Eric Hansen: Welcome to the first-ever Notre Dame Women's Basketball Live Chat.
And based on the number of questions in the queue, it will not be the last-ever ND WBB Live Chat, so thank you and keep 'em coming.
Some quick programming notes:
► The next Notre Dame Football Live Chat is coming up Thursday at noon ET at insideNDsports.com. We’ve kind of mixed and matched chats the past few months, but let’s save the football questions for that one. It’ll come a day after coach Marcus Freeman wraps up spring football with the media and a day before the football transfer portal closes (at the end of the day Friday).
► The latest rendition of Football Never Sleeps comes at you tonight (Monday) at 7 ET on YouTube with Tyler James and me. And if you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, what are you doing with your life? Seriously, the show keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation, so you can catch up anytime on our YouTube channel.
More Content
► Peter Schivarelli: The dream and legacy of a Notre Dame football walk-on
► Inside Notre Dame WBB's start to a pivotal offseason and roster rebuild
► Updating Notre Dame's depth chart projection following the Blue-Gold Game
► No. 9 Notre Dame men's lacrosse team heats up late to rally past No. 5 UNC
► A couple of football walk-ons no longer on Notre Dame's roster
► Finally, at WSBT Sports Radio 96.1, we’re rolling through the end of Notre Dame spring football practice season, a busy spring transfer portal cycle, and the run-up to the NFL Draft. Darin Pritchett and I are together this week on Wednesday and Thursday, and each week moving forward on Weekday SportsBeat (960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. You can download all episodes as podcasts.
As far as this WBB chat …
Please include your name and hometown along with your questions.
Please no 17-part questions or manifestos. Leave the extended venting for your uncle's Facebook page. Don't mind an opinion with the question, but let's have a fun and informative conversation not a whine-fest ... not even if there's actual wine.
OK, off we go ...
Matt in Minnesota: Is Niele Ivey just whiffing on too many recruits? Not casting a wide enough net/developing plan B's on those whiffs? Relying too heavily on the portal? Her roster management seems to have been a problem since she took over.
Eric Hansen: OK, this seems like a great place to start. I think a lot of coaches are dealing with a new reality in women's basketball that isn't unique to Notre Dame. So let's start with the broader picture and then narrow it to Notre Dame. First, let's look at some numbers. Every team in the ACC has at least one player head to the transfer portal and there are 79 overall. In Division I there are almost 1,500 players who entered the portal, with still two more days left after today to do so. Roughly a third of them have found homes. Almost 60 DI teams had seven outgoing transfers or more. We'll get into why this is happening with some other questions, but I wanted to set that stage.
But 2026 is a critical cycle for Niele Ivey, and while there have been some really strong prospects take visits, they need to reel some of them in. The latest to take an official visit was small forward Bella Ragone (6-2), and another elite wing comes in this weekend in Savvy Swords, whose older sister was a freshman at Michigan this past season. The Irish signed one player in the 2025 class, and that was McDonald's All-American Leah Macy.
Ivey has consistently signed elite prospects. The question is should there be greater quantity. The Irish were looking to sign two players in the last cycle, possibly three and ended up with one. Did the math make sense? Had ND had zero outgoing transfers, ND would have had seven returning players and Macy as an eighth. It wasn't likely Olivia Miles was going to come back, so that knocks you down to 7. Them you're only looking to add a couple from the portal. Given the small pool ND can get through admissions when it comes to transfer credits, erring on the side of more -- especially going forward makes more sense. But keep in mind, you can't stockpile. No one can. Players are moving where they can play and where they can get NIL money.
Mike Palumbo from Cave Creek, Ariz.: No question, but I am an ardent fan of NDWBB. I am delighted that you are engaging in a women’s basketball chat. I have long read your football chats, and I,look forward to the same informative discussions.
Eric Hansen: Thanks, Mike. Really pleased with the response, and we're going to have another one soon, based on the interest level and the quality of questions. Some great ones in the queue today.
