Notre Dame’s ‘All-Muffet McGraw’ Lineups
Three weeks ago, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw stepped down after 33 years as Notre Dame’s women’s hoops coach.
During her time, she mentored around 150 student-athletes, by our count, in her basketball program.
Selecting an All-McGraw 15-woman team — or the number of scholarships permitted by the NCAA for the sport — is an undertaking that inevitably will prompt disagreement. But in addition to having a basketball balance at the five positions, we had four other criteria:
• Impact on the program as Final Four contender.
• Individual dominance and production.
• Versatility with her skill set in a team game.
• Level of competition played and how much team leaned on her.
First Team
Ruth Riley (1997-2001), Skylar Diggins (2009-13), Arike Ogunbowale (2015-19), Jackie Young (2016-19) and Jessica Shepard (2017-19)
This is as much about fit and chemistry as it is about talent, because guard Jewell Loyd (2012-15) was magnificent — but there is only one basketball.
Ensconced as a Notre Dame legend after converting the two free throws with 5.8 seconds left to defeat Purdue for the 2001 national title, the 6-5 Riley is one of only two Fighting Irish players to record more than 2,000 points (2,072) and 1,000 rebounds in her career (1,007).
The Naismith Player of the Year as a senior, she also was an Academic All-American, a two-time WNBA champ, an Olympic gold medalist and in 2019 was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Following Riley’s graduation, the program did not advance beyond the Sweet 16 the next eight years, and then top-five recruit Diggins from nearby South Bend Washington arrived.
Her charisma and fierce competitiveness created a Pied Piper effect that attracted other premier recruits to Notre Dame. The Irish were a remarkable 7-2 against Connecticut in Diggins’ final nine games against the Huskies en route to three consecutive Final Four appearances, two in the title game. The four-time All-American spearheaded the basketball renaissance that made Notre Dame one of the top three programs in the country from 2010-19.
Diggins held the school record for career points (2,357) — until Ogunbowale eclipsed it (2,626). While defense was sometimes optional for Ogunbowale, she was the program’s most electrifying player ever on offense. An unstoppable locomotive on the break with the ball, Ogunbowale could score in the blocks, off the dribble with either hand, pull up, or convert beyond the arc.
Her epic three-pointer at the horn versus Mississippi State to capture the 2018 national title — after a similar game-winner versus UConn two days earlier — surpassed Dwight Clay’s corner jumper to end UCLA’s 88-game winning streak in 1974 as the most famous in school annals.
Ogunbowale’s 21.8 scoring average the next year as a senior when the Irish lost by one in the title game is a single-season school record.
McGraw considered Young the program’s greatest athlete, and like Loyd she was the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft. What set Young apart is she was at ease deferring to teammates, could defend almost anyone — down low or a point guard — and in her final year also averaged 7.4 rebounds as a guard and a team-high 5.1 assists.
With so many mega-stars, it is vital to be so much more than just a scorer. Between Young and Loyd, we gave the edge to Young because of her skills on defense, rebounding and passing.
One can make an argument that Loyd should be ahead of Shepard — and it is viable. But the lineup needs more size plus a high-post figure who is an exceptional passer.
Although Shepard played only two seasons at Notre Dame following her transfer from home state University of Nebraska, the 6-4 forward was the godsend to the program after Brianna Turner was declared unable to play in 2017-18 because of a torn ACL.
Shepard stepped in and the Irish didn’t miss a beat. No one at the school recorded more rebounds than her as a junior and senior (698), but she was also an exceptional passer in the half-court sets and peerless with the outlet throws that triggered the fast break. The second-team All-American as a senior could also handle the ball, run the floor and score in the high or low post off the dribble.
What boosted her to the first team was the immense role she had winning the 2018 national title on a team ravaged by injury.
Thus, you have exceptional height, rebounding and a high-low tandem with Riley and Shepard that can run the floor, formidable explosiveness and athleticism with Ogunbowale and Young, and supreme leadership and more fire power with Diggins.
Second Team
Katryna Gaither (1993-97), Beth Morgan (1993-1997), Niele Ivey (1996-2001), Kayla McBride (2010-14) and Jewell Loyd (2012-15)
Following Notre Dame’s disappointing 14-17 and 15-12 seasons to end the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons, the inside-outside tandem of Gaither and Morgan enrolled in 1993 and became the foundation of prominence in the McGraw era. They get extra credit for carrying the program into what it would become
Both remain among the top five scorers in school history, and as seniors they led Notre Dame’s stunning run to its initial Final Four in 1997 when Notre Dame at the end was down to seven players and had to call on a student manager to suit up.
New head coach Ivey earned third-team All-America notice as the point guard for the 2001 national champs while also winning the Frances Pomeroy Award as the nation’s top player under 5-8. She averaged 12.1 points and a team-high 6.9 assists per game while adroitly leading on both ends of the floor.
Two-time All-American McBride was ineligible the second semester of her freshman year but bounced back with a fabulous career that twice earned her first-team All-America accolades, three straight Final Four appearances and the No. 3 selection in the WNBA Draft. A strong case can be made for her on the first team as well.
Loyd rivaled Young as the best athlete under McGraw and was the 2015 espnW National Player of the Year, a fearless performer with a quiet swagger who could match Ogunbowale as the most explosive scorer in so many different ways. Her pure talent did not take a back seat to anyone in the McGraw era.
Third Team
Jacqueline Batteast (2001-05), Natalie Achonwa (2010-14), Lindsay Allen (2013-17) Brianna Turner (2014-19) and Marina Mabrey (2015-19)
From the same high school as Diggins, the 6-2 Batteast averaged double-figure scoring all four seasons to earn All-America notice, and also averaged 7.8 rebounds per game during her career to complement her top-10 scoring skills.
A classmate of McBride, Canadian native and 6-4 Achonwa was a stellar high-post passer with a brilliant basketball IQ, averaging 14.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per contest her last two seasons. The Irish advanced to the Final Four and made three championship games during her career.
Turner is an ideal complement to Achonwa in the low post. Although she was sidelined during the 2018 run to the national title from an ACL tear the previous season, she joins Riley as the only two Notre Dame players to tally 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds, and she also blocked a school record 372 shots (two more than Riley).
Diminutive point guard Allen was Notre Dame’s Iron Woman, playing and starting all 149 games (139-10), dishing out the most assists (841) in program history, defending and scoring when needed.
The choice at shooting guard was between Mabrey and Alicia Ratay (1999-2003), who rank one-two in three-pointers made at the school, and both were instrumental in national title seasons.
The slightest nod went to Mabrey because she had more of an all-around game on offense, was quicker on defense and was such a pivotal figure when she shifted and acclimated to point guard during the run to the 2018 national title. Plus, she provided a fierce edge on the floor.
Honorable Mention
Alicia Ratay (1999-2003)
Arguably, Ratay is the program’s greatest pure shooter. The Holy Grail for shooters is achieving the 180 mark when adding up percentages in field goal shooting, three-point shooting and free throw shooting, and she was at 181.0 in her career with 46.2 from the field, an NCAA record 47.6 from three and 87.2 at the charity stripe.
The Big East Rookie of the Year in 2000, the next year she was the second-leading scorer for the national champs (12.9) while converting a sizzling 54.7 percent beyond the arc.
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