Notre Dame’s Continuing Celebration
One of the final exclamation points to Notre Dame’s 2018 national championship in women’s basketball was held Tuesday night in Purcell Pavilion during the program’s Awards Show.
All that was missing was the unfurling of the new “2018 National Champions” banner in the rafters, adjacent to the one from 2001. While addressing a crowd of more than 1,000, head coach Muffet McGraw shared that she often before games or practice would stare briefly at the banner and think, “That thing looks lonely up there. When is it going to have some company?”
It is the “lonely banner” no more.
Giving the invocation was Notre Dame president emeritus Rev. Edward “Monk” Malloy, C.S.C., who played basketball for the Fighting Irish from 1961-63 under head coach John Jordan. A regular at the games, Malloy relayed how he annually has a preseason meeting with McGraw to discuss the team — and in typical fashion McGraw last fall was downcast because she had doubts about whether the unit was tough enough or good enough, while Malloy would reassure that it would turn out alright.
“I was right,” deadpanned Malloy.
Director of athletics Jack Swarbrick noted how the team won the title because they were tougher and smarter than any of the competition, but that believing in each other “was the unifying, defining characteristic of this remarkable team. They made each other believe, they held each other to that belief, and they demonstrated it to all of you.”
Perhaps the loudest ovations of the night came when Swarbrick stated, “One of the reasons that they were the smarter team is everybody we faced in the Final Four was coached by a male head coach.”
A year ago, it would have been impossible to fathom that this team would finish No. 1 after graduating ultra-reliable four-year starting point guard Lindsay Allen, losing two former national players of the year to transfer, and having four other players — senior All-American Brianna Turner, senior Mychal Johnson, fifth-year senior Lili Thompson and freshman Mikayla Vaughn — shelved by the turn of the new year because of torn ACLs.
Plus, one starter, Jackie Young, played a good portion of the season with a broken nose, and another, Kathryn Westbeld, was hardly ever available for practice because of complications from ankle surgery and a litany of other ailments, including a conspicuous black eye.
“We measure competitive excellence here by national championships,” Swarbrick said. “That’s our goal every year. It doesn’t often get achieved. … But even among those national championships, not all are created equally.
“A year from now, 10 years from now, a century from now, when people comment on the greatest achievements in Notre Dame athletics, this team and this year will always be among them. And it’s not just because they overcame remarkable odds given the circumstances to win that national championship, but it’s how they did it. It’s how well they represented this university and this community and this fan base.”
Swarbrick concluded by saluting McGraw and her staff of Carol Owens, Niele Ivey and Beth Morgan Cunningham as the “greatest coaching staff in any collegiate team in America, basketball or otherwise.”
Bob Nagle, the voice of Notre Dame women’s basketball, was the emcee of the event who introduced the players and coaches. McGraw then provided a narration of the season while intertwining it with the awards she presented during the evening.
While senior forward Westbeld did not receive an individual award, perhaps the most emotional moment of the night for McGraw came when she began talking about her.
“I don’t think there’s a tougher player in women’s basketball. She’s the glue that kept us together, the calm in the storm — we’re really going to miss her,” said McGraw, who composed herself after her voice cracked when speaking about Westbeld.
The roster shortage forced McGraw to turn to adding three walk-ons to the program for the first time in many years: junior Maureen Butler, sophomore Kaitlin Cole and freshman Nicole Benz to complement freshman Danielle Patterson and fifth-year senior Kristina Nelson off the bench.
McGraw also emphasized how crucial Nov. 1 was when junior forward Jessica Shepard received her waiver from the NCAA to be eligible right away after transferring from Nebraska as a two-time All-Big Ten selection.
“When she arrived on campus, she made such an easy, seamless transition to our team,” McGraw said of Shepard who finished second in scoring (15.6 points per game) and first in rebounding (8.1 caroms per contest). “She’s a great teammate, always positive, encouraging — and I could always use a little positive and encouragement.”
Team Awards
Knute Rockne Student-Athlete of the Year— Nicole Benz
The freshman walk-on is majoring in engineering.
Most Spirited — Mikayla Vaughn
The 6-3 freshman made a huge impact in November road wins at Western Kentucky and Oregon State, but tore her ACL shortly thereafter. Despite her youth, she remained one of the loudest and most upbeat voices in the locker room and practice court.
Co-Most Improved Players — Kristina Nelson & Jackie Young
Nelson consistently provided a needed lift off the bench on both ends of the floor. Five times she scored in double figures (she had done it only three times her first three full seasons) while converting 62 percent of her field goals. On defense, she took a team record 19 charges, two of them during a crucial late stretch to help beat No. 1 Connecticut in the national semifinal.
The sophomore Young doubled her scoring average with 14.5 points per game, highlighted by her career-high 32 versus UConn in the aforementioned semifinal. She also tripled her assists total with 139 and doubled her steal data with 52.
Co-Defensive Players of The Year — Marina Mabrey & Jackie Young
The duo provided strong pressure atop the 2-3 zone that Notre Dame had to cling to in an effort to stay out of foul trouble, and as a guard Young also averaged 6.6 rebounds per game — second best on the team. McGraw praised Young as a player not only for her steady poise under pressure but for not even taking a possession off in practices.
Mabrey, who had to adjust to playing point guard in January, complemented her 14.4 scoring average by leading the team in three-pointers made (85), assists (168) and steals (79), ranking second in the ACC in league play only with 2.6 steals per game.
McGraw admitted that Mabrey might be the only person in the operation more ferociously competitive than her, and noted that the New Jersey native is the team’s best trash talker.
Woody Miller MVP Award (voted upon by media) — Arike Ogunbowale
Monogram Club MVP — Arike Ogunbowale
A newly minted Notre Dame and college basketball legend with her unprecedented last-second arcing, game-winning baskets against UConn and Mississippi State in Final Four victories, the consensus All-American finished with the most points (791) and highest scoring average (20.8) for a single season in school history.
Ogunbowale also set a new school standard with 25 games with 20-plus points and tallied the fifth-most points in NCAA Tournament history with 145 (24.2 per game).
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