Terry from Huron, S.D.: Hi Eric, hope you had a great Easter weekend. I see ND has three transfers in the fold. How many do you anticipate? Also, why would ND only recruit one HS player? Seems to me building through HS recruiting and creating relationships is more sustainable. Am I wrong?
Eric Hansen: Thanks Terry, I did, and hope you did as well. Again, let's run the numbers to put this in context. ND has three returning players, all guards -- Hannah Hidalgo, Cass Prosper and KK Bransford. They've add three -- two bigs and a guard. Our news-gathering partners at WSBT-TV are expecting another addition soon. ND has two guards set to visit this week in USC freshman Kayleigh Heckel and Vanderbilt junior Iyana Moore. Of those two and the three who signed, Heckel is the only one that has multiple years of eligibility. The imminent addition may have two years. There's a third prospect who might visit this week as well, but it's not been finalized. Then you have the incoming freshman Leah Macy.
Macy suffered a serious knee injury on Jan. 26. There's been no official word on her status for 2025-26, but I would not count on it. So her earliest contribution would be 2026-27. So now to your question, how many transfers? I would say a minimum of five and likely six if things fall right. I think Niele Ivey is more concerned with fit and getting through admissions than the actual number.
Again given the smaller pool of transfers ND can attract and get through admissions and the fact that most of those are one-and-done grads, being more aggressive at the high school level is going to have to be the cornerstone of the new reality.
Irishoat from Rehoboth Beach, Del.: Eric, appreciate you setting this up. I’m an old alum and a longtime fan of the work you and Tyler do. While ND football is my main interest, your coverage of hoops, lacrosse, and baseball is top-notch — really appreciate how timely and in-depth it is.What sets your work apart is the context and analysis you bring. You’re not just reporting scores—you’re giving us the bigger picture, and that makes a big difference.
Looking ahead, I’d love to see more on how things are evolving inside the ND Athletic Department under AD Bevacqua. The transformation over the past decade into a more sophisticated operation is a story in itself. Future decisions—especially related to the women’s hoops program—are going to be crucial.
Thanks again for all you do.
Eric Hansen: Thanks for the compliments, Irishoat. Hopefully, my mom paid you well for those. ... Seriously, thanks. We've had limited access to Pete Bevacqua and most of my focus has been football to this point when we've had it, but yes, as soon as we get past this latest round of court decisions that affect all of college sports, I will prioritize a women's hoops discussion with the Irish athletic director, now just getting started in his second year.
Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric!! Were you taken by surprised by the number of transfers out of the program this season? Do you think Coach Ivey was? How do the WBB mange roster? Do they have a general manager similar to football? What other resources?
Eric Hansen: Len!! Thanks for the exclamation points. I think women's college basketball, as a while, was taken aback by the number of transfers. And a lot of this is driven by NIL money, which is far greater than what the WNBA is paying for top players. So ND had four, but UCLA -- a Final Four team -- had six. Texas, another FF team had three. All four of them had at least one. And some are disgruntled backups moving around the country, and some of the game's biggest stars. As far as ND individually, I think the one that caught ND off-guard was Kate Koval. And there's reportedly and agent and big money at play there. Risch needed a change of scenery and closer to home after two hip surgeries. Miles looked headed to the WNBA, but chose TCU -- more on that later. Kylee Watson was looking around for a while, but it wasn't definite. And landing at Villanova wasn't her original destination. But agents and handlers and big money is changing WBB, and tampering -- through third parties is pretty common. ... ND does not have someone who wears the GM tag, but the Irish do have program support staff.
Marie from Atlanta: Hey Eric, I hope you had a fantastic Easter. Thanks for hosting a chat about the women’s basketball team. Can you give your thoughts on the Niele’s in-game coaching down the stretch. I felt like she got out coached in several of the last games and wondered what you think she needs to do to improve her in-game coaching? Along the same lines, do you think during the season instead of making sure they win every game that she should be more willing if necessary to take a few losses in the name of development?It seems like Gino, Dawn, and other head coaches of top teams are willing to risk a loss in the name of development so that they can peak during the tournament. Finally, and this is a little tough, I know they’ve had a couple of pick ups from the transfer portal but nothing too remarkable. Maybe they’re still in on some bigger names, but in all honesty, how much do you think will be able to expect from this team next year? Thanks again for hosting a chat all about a women’s sports. Love that!
