JotCast | Notre Dame WBB Live Chat April 21, 2025 | 4/21/2025

Notre Dame WBB Live Chat April 21, 2025

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Eric Hansen

3:01

Ok, my 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.

2:59

Hi Bob, and thank you. I have not heard that.

Bob Okla City

2:59

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

2:58

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.

Guest

Dann. Martinsburg, WV

2:55

I forgot to include my name and hometown earlier:

Guest

2:54

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

2:54

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.

Emilia O’Brien

2:48

what will be the hardest part of playing next season without another dynamic guard ( olivia and sonia ) to play with Hannah Hidalgo?

Eric Hansen

2:48

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.

Dann, WV

2:46

If it’s hard to get these five star players, how come UConn and South Carolina seem to be getting them?

Eric Hansen

2:46

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.

Paul from Knoxville, TN

2:45

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

2:44

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.

Malia, Hadden Township

2:43

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

2:42

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.

JM

**stimmied** apologies for the auto correct typo

2:37

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.

Eric Hansen

2:36

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.

Jack, Strongsville,Ohio

2:34

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

2:33

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.

Dave - Battle Creek, MI

2:29

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

2:28

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.

2581

2:21

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

2:21

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.

2:18

Muffett McGraw listened to her assistants, but she also listened to Digger Phelps and Jim Foster and lots of other coaches, and those conversation 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 benefitted greatly by asking questions and vetting ideas through other coaches. (more)

2:15

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. (more)

Jack, Strongsville,Ohio

2:02

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

2:02

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.

Vinny from NJ

1:57

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

1:56

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."

1:55

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. (more)

Anthony

1:47

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

1:47

Mentioned earlier, I don't think that's happening, but nothing official yet.

Debbie

1:46

Will Leah Macy be able to play next season?

Eric Hansen

1:46

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.

1:41

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 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. (more)

Paul from Knoxville, TN

1:35

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 wi

Eric Hansen

1:33

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.

Trey (Phoenix)

1:31

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!

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