Does NI have a backup plan if we don't get her? Hoping that Niele already is recruiting Class of 2024 PG prospects that we don't know about yet. Recruiting prep players has been so meager lately it feels like a more desperate situation than before.
- Kymorea "Mo" Johnson (#30 HG, #42 ASGR, Elite 150 Prospects Nation), a 5'8" guard who plays for St. Anne's-Belfield HS in central Virginia and the West Virginia Thunder AAU team. She's coached by ND alum Mychal Johnson's father. Johnson was named the Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year for leading the Saints to a 19-1 record and a berth in the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association Division I state tournament semifinals. Johnson averaged 21.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 4.5 steals per game.
As noted by Baba, all this information is in the report just above and is fairly easy to access: just scroll to the position by year. Even no Google necessary!
BTW, I think 2023 is a lynch-pin year. I think being away from the game for nearly a year, coupled with the pandemic, handcuffed Niele. She pulled two spectacular rabbits out of the hat with Olivia and Sonia, but '22 was -- as you say -- meager. The contacts to transfers have helped (she previously knew most of them).
However, 2023 is a critical year on how she does with a "fresh crop," so to speak. AS MPG, when will Irish fans hope to see someone join Emma Risch?
Hopefully, Niele going to Hungary to see top 2023 prospects will yield some results.
I do follow and read your recruiting report.
It just doesn't feel like much of a backup plan when there's no guarantee of a committment from either one. I think if Niele doesn't land her blue chip targets she'll just fall back on recruiting grad transfers again.
I agree with you: there is no definite guarantee. Heck, the one '23 Irish commitment, Emma Risch, really isn't signed, sealed and delivered until the early signing period in Nov. '23.
That's the part of the recruiting process that is very high pressure, high stakes and ??? rewards. Niele and Mike are going after game changers that also fit ND (both institution and team) parameters, so there aren't that many prospects. And, of course, schools that fit similar profiles are also targeting them.
So, the fact that Niele even has one extra person -- and maybe Jasmine Brown -- at this point is more of a reality check on the way she plays this process.
However, here's a positive with the advent of transfers being part of the game. If you don't succeed the first time around, what goes round might come round. Dara Mabrey, Maya Dodson, Kyelle Watson and Jenna Brown are all high school and/or AAU prospects that went elsewhere (for whatever reason) the first time around. Yet, they're now in the Bend.
So, yes, if Niele doesn't land Hannah or Jasmine or "Mo," there might be another person waiting in the wings from past years.
Personally, I'd love to see someone line Hidalgo, but you never know. Stay tuned.
That was a great summary of NI's recruiting strategy and its pros and cons.
I was curious if you ever put out a list of prospects that you wish the coaching staff would take a look at but haven't shown any signs of interest yet.
One that comes to mind is 2024 G Morgan Cheli. I think she could be a game changer, a big guard (6-2) that is athletic, can create and is a ball hawk on defense which is something I think the team needs. She has offers from both Oregon schools and Tennesee.
...'23 and/or '24 prospects I wish Niele and Mike would go after but seemingly have no interest in....there may be a '22 prospect or two, in there, as well.
Dillon, Baba, and many others do their sleuthing through Twitter follows, who might be visiting, player comments, where the coaching staff is visiting.
It doesn't seem to be out in the open like football/men's basketball. I don't know if that's because limited media is following NDWBB or the intent of Niele and staff to keep it close to the vest.
From a selfish point of view, I wish the staff would give us more info - I know they can't comment on recruits publicly - and I guess they have their reasons
... that I'd like to see Niele and Michaela have an interest in. The irony, as Doggie and others have pointed out, is ND might have or might have already checked out a player. Difficult to know.
That said, we've seen 2023 play out in front of us and what we see is probably what ND will get (Donovan, Hidalgo, Prosper, knock on wood). However, I'd look at these folks, too:
- Chloe Kitts, the 6'2" forward from Florida who just played on the USA U-18 team in Argentina. She's come on the last year -- much like Irish commit Emma Risch -- but while they're about the same height, Kitts is known as a forward. And we'll need a heady forward who can shoot in 2023. Why? Maddy Westbeld will be a senior.
- Mary Ashley Groot, 6'2" forward from NYC who was invited to USA trials.
Primarily has an inside game but is getting better. Academics shouldn't be a problem, given she attends the prestigious Dalton School.
These types of forwards are probably dependent on whether a Cassandre Prosper commits to the Irish.
As for 2024.