Eric Hansen: Marie, thanks my grandkids had an amazing Easter, even though I didn't dress up like the Easter Bunny, as you suggested. I instead brought pizza, breadsticks, pop and money. ... I was critical of Niele Ivey's in-game coaching down the stretch and I'll repeat it here. I did like the emphasis on defense, the emphasis on being a transition team. But there's times teams are going to make you play left-handed, so to speak, and I think Ivey fell short in putting a team on the floor that could highly function in a half-court offense. That needs to be a step in her offseason coaching evolution.
I'm not sure I can go along with taking more losses to peak later. I don't think that's necessary in the way you presented it. Now, playing tough teams in November/December and playing different lineup combos to find your best chemistry early makes sense to me ... even if it means you don't win all those games. But winning those games is important in terms of tournament seeding, etc. As far as expectations for next year, they've been in a couple of the way too early Top 25s, though closer to the bottom of those than the top.
I'd kind of like to see what's still to come from the portal, but having Hannah Hidalgo back is a great player to build around. If you had asked me last year how ND would so before they added Karlen and King through the portal, my answer would have been different. So I'm going to defer. And thanks for being part of these chats too. You are a force in the football ones.
Brian from Cincinnati: For the most part the football team was only able to accept graduate transfers from the portal. Is the same true for WBB? Will we be looking at replacing all the transfers we take this year again next year? That can't be good for building/maintaining team culture.
Eric Hansen: Another really good question. Getting grad transfers through admissions is easy. Getting players who just completed their freshman year in good standing is workable. It's the other classes, particularly rising juniors and rising seniors that are difficult. Iyana Moore would be a rising senior, but her Vanderbilt background and her strong performance as a student there, make her more of a match. But ND lost out on an elite post player in this transfer cycle in which there was mutual interest who's in the same class as Moore but wasn't a match based on transfer credits.
And it's not just whether admissions says yes or no. There are players who can make it through admissions but lose way too much in credits that don't transfer and don't think it's worth it. In football, Riley Leonard lost a bunch, but it was worth it to him. But not everyone is willing to do that. And yes, you're right about the cultural challenges of having so much turnover. But the question moving forward is, even if you can land a lot of elite HS players, can you afford to keep them all?
Mike Laird from Manassas, Va.: Do the Irish women have a good chance of bringing in MiLaysia Fulwilley?
Eric Hansen: I don't see that happening.
rmlnd72: In the past ND women's teams have been the best when they have had a somewhat athletic "big body" that can score and defend in the paint. That was lacking on this year's team although there was likely expectation that Koval would step into that role. That type of player has emerged both in and outside of the ACC and with Koval's departure ND seems ill equipped to attack and defend teams with big centers with at least moderate athleticism. So far the portal additions and scheduled visitors along with the incoming recruit do not seem to address that issue and leaves ND exposed in the paint. Your thoughts??
Eric Hansen: I think you can function without that kind of player against most of your schedule. When you get to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tourney and beyond, those players start to show up on opposing teams, and you need to be able to counterpunch. So yes, I agree with you there. A healthy Macy would have been a starter. And ND does need another big, especially someone experienced and advanced to add to Malaya Cowles and Gisela Sanchez. Of those two I hold out more hope that Cowles can be a starter. She's been improving each year. And ND has done well with most (but not all) transfer bigs. Maya Dodson played by far her best ball in an ND uniform. Lauren Ebo was better at ND than she was at Texas or Penn State.
We get into economics too with the bigs. Teams are willing to overpay for posts and big forwards. I believe ND is and will be competitive in the NIL space (soon to be revenue sharing). But when you have to bring in a lot of transfers, you have to prioritize your spending pool, and between that and admissions, you have to thread the needle.
Dale in LaPorte: Is there a strategy behind signing “bench” players from the portal before going after more prime players?
