Women’s basketball royalty has come through Christ The King High School in Middle Village, N.Y., through the years, and possibly the next one in line, 6-5 Natalija Marshall, announced via social media on Wednesday night that she will be heading to Notre Dame in 2020.
The five-star prospect — rated the nation’s No. 12 prospect by ESPN’s Hoopgurlz and No. 16 by Prospects Nation — was the top post target on the recruiting board for head coach Muffet McGraw and her staff in the current cycle.
Wrote Marshall: “I am extremely thankful and excited to announce that I have committed to the University of Notre Dame under Coach McGraw and her staff. Go Irish!!”
She fills a major void in the post, where the Fighting Irish have come up short in the last two cycles. Notre Dame signed 6-4 Danielle Cosgrove in 2018, , but she is more of a stretch four who has played mainly around the perimeter. In the 131 minutes of action she had this season for the national runners-up, she converted 14 of 48 field-goal attempts — with 35 of the shots coming beyond the arc.
Notre Dame signed two McDonald All-Americans in 2019 with incoming freshmen Anaya Peoples and Sam Brunelle. Peoples is a combination guard, while the 6-2 Brunelle does provide size but is a lethal premier perimeter player, easily winning the McDonald’s All-American three-point shooting contest last month. The Irish heavily pursued top-5 prospect Aliyah Boston last season for the post, but she signed with South Carolina.
An “A” student, Marshall also seriously considered Stanford University, but her visit to Notre Dame this past weekend prompted her to choose the Fighting Irish.
Nationally ranked through the years, Christ The King has produced luminaries such as UConn’s Sue Bird and Tina Charles, and University of Tennessee legend Chamique Holdsclaw.
Marshall is the second commit to Notre Dame in the 2020 recruiting cycle. Last fall Notre Dame received a commit from Altoona, Pa., guard Allison Campbell, ranked No. 24 nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 26 by Prospects Nation. This spring, Campbell’s 24 points (four treys) and six steals led Bellwood-Antis to its second-straight PIAA Class 2A championship in a 66-57 win over West Middlesex.
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