Forward thinking puts Kylee Watson back on track for Notre Dame WBB

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — What Notre Dame saw in Kylee Watson as a McDonald’s All-American at Mainland High School in Linwood, N.J., four seasons ago, the Irish coaching staff and players are seeing signs of a reawakening as 10th-ranked ND’s 2023-24 season ramps up.

In her fourth college season and second in an Irish uniform since transferring from Oregon, the 6-foot-4 forward has a new role and renewed swagger that waned not long after landing with the Ducks as a freshman, having chosen them from a group of finalists that included Notre Dame the first time around.

“If you guys see Kylee, she’s a completely different player,” said Irish head coach Niele Ivey, whose fourth season tips off in Paris on Nov. 6 with a matchup against No. 6 South Carolina following an exhibition tune-up at home against Purdue Northwest on Oct. 30.

“Being in my system for a year, the way that she’s attacked this summer and the offseason has been, honestly, so impressive to me,” Ivey continued. “She’s definitely somebody you guys are going to look at and go, ‘Wow, Kylee looks confident. She’s in amazing shape, and the game is coming easy to her.’

“And I think just her comfort level in being here and her confidence level is at an all-time high right now.”

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Watson averaged career highs of 6.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocked shots in starting all 33 games last season for Notre Dame (27-6), modest numbers, though, given her pedigree. Her 60.1 percent shooting from the field would have ranked 10th nationally had she averaged enough made field goals per game to reach the minimum to be included.

Her 50 percent mark from the free-throw line, though, reflected a chronic struggle with confidence that started at Oregon, though she has improved her accuracy at the line each season — from 33 percent as a freshman to 41 percent as a sophomore.

“Free throws are not super technical,” Ivey said. “It's more mental. It's almost 80 percent mental. So, that’s something that she had to get over individually. I did bring in a sports performance/mental performance coach this summer, and I know that it was somebody our team really utilized and found a lot of value in, just kind of seeing the game from a different perspective from a mental aspect.

“So, I’m hoping that that’s part of the reason why she kind of got over that hump. But I think it’s kind of an individual confidence thing.”

Watson actually started to push through her struggles last season. During a 12-game stretch from the end of December to early February, her free-throw challenges began to bleed into other parts of her game.

She became reluctant to shoot, wasn’t as aggressive on the boards and went all 12 games without ever hitting double digits in either points or rebounds. But in the team’s final 10 games, she averaged 9.0 points a game while finding a more consistent groove.

“You weren’t imagining that,” she said of the slump. “I think a lot for me, when I’m playing really good basketball compared to when I’m not playing my best basketball is all mental. I think I definitely hit a place in the season where I was just like I’ve got my mental correct and I got my confidence back, and that was a huge part.

“The difference between the first half of the season and the end of the season, I’m trying to carry that on ‘til this season too.”

She’ll do it playing more of a role as a post player, with last year’s true center — former grad transfer Lauren Ebo — having exhausted her eligibility and picking up a master’s degree in management from ND in the process.

The Irish have a couple of different post looks to go with their guard-heavy roster. One is to play Watson and 6-3 senior Maddy Westbeld rotating a high- and low-post positions while playing together. Another is playing a more traditional power forward role when 6-2 Pepperdine grad transfer Becky Obinma is on the floor with Watson.

“Becky is awesome,” Watson said. “She'll play so hard every possession. She's a great rebounder, great shot blocker. Her height is a little deceiving, because she is so long. Like she’ll just come out of nowhere and block shots.”

Notre Dame’s guard versatility and depth — even likely without recovering junior All-America point guard Olivia Miles at the start of the season — will likely mean everyone plays at a faster tempo, especially on defense.

“I would like to extend our defense,” Ivey said. “That’s something we’ve been working on this summer, and the last couple of weeks. Having players like Hannah [Hidalgo] coming in, the way that she changes the game with her defense and also Cass [Prosper]. And everyone being in great shape is going to allow us to be able to play faster defensively and do more things defensively to try to disrupt offenses.”

Because the team had a foreign tour to Croatia and Greece scheduled this summer, they not only benefited from the two games in Europe against club teams but the summer practices leading up to them, where they could integrate newcomers Obinma, freshman Hidalgo, freshman 3-point sharpshooter Emma Risch and Fordham grad transfer guard Anne DeWolfe.

“They’ve all fit in amazingly with our team,” Watson said. The chemistry that we’ve had off the court has translated to on the court, now especially have had some practices and workouts under our belt.

“I think this team is very close — closer than last year’s team, which is saying a lot, because we loved each other so much. But there’s such a different vibe around this team that it’s really exciting to be a part of.”

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Because of her COVID-year option, Watson actually has this season and next to be a part of it, if she so chooses. The Irish will lose just DeWolfe, Obinma and backup guard Jenna Brown to expiring eligibility after this season and will add five-star 6-5 center Kate Koval, originally from Ukraine and playing her high school ball on Long Island.

The Irish also hope to sign next month during the early signing period, 6-1 five-star forward Mackenly Randolph, who took an official recruiting visit to Notre Dame last weekend.

Watson has the perfect recruiting pitch.

“I wanted to come somewhere where I was valued off the court and on the court,” she said of her transfer from Oregon. “And here I’m just surrounded by so much love and positivity, day in and day out, from my teammates and the coaching staff, where I’ve been able to kind of find myself again on and off the court.

“That just shows through in the confidence I was talking about. It’s awesome, and that’s what I was looking for when I came here. And I’ve gotten every bit of it.”

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