Eric Hansen: Dale, I don't think it's a strategy as much as it is just how things fall in terms of logistics. Here's a good way to look at it ... the bigger the name in transfer in this cycle, the more layers you have to go through. Agents, handlers and parents, instead of just the family. So adding King and Karlen last cycle was much less complicated. And adding the players ND has added so far ... there's not the number of competing schools that there will be for say the two who are visiting this week. But let's see where this ends up at the end of the cycle. Players can still enter the portal through Wednesday. Then they can make their decision thereafter. And remember, 2/3 of the players in the portal currently have not found their landing spots.
Marie from Arlington, Va.: Has there been any discussion on Ivey adding more Assistant Coaches? Recruiting and development of bigs come to mind as areas of need.
Eric Hansen: A second Marie? Welcome. I don't think more assistants are going to change the dynamic. The sudden big money in the women's game and ND's admissions are the two biggest hurdles. The fact that Kate Koval didn't develop significantly this season could be a knock, though again Dodson and Ebo, two older posts, did progress at ND.
Jeff from Phoenix: Eric, was following the chat and had to jump in. Your article on the state of ND WBB indicated that many agents of players are operating on the edge of ethics or outright unethically. I am sure ND has a code of business ethics that has to be agreed upon by general university vendors, so do they hold agents to some standard? And let the players know all agents must agree to a standard? Or, as any business can do, just decline to work with certain agents. We might miss on a player or 2 but like the UT QB holdout issue, most would like to see ADs set a line in the sand for business ethics. Apologies, a little rant-ish... Thanks-
Eric Hansen: Hi Jeff. It's not just ethics when it comes to tampering. It's ethics when it comes to putting the player and what's best for them first. And there are really good ethical agents, but there needs to be more regulation with college agents. I haven't dived deep enough to get approximate numbers, but anecdotally, there are agents that have high percentages and I believe are driving some of this player movement. So I think setting a standard needs to come from the NCAA and not individual schools per se, and perhaps once we get past the final version of House v. NCAA, we can get to that point.
Josh L from Iowa City: Hi Eric! Was ND in touch with Serah Williams out of Wisconsin? Seemed like a perfect fit. Was she one of the transfer credit casualties you mention?
Trey from Phoenix: Hey Eric, I've seen multiple Iowa posters claim that ND is in the lead for 2026 recruit Jenica Lewis. Have you heard anything regarding this? Thank you!
Eric Hansen: Trey I am going to be both honest with you and disappoint you at the same time. I feel good about my knowledge base about who's visiting, and inner workings of the program. As far as who's leading with a particular recruit, that's beyond my bandwidth.
Paul from Knoxville, Tenn.: Ciao Eric: Thanks very much for doing an ND WBB chat! I wish you could do similar chats occasionally during the WBB season -- could you??? Don't mean to put you on the spot, but I am curious. Regardless, on to my questions about the team: What do the portal transfers tell you about Coach Ivey's intentions for next season, or is it too early to discern at this point? Each player's stats seem rather pedestrian, but I recognize that stats don't tell the whole story. However, since they are all grad transfers (I think), I am a bit concerned about the amount of development that can occur in just one season, particularly with "new" players, so I would welcome your thoughts. Lastly, what happened on the recruiting front that contributed to the current need for a roster rebuild? If I recall correctly, ND only signed 1 recruit each of the past two years (Koval and Macy). Did we swing and miss multiple times or...? Btw, great article about Peter Schivarelli. I really enjoyed reading it -- so much so that I shared it with …
Eric Hansen: Paul, thanks for the compliment on the Peter Schivarelli story. It was fun to get a tweet from the band Chicago about it and a fun story to write. As far as in-season WBB chats, we might be able to make that work in the later stages of the season. I'm stretched too think when football is still going on. But I have been pleasantly floored with the quality and quantity of questions today and I didn't even have to impose a "no drinking" or "no bare feet" rule today. To your question, ND needed starts and depth pieces both. And players that fit in with what they have. Hannah, Cass and KK are going to play a lot. ND will probably be four guards around a big much more than playing two bigs. I still think playing with Hannah is a nice draw.
