 – June 28, 2016) was an American women's college basketball head coach who accrued 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time of her retirement. She served as the head coac ...
's Tennessee Lady Volunteers; the program's first win against the Lady Vols in 21 tries. That win was followed by an upset of the number one-ranked
UConn Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...
(making Notre Dame the first team ever to beat both Tennessee and UConn in the same tournament) to advance the Fighting Irish to the 2011 championship game, where it lost to
Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
. The Irish would return to the championship game in 2012, losing to unbeaten Baylor after winning the Big East regular season title and beating UConn again to reach the final. In the 2012–2013 season, the Irish, led by Diggins and shooting guard
Kayla McBride Kayla Renae McBride (born June 25, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Super League (KBSL). She was drafted third overall ...
, posted their best regular season record in school history (31–1), despite losing Big East defensive player of the year Devereaux Peters and two other starters to graduation. Their only regular season loss was to Baylor, and the team posted wins over #9 Tennessee in Knoxville and a narrow 1 point at #1 Connecticut. The Irish completed an undefeated 16–0 Big East regular season championship vs #3 Connecticut in the final game of the season, winning a triple overtime thriller to close out Diggins’ career in South Bend. UConn and Notre Dame would again meet in the Big East Tournament final, with Notre Dame winning narrowly 61–59 to claim their first ever Big East tournament championship. Notre Dame had lost to UConn in the finale 6 previous times. Notre Dame made it to the national championship game in 2014 and 2015, twice losing to Connecticut. After an injury plagued start to the 2017–18 season, which saw four Irish players lost to injury, Notre Dame won its second National Championship by beating Mississippi State 61–58. Junior guard
Arike Ogunbowale Arike Ogunbowale (born March 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, before being drafted ...
scored the game winning three point shot with 1/10th of a second left, two days after scoring a similar buzzer beater to knock out Connecticut in the semifinal game. The win was coach McGraw's second national championship and 800th win at Notre Dame. Four of the returning five starters, including Ogunbowle, Jackie Young, Marina Mabry and
Jessica Shepard Jessica Shepard (born September 11, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Shepard began her college career at Nebraska, playing there for two seasons befo ...
, returned to the Final Four the following year. The Irish would beat Uconn 81–76 before falling by 1 point to Baylor, 82–81.


Current roster


Awards and honors


National Awards


Players

Naismith College Player of the Year The Naismith College Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top men's and women's collegiate basketball players. It is named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. History an ...
*
Ruth Riley Ruth Ellen Riley Hunter (born August 28, 1979) is a retired American professional basketball player (a center), playing most recently for the Atlanta Dream in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Her Notre Dame team won the NCAA ...
– 2001 AP National Player of the Year * Ruth Riley – 2001 Sports Illustrated National Player of the Year * Ruth Riley – 2001
NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player At the conclusion of the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball championships (the "Final Four" tournaments), a media panel selects a Most Outstanding Player (MOP). It is usually awarded to a member of the championship team. There have been ...
* Ruth Riley – 2001 *
Arike Ogunbowale Arike Ogunbowale (born March 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, before being drafted ...
– 2018
Nancy Lieberman Award The Nancy Lieberman Award, named for Basketball Hall of Fame legend Nancy Lieberman, was given annually by the Rotary Club of Detroit in the Award's first 14 years to the nation's top collegiate point guard in women's Division I basketball. Sue Bi ...
*
Skylar Diggins Skylar Kierra Diggins-Smith (born August 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Diggins was drafted third overall by the Tulsa Shock in the 2013 WNB ...
– 2012, 2013
Elite 90 Award The Elite 90 Award or more formally The Elite 90 Academic Recognition Award Program, originally the Elite 88 Award and later the Elite 89 Award, is an award by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recognizing the student athlete wi ...
* Nicole Benz – 2019


Coaches

Naismith College Coach of the Year Naismith College Coach of the Year Award is an award given by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to one men's and one women's NCAA Division I collegiate coach each season since 1987. The award was originally given to the two winning coaches of the NCAA Divis ...
*
Muffet McGraw Ann "Muffet" McGraw (born December 5, 1955) is an American former college basketball coach, who served as the head women's basketball coach at Notre Dame from 1987 to 2020, compiling a 848–252 (.771) record over 33 seasons. She led her team to ...
– 2001, 2013, 2014 AP Coach of the Year * Muffet McGraw – 2001, 2013, 2014, 2018 WBCA Coach of the Year * Muffet McGraw – 2001, 2013, 2014 USBWA Coach of the Year * Muffet McGraw – 2001, 2013, 2014


Conference Awards


Players

ACC Athlete of the Year *
Arike Ogunbowale Arike Ogunbowale (born March 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, before being drafted ...
– 2018 ACC Player of the Year *
Kayla McBride Kayla Renae McBride (born June 25, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Super League (KBSL). She was drafted third overall ...
– 2014 *
Jewell Loyd Jewell Loyd (born October 5, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Perfumerias Avenida of Spain's Liga Femenina de Baloncesto and the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted first o ...
– 2015 *
Brianna Turner Brianna Turner (born July 5, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Virtus Bologna of the EuroCup Women. She played college women's basketball f ...
– 2016 ACC Defensive Player of the Year * Brianna Turner – 2016, 2017, 2019 ACC Freshman of the Year * Brianna Turner – 2015
Big East Player of the Year The Big East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year award is given to the men's basketball player in the Big East Conference voted as the top performer by the conference coaches. It was first awarded at the end of the league's inaugural sea ...
*Ruth Riley – 2001 *
Jacqueline Batteast Jacqueline Batteast (born March 26, 1983) is a professional basketball player from South Bend, Indiana, who last played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the Detroit Shock. Batteast attended the University of Notre Dame, w ...
– 2005 *Skylar Diggins – 2012, 2013 Big East Freshman of the Year *Alicia Ratay – 2000 *Jacqueline Batteast – 2002 *Jewell Loyd – 2013 Big East Defensive Player of the Year *Ruth Riley – 1999, 2000, 2001 *
Devereaux Peters Devereaux Peters (born October 8, 1989) is an American basketball forward with WBC Dynamo Novosibirsk of the Russian women's league. Peters played at Notre Dame, where she was Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2012. She led ...
– 2011, 2012 Midwestern Collegiate Conference/Horizon League Player of the Year *Karen Robinson – 1990, 1991 North Star Conference Player of the Year * Trena Keys – 1985, 1986


Coaches

ACC Coach of the Year *
Muffet McGraw Ann "Muffet" McGraw (born December 5, 1955) is an American former college basketball coach, who served as the head women's basketball coach at Notre Dame from 1987 to 2020, compiling a 848–252 (.771) record over 33 seasons. She led her team to ...
– 2014, 2016 Big East Coach of the Year *Muffet McGraw – 2001, 2013 Midwestern Collegiate Conference/Horizon League Coach of the Year *Muffet McGraw – 1991 North Star Conference Coach of the Year *Mary DiStanislao – 1985, 1986 *Muffet McGraw – 1988


Season-by-Season Results


NCAA Tournament History

Notre Dame has played in 27 NCAA Tournaments with a record of 69–25.


References


External links

* {{Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball navbox