Niele Ivey is careful about comparisons. Like most of her peers, the Notre Dame coach wants every player to have the chance to be herself.
But Ivey said she can’t help but liken freshman Hannah Hidalgo to a certain Irish legend.
“Everybody has something special about them,” Ivey said. “With Hannah, her energy, her passion, her fearlessness, her confidence, her competitiveness, her will to win — those are all ways she is like Skylar.”
Skylar Diggins-Smith led Notre Dame to three consecutive Final Four appearances from 2011-13. A two-time Nancy Lieberman Award winner as the nation’s top point guard, Diggins-Smith finished her Notre Dame career as the program’s all-time scoring and steals leader, and ranked second all-time in assists, before being selected third overall in the 2013 WNBA draft (behind Brittney Griner and Elena Delle Donne).
“Skylar came in and changed the program — the way she attacked offensively, how she defended 94 feet,” Ivey added. “Skylar was completely ready for the collegiate game ASAP as a freshman.”