So, why not more players? OK, remember those players signed in November as ND's 2024-25 season was just getting started. So, if you're a big, like Macy, you say OK I'm the next Maddy Westbeld. So you'd have her, Koval, Cass, Hannah, KK, Risch, Watson and maybe Miles the following season. If you're a five-star guard, are you willing to sit behind Miles, Hannah, KK, Risch, Cass for a year? And as far as picking up another big, if you only need one, the portal wasn't a bad place to go. But I agree HS recruiting has to be the bread and butter moving forward, but you can't ignore the portal, coming and going.
Debbie: Will Leah Macy be able to play next season?
Eric Hansen: Mentioned earlier, I don't think that's happening, but nothing official yet.
Anthony: NDWB has secured 3 transfers. However, are they going to sign any impact/high level transfers? Because their current roster lacks the ability to compete at the highest level. Like Sarah Williams, Gianna Kneepkens, Iyana Moore, Oluchi Okananwa, and Kara Dunn. They need to land at least two players of this caliber to put a championship contender on the floor. Otherwise they will take many steps back from the standard that has been set. What is their plan to get high level transfers and recruits moving forward? Is the lack of getting talent a coaching problem, lack of scouting/identifying problem or is it something else?
Eric Hansen: Hi Anthony, ND's path forward is to best adapt to the new reality. I don't think it's a lack of scouting/evaluation. You look at the players ND tried to sign. Sarah Strong of UConn visited as did Mackenly Randolph. They liked Toby Fournier of Duke. In the 2025 class, they got Sienna Betts to visit, Deniya Prawl and Aaliyah Crump, too. Were in strong pursuit of ZaKiyah Johnson.
So, it's player retention, it's hitting at a higher rate with elite HS players, it is using the portal and it's prioritizing the money the Irish have to spend. Again, they are competitive. They are NOT a school that can say "the bank is open."
Vinny from NJ: Hey Eric, love your work. There are a few areas of concern for me. I’ve been watching this program for a long time and really started watching when Skylar played. Areas of concern are recruiting, use of personnel, half court offense and post coaching. With regards to recruiting 3 one player classes in 5 years is not going to cut it. That’s on the coaching staff and their philosophy. There’s no way with 9 final fours, 2 nattys and top academics you can’t attract top kids. Post recruiting specifically has been abysmal. These are all things the staff controls, not the media, not the fans etc. Like Marcus Freeman preaches on the football end, challenge everything. What’s the messaging ? Why are we missing on top players? Do we need to expand our recruiting dept ie Chad Bowden type of hire specifically for recruits? Where are the plan b type players or shall I say diamonds in the ruff like Madison Cable ? Would love to see an interview with Coach to answer some questions. Go Irish!
Eric Hansen: Hi Vinny, and thank you. I actually wrote a column about the need for Niele Ivey to adopt Marcus' "question everything" mantra. LINK So we agree there ... And I think you have a great idea and getting Niele's thoughts on that. Will she? As soon as we get into May, I will request that.
Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. Thanks for doing this special WBB chat. In your opinion, what are Niele Ivey's strengths and areas she needs to work on to improve?
Eric Hansen: Jack, thanks for jumping in, I'm going to go overly broad here being a chat format and not a story, but I think this first thing will help Niele Ivey evolve her coaching. And let me preface this by saying following a coach with multiple national titles and a statue out in front of the arena. But I think there's a tendency sometimes in those situation and others with young head coaches to dig their heels in and make sure it appears you have all the answers. And the great coaches I've been around in all sports don't have all the answers. They're constantly evolving and asking questions and bouncing ideas off people outside of their staff.
Muffett McGraw listened to her assistants, but she also listened to Digger Phelps and Jim Foster and lots of other coaches, and those conversations sparked new ideas and ways to look at things. And instead of running away from that, I'd tap into that if I were Niele. What an amazing resource to have close by. Marcus Freeman in football has benefited greatly by asking questions and vetting ideas through other coaches.
