She just committed to Iowa State. She was my preferred choice for a guard pickup, but there were no rumors of any mutual interest.

have had something specific she was looking for that was not at Marquette with or without Duffy.

She was someone who was not highly rated and outperformed her HS rep in college. Maybe more NIL or friends drew her when given more options with her performance.

We didn't need her IMO. Karlen a much better fit on many levels.

Karlen is a 6'2" forward and Hare is a 5'9" shooting guard. Most of the Irish fans believe ND needs 2 front court players and a combo guard, so we could have grabbed both. Right now we only have 2 front court players (Koval and Maddy), a PG (Liv), a combo guard (Hannah, she's combo because I believe Miles will primarily run the point this season), 2 wings (Soni and Emma) and a 3/4 (Cass). Given our injury history, there is no way we should go into the Fall with only 7 players. 10 players seems like the minimum we should consider, and I'm not counting Kylee because she probably won't be available any time during the season (and if she appears, it will be late and she won't be up to speed).

I would prefer a "3 and D" guard, but effective ones are hard to get, so we'll hopefully get one that either has great range and is sufficient defensively, or a defensive stopper that is pretty effective offensively.

As for the front court, I envision someone who has the physical ability to play C, as Koval won't be able to play anywhere near 40 minutes/game (and I wouldn't want her to, anyway). This player should have the height and/or strength to defend effectively, but doesn't need to be much of an offensive threat (think Kylee). The other F position is more flexible, as that player would provide depth (for foul trouble/injury insurance).

Last season we got only two players from the portal, but we whiffed on one. I hope we bat at least 67% this year. I feel like we owe it to Maddy, Soni (and possibly Liv) to go all out this season for a championship.

As noted, she's 6'2" and is generally listed as a forward, but she played and positioned herself everywhere from the lane to the elbow and even beyond on offense. On defense, she'd cover post and big forwards, generally, but would also anchor a zone.

I could see Niele employing her in a "big but agile" lineup against certain teams, in either a zone or man-to-man, with Soni moving to the 2.

Well, we'll see how progress is going on this front.

addition, but I still think we need a defensive 5; not for most of our games, but for the games when we must defend one of the great bigs in today's game: Iriafen, Betts, Beers, Lee, or pretty much the entire South Carolina front court. Having someone to hamper a dominant big and absorb some fouls will be imperative if we have dreams of a championship.

Do you think Karlen could go against these bigs and hold her ground? She's not thin like Nat but she's only 6'2" and so she's giving up a lot of height. I didn't watch Marquette much so I cannot evaluate how she would perform in these types of situations. I know Maddy can provide some assistance, but that takes away from her offense and she can also be foul prone. Are 3 front court players (Westbeld, Karlen and Koval) enough to fill 2 positions in the tournament? Will all three be available in the postseason?

post player. Karlen is more of a stretch four than a low post player from what I have seen of her. As you noted, Maddy Westbeld does pick-up fouls when she has to defend the low post for more than a few minutes per game. Weimar would be a good time sharer with Koval; she was the Patriot League defensive player of the year...

...in my opinion. If Niele could get Caitlyn Weimar to share time with Kate Koval, you'd add very tall and active post defender, which could make up for the absence of Kylee Watson. Karlen is an all-round forward, just like Maddy, but I could see her on the floor at the same time as Maddy, playing wing on a zone, with Soni moving up top. That would be a great big lineup.

"druthers" I would heist Karlen and Gardiner. (Gardiner is 6'3" and has decent size and strength. She is also a force on the offensive end and has two year of eligibility left, so she could slide into Maddy's spot when she leaves.). Combo or shooting guard, no "druthers", other than having played basketball previously. lol

real life but I have Debbie Downer vibes regarding any TP players coming to South Bend. 🤷‍♀️🤞

to note that Bronagh Power-Cassidy is from Ireland. I was pretty sure of that by the time I go to the comma after her name.

..because I sometimes post on other boards who might not so Irish-centric.

I've seen her play and she's one of those very competent players who knows her game and can fit in/take lead as needed.

knows which way the wind blows?"

...of mine. Quite frankly, I'm hoping two prospects (at least) just drop an instagram or X announcement and take the suspense out of it all!!

Complete guess, but I'm thinking Karlen and either Weimer or Gardiner.

I don't think Niele will take a guard unless there's an "Obinma" that is a graduate student willing to take some emergency minutes. Otherwise, I think Niele prefers her small bench.

For the three guard positions it would be: HH, Olivia and Soni with Emma and Cass in the rotation.

For the 4/5 positions it would be: Maddy/Karlen/Gardiner/Kate with Cass also possible at the 4.

you provided good support for that expectation. But how many would you want the Irish to get? By the way, I would be thrilled to get Gardiner and Karlen. If we got those two, I would be happy with only 2. (Honestly, I would be very happy with any 2 of those 3, but I am afraid that may be optimistic.)

I would have been happy with this team having KK and Nat to be honest. So I’m OK with taking 2 to stay status quo. In a more perfect world we would have signed another guard/wing in Kate’s class.

I appreciate the injury discussion. But realistically any TP guard is only going to play 5 mpg at best. If one of the big three guards get hurt, I think Emma or Cass would just play more. It would take a pretty unique player to be willing to sit behind those three, but step in over Emma or Cass if called upon.

the past seasons and takes on more guards/fowards then she normally would.

It wouldn't shock me to only pick up two, but going into the season with only 9 healthy players seems particularly reckless after last year. I would have expected Niele to move to a larger roster, not a smaller one, but it's certainly looking that way right now.

or two.