Roughly two months before the early signing window for women’s college basketball opens, Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey is trying to put the finishing touches on the 2023 recruiting class.
The Irish will have a chance to impress the nation’s top-rated point guard in that class this weekend, when 5-foot-7 Merchantville, N.J., product Hannah Hidalgo makes an official recruiting visit to ND. Joining her will be the lone verbal commitment in the class so far, 6-2 shooting guard Emma Risch from Melbourne, Fla.
Ivey and her staff are hoping to sign a total of two or three players during the upcoming signing period (Nov. 9-16).
Hidalgo is listed as a five-star prospect and the No. 5 player overall in the 2023 class by ESPNw. In July, she helped lead Team USA to a 7-0 record and a gold medal in the 2022 U17 FIBA World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary.
Ivey and associate head coach Carol Owens made the trip to Eastern Europe to see and be seen by Hidalgo and a handful of other Irish recruiting targets. What they witnessed was Hidalgo averaging 7.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.5 steals against the best competition in the world in her age group.
“She’s like (current Irish point guard) Olivia Miles in that she’s very difficult to contain, and she can make shots, just like MIles,” said Dan Olson, owner and director of Collegiate Girls Basketball Report. “She's got that savviness about her and that unselfishness toward her game, just like Olivia Miles, that is like a pass-first mentality.
“Hidalgo can just flat out break you down, get in the lane and score. Not as big as Miles. She’s not really a big guard by any means. But she’s fearless when she gets in that lane and she’ll take the contact. She’s got such a smooth way about how she finishes the play.”
In three seasons at Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, N.J., Hidalgo has averaged 21.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 5.4 steals per game under her coach/father Orlando Hidalgo.
In addition to Notre Dame, Hidalgo is reportedly strongly considering UCF, Duke, Ohio State, Michigan and Stanford.
Hidalgo’s timeline for a decision at this point is November.
Risch committed back on Nov. 14. Last season, she led Palm Bay Magnet School with a 20.5 points-per-game scoring clip while showing off deep range on her shot. She averaged 6.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.1 steals per game.
The Irish coaches continue to evaluate 2023 prospects, but the top remaining target beyond Hidalgo is Canada’s premier player in the ‘23 class, 6-2 forward Cassandre Prosper.
She’s ranked No. 11 in North America overall in the ESPNw rankings. She calls Rosemere, Quebec home but attends school at Cairine Wilson Secondary School in Orleans, Ontario — near Ottawa.
Prosper, too, has a November decision timeline.
Among some of the 2024 prospects Notre Dame is working to get on campus for unofficial visits are:
• Sarah Strong, a 6-2 forward from Fuquay-Varina, N.C., and a junior at Grace Christian School in Matthews, N.C., near Charlotte.
She’s the No. 5 player overall in the 2024 class per ESPNw. Her mother is Allison Feaster, a former longtime WNBA player and former first-round pick, who went to Harvard. She’s currently vice president of player development and organizational growth for the NBA’s Boston Celtics.
• Blanca Thomas, a 6-5 center from Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic High School and the No. 10 player overall in the 2024 class, per ESPNw.
Kateryna Koval, a 6-4 center from Ukraine, who is playing her high school ball in Brookville, N.Y., at Long Island Lutheran. According to ESPNw, she’s the No. 20 prospect in the 2024 class.
Notre Dame opens its 2022-23 season Nov. 7 at home against Northern Illinois. That’s preceded by an Oct. 31 exhibition game against Truman State.
The Irish (24-9 in 2021-22) return four starters — all double-figures scorers — from a team that reached the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 last March. Ivey added four newcomers — freshman guard KK Bransford, and transfers Lauren Ebo (Texas), Kylee Watson (Oregon) and Jenna Brown (Stanford).
Watson, a 6-4 sophomore forward with three seasons of eligibility remaining, reportedly has been impressive in team workouts, showing both a strong post-up game to go along with the ability to move away from the block and face the basket.
She was a five-star recruit, and the No. 17 prospect overall (ESPNw), in the 2020 class and part of the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class for Oregon in 2020, comprising five five-star players.
ESPN’s Way Too Early Top 25 projects the Irish to open the season as a top 10 team, ranking Notre Dame at No. 9.
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