JotCast | Notre Dame WBB Live Chat April 21, 2025

Notre Dame WBB Live Chat April 21, 2025

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Eric Hansen

1:31

Josh L from Iowa City

1:29

Hi Eric! Was ND in touch with Serah Williams out of Wisconsin? Seemed like a perfect fit. Was she one of the transfer credit casualties you mention?

Eric Hansen

1:29

Hi Jeff. It's not just ethics when it comes to tampering. It's ethics when it comes to putting the player and what's best for them first. And there are really good ethical agents, but there needs to be more regulation with college agents. I haven't dived deep enough to get approximate numbers, but anecdotally, there are agents that have high percentages and I believe are driving some of this player movement. So I think setting a standard needs to come from the NCAA and not individual schools per se, and perhaps once we get past the final version of House v. NCAA, we can get to that point.

Jeff from Phoenix

1:26

Eric, was following the chat and had to jump in. Your article on the state of ND WBB indicated that many agents of players are operating on the edge of ethics or outright unethically. I am sure ND has a code of business ethics that has to be agreed upon by general university vendors, so do they hold agents to some standard? And let the players know all agents must agree to a standard? Or, as any business can do, just decline to work with certain agents. We might miss on a player or 2 but like the UT QB holdout issue, most would like to see ADs set a line in the sand for business ethics. Apologies, a little rant-ish... Thanks-

Eric Hansen

1:25

A second Marie? Welcome. I don't think more assistants are going to change the dynamic. The sudden big money in the women's game and ND's admissions are the two biggest hurdles. The fact that Kate Koval didn't develop significantly this season could be a knock, though again Dodson and Ebo, two older posts, did progress at ND.

Marie, Arlington, VA

1:23

Has there been any discussion on Ivey adding more Assistant Coaches? Recruiting and development of bigs come to mind as areas of need

Eric Hansen

1:22

Dale, I don't think it's a strategy as much as it is just how things fall in terms of logistics. Here's a good way to look at it ... the bigger the name in transfer in this cycle, the more layers you have to go through. Agents, handlers and parents, instead of just the family. So adding King and Karlen last cycle was much less complicated. And adding the players ND has added so far ... there's not the number of competing schools that there will be for say the two who are visiting this week. But let's see where this ends up at the end of the cycle. Players can still enter the portal through Wednesday. Then they can make their decision thereafter. And remember, 2/3 of the players in the portal currently have not found their landing spots.

Dale in LaPorte

1:19

Is there a strategy behind signing “bench” players from the portal before going after more prime players?

Eric Hansen

1:17

We get into economics too with the bigs. Teams are willing to overpay for posts and big forwards. I believe ND is and will be competitive in the NIL space (soon to be revenue sharing). But when you have to bring in a lot of transfers, you have to prioritize your spending pool, and between that and admissions, you have to thread the needle.

1:16

I think you can function without that kind if player against most of your schedule. When you get to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tourney and beyond, those players start to show up on opposing teams, and you need to be able to counterpunch. So yes, I agree with you there. A healthy Macy would have been a starter. And ND does need another big, especially someone experienced and advanced to add to Malaya Cowles and Gisela Sanchez. Of those two I hold out more hope that Cowles can be a starter. She's been improving each year. And ND has done well with most (but not all) transfer bigs. Maya Dodson played by far her best ball in an ND uniform. Lauren Ebo was better at ND than she was at Texas or Penn State. (more)

rmlnd72

1:11

In the past ND women's teams have been the best when they have had a somewhat athletic "big body" that can score and defend in the paint. That was lacking on this year's team although there was likely expectation that Koval would step into that role. That type of player has emerged both in and outside of the ACC and with Koval's departure ND seems ill equipped to attack and defend teams with big centers with at least moderate athleticism. So far the portal additions and scheduled visitors along with the incoming recruit do not seem to address that issue and leaves ND exposed in the paint. Your thoughts??

Eric Hansen

1:08

I don't see that happening.

Mike Laird Manassas Va

1:08

Do the Irish women have a good chance of bringing in MiLaysia Fulwilley?

Eric Hansen

1:08

And it's not just whether admissions says yes or no. There are players who can make it through admissions but lose way too much in credits that don't transfer and don't think it's worth it. In football, Riley Leonard lost a bunch, but it was worth it to him. But not everyone is willing to do that. And yes, you're right about the cultural challenges of having so much turnover. But the question moving forward is, even if you can land a lot of elite HS players, can you afford to keep them all?

