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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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NEW ORLEANS, LA – APRIL 07: Skylar Diggins #4 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish makes a shot over Morgan Tuck #3 of the Connecticut Huskies during the National Semifinal game of the 2013 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship at the New Orleans Arena on April 7, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA – APRIL 07: Skylar Diggins #4 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish makes a shot over Morgan Tuck #3 of the Connecticut Huskies during the National Semifinal game of the 2013 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship at the New Orleans Arena on April 7, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

2. Skylar Diggins

Not many players have come through Notre Dame’s program with the same fanfare as Skylar Diggins. In Diggins’ case, the fanfare started before Diggins ever took the court for the Fighting Irish.

Diggins attended South Bend Washington High School, which is about 8 miles away from where she would make her home on the hardwood at Notre Dame. Diggins scored 2,790 points in her high school career, which amounted two a 25.9 points per game average for her career.

At Notre Dame, Diggins certainly didn’t disappoint. As a freshman, she quickly found a spot in the starting lineup. But during her sophomore season, Diggins began to garner national attention, as her Irish fell just short of a National Title to Texas A&M.

By her junior season, Diggins was a full-fledged superstar. That season, Diggins averaged 16.8 points, 5.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game. She was the first Notre Dame player to ever tally 600 points, 200 assists, and 100 steals in a single season. Her 102 steals that season set a Notre Dame school record.

But Diggins found a way to improve. In her senior year, Diggins raised the bar, averaging a career-high 17.1 points, 6.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds. and 3.1 steals per game. She is the only Notre Dame basketball player–either male or female–to compile 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists, and 300 steals in her career. Diggins is currently atop the list of Notre Dame Women’s Basketball’s all-time scoring list.

While her career was truly remarkable, there was only one knock on Diggins: Her inability to lead the Irish to win a National Championship.

Diggins was eventually selected in the 2013 WNBA Draft, going 3rd overall to the Tulsa Shock. Tulsa eventually relocated to Dallas and was re-named the Dallas Wings.