I think Niele Ivey's strength is her emphasis on defense and being able to teach it. And giving her players freedom in the transition game, I think is a strength. Evaluating players is a strength. I do think she is a hard worker. But I think her in-game counterpunch game needs to be stronger. And once she has her roster set, I believe a summer of refining the X's and O's is in order. in other words, evolve.
2581/Tony from Somerset, Pa. (hometown), but a long time resident of Kentucky: Thanks so much for doing a women's basketball chat, Eric - it is much appreciated. I hope that there will be enough interest to keep them going periodically. Your article about women's basketball this weekend was very informative, and you probably answered a lot of our questions therein. But I'm wondering: when did the ND coaching staff find out that TCU was tampering with Olivia Miles during the season? I'm not a psychologist so I'm not going to speculate on how that might have affected Olivia's play, or whether it affected her play, but I certainly don't like it. It also makes me think less of their coach, which all of the TV commentators were fawning over during TCU's tournament run…
Eric Hansen: Hi Tony. Let me give this some context. I shared with our subscribers on The Insider Lounge premium message board recently the assertion a source told me TCU had been in contact with Olivia Miles' representation before the season hit the halfway point. That's a serious allegation and difficult to fully prove, but I do think it's plausible, which is why I shared it in that light. And it also sheds a light on the direction WBB might be headed, which might undo some of the great strides that sport has made in terms of popularity in the last couple of years. We'll see. I didn't drill down on all of who found out, how they found out and when they found out. But if true, it's a scary dynamic for a lot of reasons.
Dave from Battle Creek, Mich.: Thank you for your ND-WBB coverage. Various reports have listed ND as making 15 offers to players in the ‘26 class (all of them are ranked #28 or higher by ESPN) and 13 of those players are still reported as considering ND with only Olivia Vukosa (ESPN #3, P, 6’-4”) and Jordyn Jackson (ESPN #8, G, 6’-1”) moving on from considering ND. ND appears to be in a position to sign multiple players from the ‘26 class.
My questions: has there been any “reportable” rumblings within the Athletic Department about Coach Ivey and her staff’s failure to get multiple HS commitments the last two years? If they do not sign multiple players from the class of ‘26, do you think ND would move on from Coach Ivey after the ‘25-’26 season?
Eric Hansen: Hi Dave. I drove through Battle Creek very recently. ... Keep in mind the new AD just hit his one-year anniversary. Also keep in mind this is a team that's gone to four straight Sweet 16 and sat in the No. 1 spot in the polls in mid-February. So, speculating about a hot seat situation as in make-or-break seems like an unlikely conversation. Knowing Pete B a little, what I could see is them sitting down and collaborating. What does the program need to get to the next level? To sign top recruits? To be competitive in the portal? To maximize the talent it does have? I think those are the fair conversations NOW. Then let's see where we are next April.
Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. Have to jump in again to say I am astounded about the interest in the WBB program based on this chat. What is apparent is the lack of interest in the MBB program and at school that produced Austin Carr, Adrian Dantley, and Bill Lambeer among others that is a shame. Thanks again for your great work!
Eric Hansen: Thank you. The queue has more questions than I'll be able to get to, though some are very similar. I was going to stop at 2:30, but I've decided to go 'til 3 before I have another assignment to get to. Seriously, thanks to everyone who's made this an amazing debut.
JM: Would love to know your thoughts on Olivia and if you think her transfer out is partially alluded to wanting to be the number one option on offense? I felt that towards the end of the season and after Hannah returned from her ankle sprain that the vibes on the court were off and the offensive flow that we saw earlier on looked stinkier. **stimmied** apologies for the auto correct typo
Eric Hansen: My read is that Olivia went into the season believing this could work well and that she would be a top five WNBA pick this spring with a degree and master's degree in hand. And all that was true, but the portal money was SIGNIFICANTLY better than going to the WNBA in this draft, so she transferred. Was it always smooth on and off the court with Hannah? I don't think that's true, but I don't think it was why the team didn't play consistently well at the end of the season. Remember this is the same team that won 19 straight and beat the eventual national champs by double digits in game 3 of that 19-game win streak.
