Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JUNE/JULY 2018 55 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL I don't need to score, I just need to get the right people the ball, because we've got a lot of people that can score,'" McGraw said. "Superb passer, really high IQ, just what we need." KATLYN GILBERT 5-10 • Guard Indianapolis • Heritage Christian School National Rankings/Honors: Joined Nixon as one of 24 McDonald's All-Ameri- cans in 2018, and scored seven points while handing out three assists in 17 minutes … Ranked as the country's No. 15 overall player by Prospects Nation and No. 27 by espnW Hoop- Gurlz … One of five finalists for Indi- ana Miss Basketball, which was won by Amy Dilk (Michigan). Senior Stats: Averaged 18.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals per con- test after helping lead her school to a Class 2A state title as a freshman and then the 3A title as a sophomore. 2018 Projection: Although she played more point guard last season, she is not as seasoned there as Nixon. Gil- bert will likely have to bide her time as a freshman while Ogunbowale, Mabrey, Young and Nixon see the most action in the backcourt. "Similar to Jackie in that she can play a lot of different positions, and Kayla McBride [2010-14] was the same way, playing four different po- sitions, sometimes even the point," McGraw said of Gilbert. "Her versa- tility is what's really intriguing, but it's hard as a freshman if you're not really a point guard. "I can see her bringing the ball up, but not yet in end-of-game situa- tions." ABBY PROHASKA 5-10 • Guard Liberty Township, Ohio • Lakota West High School National Rankings/Honors: Tabbed as a first-team Division I All-Ohio selec- tion following both her junior and senior campaigns … Ranked as the nation's No. 73 overall prospect by espnW HoopGurlz and No. 78 by Prospects Nation. Senior Stats: Averaged 15.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.3 steals per game, while also setting the school ca- reer assists record and joining the 1,000-point club. Lakota West has been a perennial top-10 team that lost only eight games during her career. 2018 Projection: With the experience and depth returning, there might not be much room for playing time in her initial season. Down the road, she is the archetype chemistry/intangibles player. To McGraw she is a hybrid of former Irish guards Brittany Mallory (2007-12), who started 74 games for the 2011 and 2012 national runner-up teams, and defensive demon Hannah Huffman (2012-16). With so many top scorers on the current and future rosters, McGraw said complementing them with someone on the court not always needing to score to make a huge contribution (a la Kathryn Westbeld or Kristina Nelson this past year, with Nelson taking a team-record 19 charges) is what facilitates team chemistry. Per Lakota West head coach Andy Fishman, the lefty Prohaska aver- aged taking one charge per game (25 this season). She did not play point guard but was the classic "point for- ward" while annually leading the team in assists and steals. "Aggressive, never stops moving, a high-energy player who takes a lot of pride in her defense," McGraw summarized. "Incredibly unselfish. Sometimes when you kind of come out a little flat and need a little en- ergy, you look down the bench and she'd be the one I'd want to put in for that." DANIELLE COSGROVE 6-4 • Forward Holbrook, N.Y. • Sachem East High School National Rankings/Honors: Rated as the nation's No. 68 overall prospect by espnW HoopGurlz and No. 98 by Prospects Nation … Set the school record for career rebounds (1,037) and finished second in career points (1,573) while totaling 53 career dou- ble-doubles in 82 games. Senior Stats: Averaged 21.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. She converted 36 of 99 (36.4 percent) from three-point range and shot 52.0 percent inside the arc. 2018 Projection: Similar to Prohaska in that on an 11-woman scholarship ros- ter, she might be 10th or 11th before vying for more significant action as a sophomore after Shepard and Turner exhaust their eligibility. Plus sopho- mores Mikayla Vaughn (returning from an ACL tear) and Patterson also return as forwards. Cosgrove is not a low-post figure in the mold of Shepard, Turner or Vaughn, but her passing acumen and outside shooting skills make her fit well into the Princeton offense from the high post, similar to Westbeld and, prior to her, Natalie Achonwa (2010-14), although Cosgrove can be more of a "stretch four." "We haven't had a player like her in a while — actually, maybe ever — at her size who can shoot threes," McGraw said. "She's going to be the one trailing the break, and I see her shooting a lot of threes. I can see us running stuff for her, more pick and pops, things that we haven't really done before with a post player." ✦ Notre Dame's Class Among Nation's Best The incoming Notre Dame quartet was given a No. 7 overall rating by espnW HoopGurlz. The Baylor Bears, national champions in 2005 and 2012, were the overwhelming pick at No. 1 while signing five players — the "Fierce Five" — ranked from No. 3 to No. 29 individually, led by No. 3 Aquiro DeCosta at forward and No. 7 Queen Egbo in the post. No. 2 Connecticut signed only two players, but for the second year in a row it inked the nation's top prospect in guard Christyn Williams plus the No. 5 overall player in post Olivia Nelson-Ododa, who re- cently made her mark in a boy's slam dunk contest. Texas and Tennessee were Nos. 3 and 4 with five and four players signed, respectively. Maryland was fifth while Florida State — the lone ACC member ahead of Notre Dame — came in at No. 6 with a five- woman haul. — Lou Somogyi Muffet McGraw's four-woman 2018 class was ranked No. 7 nationally by espnW HoopGurlz. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND