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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: The 4 Best Players of the McGraw Era

By Ben Belden

CHARLESTON, SC - NOVEMBER 09: Skylar Diggins #4 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the Walmart Carrier Classic on the deck of the USS Yorktown on November 9, 2012 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
CHARLESTON, SC - NOVEMBER 09: Skylar Diggins #4 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the Walmart Carrier Classic on the deck of the USS Yorktown on November 9, 2012 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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1 April 2001: Niele Ivey #33 celebrates with teammate Kelley Siemon #50 of Notre Dame after they beat Purdue 68-66 to win the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Game at the Savvis Center in St.Louis, Missouri. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Elsa/ALLSPORT
1 April 2001: Niele Ivey #33 celebrates with teammate Kelley Siemon #50 of Notre Dame after they beat Purdue 68-66 to win the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Game at the Savvis Center in St.Louis, Missouri. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Elsa/ALLSPORT /

4. Niele Ivey

Niele Ivey’s Irish roots run pretty deep. Now a coach on McGraw’s staff, Ivey was an integral part of McGraw’s first championship team in 2001. At the time, Ivey was a fifth-year senior point guard for McGraw’s Irish. She proved to be the catalyst for the first championship run in the program’s history.

For the season, Ivey scored 12.1 points per game, which was good for third best on the team. It was her passing, however, that was truly remarkable, as she averaged nearly 7 assists per game. No one else on the team averaged more than 3 that season.

In the championship game–a game the Irish won 68-66 over in-state rival Purdue–Ivey scored 12 points, dished out 4 assists, and came up with 6 steals. Perhaps even more impressive was that she played all 40 minutes en route to Notre Dame’s first National Title.

In all, Ivey played in 132 games under McGraw, scoring 10.8 points per game and dishing out 5.5 assists per game. She was a very efficient scorer, shooting 46% from the field and just over 40% from three-point range.

Ivey went on to have a short WNBA career, playing for the Indiana Fever and Detroit Shock before eventually landing a spot on McGraw’s coaching staff.