SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey keeps returning to one word.
Point guard Olivia Miles? Dynamic. Point guard Hannah Hidalgo? Dynamic.
Both of those players on the floor at the same time for No. 6 Notre Dame?
“It’s,” she says, smiling and shrugging, knowing she sounds like a broken record, “dynamic.”
Miles, a redshirt junior, has court vision for eye-of-the-needle assists that perfectly complement (and enhance) her ability to create for herself. Hidalgo, a sophomore, owns unmatched speed and quickness that makes her a constant nuisance on defense and a threat to slice to the bucket against larger, more physical players. In addition, they’re coached by Ivey, one of the best point guards in program history, who brought the Irish their first national title in 2001. With that kind of floor general talent, one doesn’t even have to squint to see that Notre Dame looks like “Point Guard U.”
Undefeated through four games, Miles and Hidalgo have combined to average 43 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and seven steals per game. They force opposing defenses into impossible predicaments. Force the ball out of starting point guard Miles’ hands? It goes to the other starting point guard, Hidalgo. Guard them aggressively on the perimeter? They’ll slice to the…