1:05

Another really good question. Getting grad transfers through admissions is easy. Getting players who just completed their freshman year in good standing is workable. It's the other classes, particularly rising juniors and rising seniors that are difficult. Iyana Moore would be a rising senior, but her Vanderbilt background and he strong performance as a student there, make her more of a match. But ND lost out on an elite post player in this transfer cycle in which there was mutual interest who's in the same class as Moore but wasn't a match based on transfer credits. (more)

Brian (Cincinnati)

1:02

For the most part the football team was only able to accept graduate transfers from the portal. Is the same true for WBB? Will we be looking at replacing all the transfers we take this year again next year? That can't be good for building/maintaining team culture.

Eric Hansen

1:01

I'd kind of like to see what's still to come from the portal, but having Hannah Hidalgo back is a great player to build around. If you had asked me last year how ND would so before they added Karlen and King through the portal, my answer would have been different. So I'm going to defer. And thanks for being part of these chats too. You are a force in the football ones.

1:00

I'm not sure I can go along with taking more losses to peak later. I don't think that's necessary in the way you presented it. Now, playing tough teams in November/December and playing different lineup combos to find your best chemistry early makes sense to me ... even if it means you don't win all those games. But winning those games is important in terms of tournament seeding, etc. As far as expectations for next year, they've been in a couple of the way too early Top 25s, though closer to the bottom of those than the top. (more)

12:56

Marie, thanks my grandkids had an amazing Easter, even though I didn't dress up like the Easter Bunny, as you suggested. I instead brought pizza, breadsticks, pop and money. ... I was critical of Niele Ivey's in-game coaching down the stretch and I'll repeat it here. I did like the emphasis on defense, the emphasis on being a transition team. But there's times teams are going to make you play left-handed, so to speak, and I think Ivey fell short in putting a team on the floor that could highly function in a half-court offense. That needs to be a step in her offseason coaching evolution. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

12:50

Hey Eric, I hope you had a fantastic Easter. Thanks for hosting a chat about the women’s basketball team. Can you give your thoughts on the Niele’s ingame coaching down the stretch. I felt like she got out coached in several of the last games and wondered what you think she needs to do it to improve her ingame coaching? Along the same lines, do you think during the season instead of making sure they win every game that she should be more willing if necessary to take a few losses in the name of development?It seems like Gino, Dawn, and other head coaches of top teams are willing to risk a loss in the name of development so that they can peak during the tournament. Finally, and this is a little tough, I know they’ve had a couple of pick ups from the transfer portal but nothing too remarkable, Maybe they’re still in on some bigger names, but in all honesty, how much do you think will be able to expect from this team next year? Thanks again for hosting a chat all about a women’s sports. Love that!

Eric Hansen

12:50

ND does not have someone who wears the GM tag, but the Irish do have program support staff.

12:49

Len!! Thanks for the exclamation points. I think women's college basketball, as a while, was taken aback by the number of transfers. And a lot of this is driven by NIL money, which is far greater than what the WNBA is paying for top players. So ND had four, but UCLA -- a Final Four team -- had six. Texas, another FF team had three. All four of them had at least one. And some are disgruntled backups moving around the country, and some of the game's biggest stars. As far as ND individually, I think the one that caught ND off-guard was Kate Koval. And there's reportedly and agent and big money at play there. Risch needed a change of scenery and closer to home after two hip surgeries. Miles looked headed to the WNBA, but chose TCU -- more on that later. Kylee Watson was looking around for a while, but it wasn't definite. And landing at Villanova wasn't her original destination. But agents and handlers and big money is changing WBB, and tampering -- through third parties is pretty common. (more)

Len from the Jersey Shore

12:41

Hello Eric!! Were you taken by surprised by the number of transfers out of the program this season? Do you think Coach Ivey was? How do the WBB mange roster? Do they have a general manager similar to football? What other resources?

Eric Hansen

12:41

Thanks for the compliments, Irishoat. Hopefully, my mom paid you well for those. ... Seriously, thanks. We've had limited access to Pete Bevacqua and most of my focus has been football to this point when we've had it, but yes, as soon as we get past this latest round of court decisions that affect all of college sports, I will prioritize a women's hoops discussion with the Irish athletic director, now just getting started in his second year.

Irishoat, Rehoboth Beach, DE

12:38

Eric, appreciate you setting this up. I’m an old alum and a longtime fan of the work you and Tyler do. While ND football is my main interest, your coverage of hoops, lacrosse, and baseball is top-notch—really appreciate how timely and in-depth it is.
What sets your work apart is the context and analysis you bring. You’re not just reporting scores—you’re giving us the bigger picture, and that makes a big difference.
Looking ahead, I’d love to see more on how things are evolving inside the ND Athletic Department under AD Bevacqua. The transformation over the past decade into a more sophisticated operation is a story in itself. Future decisions—especially related to the women’s hoops program—are going to be crucial.
Thanks again for all you do.