Malia from Hadden Township, N.J.: Hi Eric, thank you for hosting this! My biggest gripe with the team this year was that there was seemingly no Plan B. Like you mentioned earlier, I am mostly fine with the defense leads to offense approach. When it worked this past season, we were having a blast. When it didn't however, deer in headlights...I am wondering if we might see a change in system next season? I don't anticipate us hitting it out of the park with any other transfers or having a great year. I am wondering if Niele would consider experimenting and tweaking the primary game plan? She doesn't strike me as the type but this season's lows could have been a wake-up call. Thoughts?
Eric Hansen: Hi Malia. I think you have a really good read of what went wrong and what could go right. And I'm not sure she would be convinced to do that, but I think it needs to happen. And once she gets past the portal recruiting season and can reflect on that, maybe it will be a wake-up call.
Paul from Knoxville, TN: Oops! Sorry Eric, I must have cut off the end of my message. I meant to write that I shared your article with my son, who is in college studying sport journalism and is an ND fan.
Eric Hansen: Paul, will thank you for sharing it. And thanks for the follow-up. These chat cells have a character limit, which is why you probably got cut off. That's why I have to type (more) on some of my answers, because I am too long-winded. And thanks again for sharing that.
Dann from West Virginia: If it’s hard to get these five star players, how come UConn and South Carolina seem to be getting them?
Eric Hansen: Notre Dame is getting five-star players and McDonald's All-Americans. It's the quantity of them. And South Carolina and UConn are winning titles at a higher rate than everybody right now.
Emilia O’Brien: What will be the hardest part of playing next season without another dynamic guard ( olivia and sonia ) to play with Hannah Hidalgo?
Eric Hansen: Hi Emilia, please include your hometown next time. I think if ND adds Iyana Moore, there would be a big benefit to that, because she is a true combo guard who can score and who can handle the ball and defend. Hannah will go back to being the primary point guard, and she was an All-American doing that as a freshman. But there's better pieces around her than maybe it appears. KK Bransford can play either guard position and is very versatile defensively, Cass is an elite defender, can play some forward and is evolving offensively. Vanessa de Jesus can come in and allow Hannah to play off the ball in stretches. But overall, ND will be better if it's a balanced offense and that's why the remaining portal additions are very important. Otherwise, they'll focus on Hannah and take their chances with everyone else.
Dann from Martinsburg, W.Va.: Some people are suggesting that there is a problem between Coach Ivy and some of the players. Based on player feedback I’ve read I don’t see that as the case. However, if that’s true that there are no issues with the staff and the players then why does it appear Coach Ivey is finding it so difficult to recruit more high caliber players or obtain high caliber players through the portal? Is a problem with her or the university or what? What are your sources telling you?
Eric Hansen: OK I think I pieced together the questioner's identity here. ... If I goofed, please forgive me ... Look, players want to play. If they look at a roster and don't see that opportunity, chances are they are not going to sign with the Irish. The days of using all 15 allotted scholarships are over. You have to recruit elite players who stay on your roster and play well together. What I will say is there was a huge missed opportunity this year. This team had Final Four talent.
Bob from Oklahoma City: Eric, Just wanted to say thanks for having this chat, have followed you for years and really appreciate your work. Have you heard any speculation on additions on subtractions to Niele's staff?
Eric Hansen: Hi Bob, and thank you. I have not heard that.
Eric Hansen: Ok, my half hour of overtime is up, so that's going to do it for today. Thanks for all the great questions and please follow our other content at insideNDsports.com. We'll do another one of these once the transfer portal cycle plays out the rest of the way and ND's roster is set. In the meantime, I hope to meet with Niele Ivey and Pete Bevacqua. Thanks again for making this debut a huge hit.
• Talk with Notre Dame fans on The Insider Lounge.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Podbean or Pocket Casts.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports channel on YouTube.
• Follow us on Twitter: @insideNDsports, @EHansenND and @TJamesND.
• Like us on Facebook: Inside ND Sports
• Follow us on Instagram: @insideNDsports