Centers should be of prime interest, given Kylee Watson and Nat Marshall's eligible years will be winding down. So, would love to see the Irish continue to pursue:
- Kennedy Ume(h), the center who plays for the Philly Rise. Niele is going to Hungary to watch the U-17 USA team that Umeh is on (that also has Jadyn Donovan and Hannah Hidalgo). Good sign. She's a post.
- Blanca Thomas, the 6'5" center from North Carolina, also tried out for USA teams (and didn't make it), but that doesn't mean one should give up on them. Programs are clamoring for her.
- Kate Koval, the 6'5" center from the Ukraine who played for Lutheran High in Long Island. She's solid, moves well and is driven.
Plus...
- Morgan Cheli, the 6'2" guard from Cali who is on that u-17 team, as well. Hope Niele gets a look. However, pulling guards like that out of the Left Coast is tough.
- Allie Ziebell, the 5'10" guard from Wisconsin. ND/Ziebell are on each other's radar and I'd like to see it continue. She can shoot. And she can score. From three. Those extra points help.
Could be wrong though. Still a great list I hope that the coaching staff pulls a surprise recruit like Risch.
Getting a center that year is really essential.
I personally have no problem with Niele keeping things close to the vest.
ND women's basketball does not have a hundred high schoolers to choose from, they have about 20. Of that 20, maybe 15 have no interest in Notre Dame. We are talking only 2 or 3 players per year out of a possible 5. The scale of recruiting in women's basketball, at least if you want to win the championship, is completely different. I like the idea of concentrating on a few good women. The best of the best.
Oftentimes, the recruits we are looking at are not publicity hounds and would prefer that the Notre Dame coaches not reveal every visit, text, or tweet. They like their privacy. Recruit for the recruits, not for the fans. A little patience, and the fans will benefit eventually.
Sure, as many would have it, we could expand our reach to include “safety” or “insurance” players who may not win championships but make us a good also-ran if we fail in our first choices. As I have said before, I dislike the “hope for the best, plan for the worst” strategy. “Plan for the best, consider contingencies”, as I think we’ve agreed upon.
In addition, I’m not wedded to any particular strategy to the exclusion of others. It is a fine line to walk, especially when there are only 5 on the floor (from four years) at any one time. The most important thing is chemistry, and if the coaches feel like a non top 20 recruit can solidify rolls and chemistry, then, by all means, go for it. We have all seen the recruiting raters fail for some players.
But my main reason in deferring to the ND coaches is that they know so much more about the recruits and the intimate details of what would sway them one way or another. Who or who not they might want to play with, and, of course, the all important, playing time to expect. Unless I feel I know a recruit better than the coaches, I’ll be happy to let them deal with recruiting in their own way.
However, I still like to read about speculations regarding possible recruits.
..when I reread your e-mail and mine. However, the one new(er) thought I've added to this was in my initial reply, which is the recent surge in transfer signings means that the extensive work that Niele and Mike have done could have payback, either immediate or down the road. So, doing exhaustive searches and courtships on a few(er) tried and true prospects is perhaps not as high-risk, high-reward as in the past. You can second dibs!
Listen, it would be great to have an occasional picture or entry on Niele, Mike or Coach O visiting a prospect, but we collectively are doing fine piecing it together.
As for "trusting" coaches, heck, that's almost a given unless specifically calling something out and that's generally not in recruiting.
However, when asked for prospects, I'd like to see, well....I'll jump on that platform :-)
Niele has always sets her sights pretty high and ND pretty much demands it from an academic standpoint so the pool is pretty tight to start with. So, it's (somewhat) gratifying to know one can get a second crack. (Just hope it doesn't happen the other way too often!).
I'm eager to see how Kylee Watson does here and very intrigued by Jenna Brown. As you and I have posited, dividends could break out here (knock on wood).
Stay tuned.
is that we already have Olivia. However, depending how you, or Coach Ivey, spins it, Olivia may leave after 3½ years, so that Hanna may only be playing with her for a year. (Theoretically, to opt for the WNBA you must be 22, which Olivia will not be in 2024, but what if she already has her degree?)
and #20 player overall for 2023. She seems to be gaining some favor among some rankers and raters.
How soon will ND see a commit to join Emma?
and attitude during games from my hoops-playing buddies who ref AAU games. They know the Rise program and work their games often and think Hidalgo is a talented performer who conducts herself the right way during play and on the sidelines.
She's being pursued here, there and everywhere -- much like Olivia Miles was -- and will be a difficult get. But it seems like Niele and Mike are all systems go. Knock on wood.