Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MAY 2019 53 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Notre Dame won't be in the same tier it has been used to the past de- cade. The question is how much will it fall before returning to its standard? What will the lineup look like? Prior to receiving a commitment from North Carolina graduate transfer guard Destinee Walker April 14, Notre Dame had eight scholarship players: • No seniors. Young turned pro this month, and Erin Boley trans- ferred to Oregon after her freshman season. • Two juniors. Forwards Mikayla Vaughn — medically redshirted as a freshman because of a torn ACL — and Danielle Patterson. Vaughn is the top returning scorer (3.3 average). • Four sophomores. Guards Abby Prohaska, Jordan Nixon and Katlyn Gil- bert, and forward Danielle Cosgrove. Nixon and Gilbert were both projected to aid the backcourt this year, but Gilbert was redshirted so her shoulder could be surgically re- paired, while Nixon had numerous setbacks that resulted in 13 missed games and progress that was slower than anticipated. Prohaska became the first guard off the bench (1.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per contest) to provide energy and some relief to the Ogunbowale-Mabrey-Young trio. At 6-4, Cosgrove's forte is as a three-point shooter, but she arrived not nearly as college-ready as her predecessors up front. • Two freshmen. Forward Brunelle and guard Anaya Peoples. Five of the eight were McDonald's All-Americans: Patterson, Nixon, Gilbert, Brunelle and Peoples — plus Walker. Few teams possess that many. However, no one has distin- guished herself yet as a freshman or sophomore (other than Walker) the way Turner, Ogunbowale, Mabrey, Young, et al who preceded them, did. Is Notre Dame looking to add another graduate transfer to join Walker? Definitely up front. McGraw stated that last November when the Irish came up short at the post a second straight year, particularly losing Ali- yah Boston to South Carolina. Grad- uate transfers are eligible right away, and Notre Dame needs instant help in the front court. The 5-10 Walker was a McDonald's All-American and the No. 17 rated recruit by ESPN in the 2015 cycle. She averaged 13.9 points per game as a freshman and 12.4 as a sopho- more, but was sidelined the last two seasons with knee and hip injuries, which could leave her with two more years of eligibility. ✦ Samantha Brunelle And Anaya Peoples Earn Postseason Accolades Notre Dame will be expecting instant help next season — perhaps even starting roles — from its two incoming McDonald's All-Americans, 6-2 forward Samantha Brunelle and 5-10 combina- tion guard Anaya Peoples. Despite suffering a broken foot in December that sidelined her two months, Brunelle came back late in the year to help William Monroe High to the Virginia Class 4A semifinals (where she had 25 points and 21 rebounds in defeat) and was named National Player of the Year by the National High School Coaches Association. Ranked as the nation's No. 4 player by ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 5 by Prospects Nation, Brunelle easily won the three-point contest at the McDonald's All-American Game, and played 15 minutes in the contest, converting all three of her shots (including a three) and grabbing three rebounds in 15 minutes. Peoples, ranked No. 21 nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 8 by Prospects Nation, led Schlarman High to its second consecutive Illinois Class 1A state title while finishing with 2,086 career points. In the McDonald's All-American Game March 27 in Atlanta, Peoples tied for team-high scoring honors for the losing West team with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, and also grabbed eight rebounds, blocked three shots and made three steals. — Lou Somogyi TOP 2020 RECRUITING TARGETS Signing top-25 recruits and then developing them is what has made Notre Dame one of the top three programs nationally the past decade. The pattern must continue in the 2020 recruiting cycle if the Fighting Irish are to remain as Final Four contenders. Already secured is Altoona, Pa., guard Allison Campbell, ranked No. 24 nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 26 by Prospects Nation. This spring, Campbell's 24 points (four treys) and six steals led Bellwood-Antis to its sec- ond-straight PIAA Class 2A championship in a 66-57 win over West Middlesex. Securing at least one premier post player along with a point guard remain priorities. No. 1-ranked recruit and point guard Paige Bueckers committed to UConn in April, but the Irish also have been in strong pursuit of Iowa's Caitlin Clark, ranked No. 4 by ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 6 by Prospects Nation, and Texas' Deja Kelly, who is listed No. 22 by ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 50 by Prospects Nation. Two East Coast products are particularly coveted up front: New York's 6-5 Natalija Marshall (No. 12 ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 16 Prospects Nation) and New Jersey's 6-2 Kylee Watson (No. 30 ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 17 Prospects Nation). Ohio 6-2 forward Madelyn Westbeld (No. 45 ESPN HoopGurlz and No. 23 Prospects Nation), sister of 2014-18 Fighting Irish forward Kathryn Westbeld, also has visited numerous times. — Lou Somogyi Incoming freshmen Anaya Peoples (left) and S a m a n t h a B r u n e l l e a r e t w o o f s i x f o r m e r McDonald's All-Americans out of the nine scholar- ship players currently on next year's roster. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH DIGITAL MEDIA