Kelly Ratigan was scrolling through some of her mom’s old pictures recently when she came across a digital snapshot of the sixth-grade version of herself in a Halloween costume — a Notre Dame women’s basketball jersey.
A Natalie Achonwa jersey to be specific.
Now a rising college senior, Ratigan doesn’t have the height of the 6-foot-4 former Irish star forward or the statistical potential, but current Irish head coach Niele Ivey saw enough tangibles and intangibles from the 5-8 guard from Loyola (Md.) to offer her a spot on the Irish 2025-26 roster — and beyond.
On Tuesday, what had been percolating for well more than a week became official. Ratigan is the fifth spring addition from the transfer portal and the first with an extra season of eligibility beyond the coming season.
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“It was incredible. I was obviously sweating and drenched and I was just pacing,” Ratigan told WSBT-TV’s Pete Byrne of her call with Ivey that led to the transfer, “I think there's a dent in my floor from how much I was pacing on my floor in my dorm, but it is a call that I will remember for the rest of my life.
“She just said, ‘Kelly, I know who you are as a player. I want to know what your expectations are at Notre Dame and how you can help us win.’
“And I was like, ‘Listen, coach Ivey. I understand the Patriot League and the ACC are very different. I do. But there's an opportunity at Notre Dame that is unlike anything else I ever have in my entire life.’
“Whether it’s because of my three years at Loyola and how drastically different they were, I feel more than prepared to take on whatever role Notre Dame needs me to do. and I said that to coach Ivey.
“Whether it’s being a workhorse in practice, whether it's meaningful minutes, whether it's no minutes: Whatever they need me to do, I will do that, because I really think this could be a program that takes over next year.”
Ratigan played her high school basketball at South Bend Saint Joseph High, roughly a mile and a half from Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion. She is the daughter of Brian Ratigan, a former Notre Dame linebacker (1989-92) late in the Lou Holtz Era and currently the head orthopedic physician for ND football and baseball.
One of her four brothers, Conor, was a walk-on wide receiver under Brian Kelly and Marcus Freeman (2019-22).
She left Saint Joe as the school’s all-time leading scorer and second-most prolific 3-point shooter in the state of Indiana in her senior season. She was a two-year starter at Loyola and three games into her third season as a starter when she opted to undergo season-ending surgery for a torn patella tendon.
In her last full season, Ratigan averaged 8.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the Greyhounds.
“It's a pretty special thing,” Kelly said of the Notre Dame connection. “We have a section in our basement that has two Ratigan jerseys with "Irish" across the front and have one more of those is going to be pretty awesome. You know both my dad and my brother embodied everything that I meant to be — a workhorse.
“They both had very different careers, both very successful careers in Notre Dame and they've always been overly supportive. My whole family has been of whatever route that I chose. And the fact that I get to where Irish across my chest is something that I can't actually put into words.
It's an incredible thing.”
Ratigan joins Vanderbilt guard Iyana Moore, who announced for the Irish on May 19, as well as three April transfer signees — Milaya Cowles, a 6-3 forward from Wake Forest, Kansas State 6-4 forward Gisela Sanchez, and Duke 5-8 guard Vanessa de Jesus.
"We are so excited to welcome Kelly back home to South Bend and Notre Dame!" Ivey said in a statement. "She had an outstanding career at Saint Joseph High School, and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of her journey moving forward.
"Kelly has an incredible motor and is a crafty scorer and 3-point shooter. She brings quality intangibles, including her leadership and work ethic."
Notre Dame's returnees are two-time All-America guard Hannah Hidalgo, a rising junior, senior guard Cass Prosper and senior guard KK Bransford, who redshirted this past season. All three have college eligibility for one more year after the coming season.
Notre Dame signed just one player in the 2025 freshman class — 6-3 McDonald’s All-American Leah Macy, but she suffered a knee injury in late January and her availability for the coming season is in question.
Notre Dame lost five players after last season to expired eligibility and four more to the transfer portal shortly after ND’s NCAA Tournament exit, 71-62 to TCU, in the Sweet 16 round on March 29.
The deadline to enter the women’s college basketball players was April 23. Players can select schools after the portal window closes, but that was the deadline to submit their names.
All four of Notre Dame’s outgoing transfers found landing spots — second-team All-America guard Olivia Miles to TCU, freshman center Kate Koval to LSU, sophomore guard Emma Risch to Florida State and grad senior forward Kylee Watson to Villanova.
The Irish lost starters Maddy Westbeld, Sonia Citron and Liatu King to expired eligibility, as well as key reserve Liza Karlen and former walk-on Sarah Cernugel.
“I think there's a lot of leadership opportunities that I could step into,” Ratigan said. “I have three years of college basketball under my belt, and I think [Ivey] is just looking for someone that loves Notre Dame for Notre Dame's sake, someone that's so proud to be at the university, someone that knows it. Like, I think Notre Dame is home.
“I put my name in the portal, and I got some early interest from other East Coast schools, but nothing really spoke to me. I talked to a few of them, but it wasn't until I got the call from coach Ivey — honestly, that I was like, ‘This is this is where I want to be.’
“And I've known coach Ivey for a really long time, you know. My brother and her son, [Detroit Pistons guard] Jaden, played together in middle school. So, we've grown up kind of with the Ivey family and around Notre Dame. So, when I got the call from coach Ivey, that sealed it for me.”
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