Natalija Marshall won't be leaving the ACC.
The former Notre Dame women's basketball forward announced Saturday her plans to complete a graduate transfer to Miami to play her final season of NCAA eligibility. Miami also announced the addition of the 6-foot-5 Marshall.
“We are so excited Nat is joining us,” Miami head coach Tricia Cullop said in a statement released by the program. “She is a veteran ACC post who can face the basket or play with her back to it. She runs the floor extremely well and is perfect for our style of play. She’s also an outstanding teammate and leader who will only make our chemistry and culture stronger. I can’t wait to coach her!”
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Marshall averaged 5.0 points and 3.7 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game last season for the Irish. She played the seventh-most minutes on a team that was seriously hampered by injuries. Marshall, who played in all but one of ND's 35 games and started in four of them, shot 50% from the field and 67.6% from the free-throw line.
Notre Dame signed Marshall as one of five players in head coach Muffet McGraw's last full recruiting cycle. Forward Maddy Westbeld, who was ranked as Notre Dame's best signee in the 2020 by ESPNW at No. 20 overall, is the only member of that class still on Notre Dame's roster. Guards Allison Campbell (Penn State) and Alasia Hayes (Mississippi State and Marshall) and Amirah Abdur-Rahim (SMU) transferred out of Notre Dame after just one season.
ESPNW ranked Marshall as the No. 8 forward and No. 34 overall in the 2020 class. Her senior season at Christ the King High School in Queens, N.Y., was truncated by a torn ACL
Marshall is the only transfer portal loss of the offseason so far for Notre Dame. Guard KK Bransford entered the transfer portal briefly before deciding to return to the Irish for her junior season.
The Irish, who currently have 10 scholarship players projected for the 2024-25 roster, are still trying to make transfer portal additions. Notre Dame hosted Alabama wing Aaliyah Nye on Monday, but multiple reports have indicated she will be returning to the Crimson Tide. The Irish also hosted Pittsburgh forward Liatu King, on Tuesday and Wednesday. The NCAA scholarship limit for women's basketball is 15.
Marshall joins a Miami team that lost head coach Katie Meier, who led the program for 19 seasons, to retirement earlier this offseason. The Hurricanes finished 19-12 with an 8-10 ACC record and without a spot in the NCAA Tournament this past season.
Miami has been active in the transfer portal already. Earlier this week, the program announced the addition of Wichita State forward Daniela Abies and the return of twins Haley Cavinder and Hanna Cavinder. The Cavinders stepped away from basketball last season and Haley even signed with TCU in the fall with a plan to play the 2024-25 season there. Now they'll play at Miami again.
Though the dates for the 2024-25 season haven't been announced, Notre Dame and Miami will play each other at Miami during the regular season. Notre Dame beat the Hurricans in South Bend, 70-60, in January. Marshall will play against her former teammates while pursuing a master's degree in sports administration.
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