Notre Dame’s Brianna Turner Proving To Be Something Special
When Notre Dame lost to Geno Auriemma’s Connecticut Huskies earlier this season, the Irish were without their standout freshman Brianna Turner. It stands as their only loss, and if Turner continues to play like this, there may not be too many more, if any.
Turner earned Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Week honors for the third time this season, one day after posting her first double-double. She has now been honored three times this year by the panel of ACC coaches, media, and the media relations director for each school. She becomes the sixth player in women’s history to win it three times, with Jewell Loyd being the most recent earning the honor four times in the Big East Conference in 2012-13.
As she continues to grow into her role with the Irish, it’s hard to believe she’s only a freshman, and that were just now preparing to start conference play. Coach Muffet McGraw can see the high ceiling for the young 6-foot-3 forward.
"“Bri continues to grow and develop with every game and every practice,” Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. “She has so much potential and we’re just beginning to see glimpses of what she can achieve. It’s a great accomplishment to be named ACC Freshman of the Week three times and we believe the best is still yet to come for her.”"
Turner is no stranger to the awards and accolades, and she was named the Gatorade National High School Female Athlete of the Year in 2014 (Skylar Diggins earned the award in 2009). But it’s unlikely they expected so much from her so soon.
Averaging 14.0 ppg, she’s 14th in the conference in scoring, and her 6.3 rpg sets her in 18th in rebounding. She’s sixth in blocked shots in the ACC (2.1 bpg), but she leads the entire nation in field goal percentage with a .667.
The Irish are a talented team from top to bottom, but in her absence they suffered their only loss of the season, and had several other close calls without Turner in the middle. She adds an entirely different element with size and the ability to run the court that makes her a difficult matchup for anyone in the nation.
One thing is for certain, the only thing that will stop Turner from winning conference freshman of the week honors is her sophomore season.