Eric Hansen

12:37

Again given the smaller pool of transfers ND can attract and get through admissions and the fact that most of those are one-and-done grads, being more aggressive at the high school level is going to have to be the cornerstone of the new reality.

12:35

Macy suffered a serious knee injury on Jan. 26. There's been no official word on her status for 2025-26, but I would not count on it. So her earliest contribution would be 2026-27. So now to your question, how many transfers? I would say a minimum of five and likely six if things fall right. I think Niele Ivey is more concerned with fit and getting through admissions than the actual number. (more)

12:32

Thanks Terry, I did, and hope you did as well. Again, let's run the numbers to put this in context. ND has three returning players, all guards -- Hannah Hidalgo, Cass Prosper and KK Bransford. They've add three -- two bigs and a guard. Our news-gathering partners at WSBT-TV are expecting another addition soon. ND has two guards set to visit this week in USC freshman Kayleigh Heckel and Vanderbilt junior Iyana Moore. Of those two and the three who signed, Heckel is the only one that has multiple years of eligibility. The imminent addition may have two years. There's a third prospect who might visit this week as well, but it's not been finalized. Then you have the incoming freshman Leah Macy. (more)

Terry, Huron, SD

12:22

Hi Eric, hope you had a great Easter weekend. I see ND has three transfers in the fold. How many do you anticipate? Also, why would ND only recruit one HS player? Seems to me building through HS recruiting and creating relationships is more sustainable. Am I wrong?

Eric Hansen

12:21

Thanks, Mike. Really pleased with the response, and we're going to have another one soon, based on the interest level and the quality of questions. Some great ones in the queue today.

Mike Palumbo Cave Creek, Az

12:20

No question, but I am an ardent fan of NDWBB. I am delighted that you are engaging in a women’s basketball chat. I have long read your football chats, and I,look forward to the the same informative discussions.

Eric Hansen

12:20

Ivey has consistently signed elite prospects. The question is should there be greater quantity. The Irish were looking to sign two players in the last cycle, possibly three and ended up with one. Did the math make sense? Had ND had zero outgoing transfers, ND would have had seven returning players and Macy as an eighth. It wasn't likely Olivia Miles was going to come back, so that knocks you down to 7. Them you're only looking to add a couple from the portal. Given the small pool ND can get through admissions when it comes to transfer credits, erring on the side of more -- especially going forward makes more sense. But keep in mind, you can't stockpile. No one can. Players are moving where they can play and where they can get NIL money.

12:16

But 2026 is a critical cycle for Niele Ivey, and while there have been some really strong prospects take visits, they need to reel some of them in. The latest to take an official visit was small forward Bella Ragone (6-2), and another elite wing comes in this weekend in Savvy Swords, whose older sister was a freshman at Michigan this past season. The Irish signed one player in the 2025 class, and that was McDonald's All-American Leah Macy. (more)

12:12

OK, this seems like a great place to start. I think a lot of coaches are dealing with a new reality in women's basketball that isn't unique to Notre Dame. So let's start with the broader picture and then narrow it to Notre Dame. First, let's look at some numbers. Every team in the ACC has at least one player head to the transfer portal and there are 79 overall. in Division I there are almost 1,500 players who entered the portal, with still two more days left after today to do so. Roughly a third of them have found homes. Almost 60 DI teams had seven outgoing transfers or more. We'll get into why this is happening with some other questions, but I wanted to set that stage. (more)

Matt in MN

12:08

Is Nielle just whiffing on too many recruits? Not casting a wide enough net/developing plan B's on those whiffs? Relying too heavily on the portal? Her roster management seems to have been a problem since she took over.

Eric Hansen

OK, off we go ...

12:07

Please no 17-part questions or manifestos. Leave the extended venting for your uncle's Facebook page. Don't mind an opinion with the question, but let's have a fun and informative conversation not a whine-fest ... not even if there's actual wine.

12:06

Please include your name and hometown along with your questions.

As far as this WBB chat ...

12:05

► Finally, at WSBT Sports Radio 96.1, we’re rolling through the end of Notre Dame spring football practice season, a busy spring transfer portal cycle, and the run-up to the NFL Draft. Darin Pritchett and I are together this week on Wednesday and Thursday, and each week moving forward on Weekday SportsBeat (960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. You can download all episodes as podcasts.

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