The whispers from inside the Notre Dame women’s basketball program when McDonald’s All-American Emma Risch signed in November of 2022 was that she had a chance to be the best 3-point shooter to don an Irish uniform since Alicia Ratay in the early 2000s.
The expectations were even higher and louder for McDonald’s All-American Kate Koval the following signing day in 2023. Irish coach Niele Ivey came right out and said she thought the 6-foot-5 Ukraine native could have the same kind of impact as another of Ivey’s ND teammates from its 2001 national championship team — All-American center Ruth Riley.
And suddenly they’re both memories. Or will be.
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Both are reported to be headed to the transfer portal, which opened for women’s college basketball on March 25 and stays open until the end of the day on April 23.
They are the second and third Irish players to grab the ripcord and look to transfer out since 3 seed Notre Dame’s 71-62 loss to 2 seed TCU Saturday in an NCAA Tourney Sweet 16 matchup in Birmingham, Ala.
The news of All-America point guard Olivia Miles, the most shocking and impactful of the departures ahead of the 2025-26 season, spilled into cyberspace on Monday night.
Koval played in 32 of the 34 games this season as a freshman for Notre Dame (28-6), starting 10. The No. 5 recruit overall and No. 1 center in the 2024 class, per ESPNw, averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Koval, who attended national power Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran, shot .451 from the field and .697 from the free-throw line. She led the Irish in blocked shots with 55, despite only logging an average of roughly 18 minutes a game.
A hip injury that originates in high school flared up and truncated both of Risch’s collegiate seasons to date. In her freshman season, the Palm Beach Magnet School product played in seven games. This past season, it was 13.
In those games in the just-completed season, Risch averaged 5.7 points and 1.8 rebounds. She shot .441 from the field and .419 from the 3-point arc. She never got to the free-throw line,
Risch was the No. 20 recruit nationally in the 2024 class, per ESPNw. Because she was able to take a medical redshirt year, she would have three years of eligibility remaining at her new school.
Their departures leave the Irish with four potential returnees, and their lone November 2024 signee, forward Leah Macy, is a strong possibility to miss her freshman season with a knee injury.
The four scholarship players eligible to return are All-America guard Hannah Hidalgo, guard Cass Prosper and 2025 redshirts, guard KK Bransford and post Kylee Watson.
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