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NCAA recruiting: Notre Dame makes splash with two late signings

Five-star guard Hannah Hidalgo signed with Notre Dame on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of FIBA)

The Notre Dame women’s basketball program made big moves to close out the early signing period, nabbing a pair of previously uncommitted top-25 recruits this week.

The Fighting Irish signed Hannah Hidalgo, the No. 5 recruit in the Class of 2023, on Tuesday after picking up Cassandre Prosper, the 12th-ranked player in the Class of 2023, a day earlier.

The early signing period allowed players to sign their National Letter of Intent with schools, beginning on Nov. 9 and running through Wednesday. While many were already committed to their respective schools, making the early signing period a formality, others were still uncommitted.

A five-star point guard, Hidalgo was the program’s biggest signing. During her three years at Paul VI (N.J.), she’s averaged 21.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 steals per game. She was also a part of the United States U17 national team that went 7-0 and claimed a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup.

Hidalgo chose the Fighting Irish over the likes of Duke, Michigan, Ohio State, Stanford and UCF.

“Hannah brings swag, competitiveness and a relentless drive that will instantly elevate our program,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said in a press release. “She is-multi dimensional, lightning fast and tenacious defensively with a scorer’s mentality and a high basketball IQ. Hannah does a great job of pushing pace and making everyone around her better.”

Prosper is another five-star prospect for Notre Dame. The 6-foot-2 forward was named MVP of the 2022 Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association Final 8 High School Championships last March after posting 33 points, 15 rebounds and two assists in the final game. Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Prosper was also recognized as the league MVP for Cairine Wilson Secondary School, averaging 23.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game over 10 contests last year.

“She is an explosive, dynamic guard with an incredible motor and skill set that is unmatched,” Ivey said. “Her international experience, athleticism and scorer’s mentality will be an immediate asset to our program.”

Here are two other previously uncommitted top-25 players who signed this week:

Juju Watkins (No. 2), USC

The 6-1 guard signed her NLI on Tuesday in front of a packed gymnasium at Sierra Canyon (Calif.). The signing aired live on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” Watkins is the reigning MaxPreps National Player of the Year and was the MVP at the U17 World Cup this summer. She chose USC over Stanford and South Carolina, potentially altering the trajectory of the Trojans’ women’s basketball program in the process.

“This is a young woman with transcendent talent, but she is also uniquely motivated,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said about Watkins in a press release. “She is about things bigger than herself: her family, her team, her community, her city. Juju had the courage to stay home and is driven to bring USC women’s basketball back to prominence.”

Milaysia Fulwiley (No. 15), South Carolina

The 5-6 guard brings a dynamic skill set to the Gamecocks. Fulwiley is the three-time reigning South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association 3A State Player of the Year and has averaged over 20 points in each of her last three seasons. She’s coming off a 2021-22 campaign in which she averaged 29.6 points 8.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 4.6 steals per game for W.J. Keenan (S.C.).

The Columbia, S.C. native received an offer from the Gamecocks when she was in seventh grade. All four of South Carolina’s 2023 signees are ranked inside the top 50.

“She is a dynamic, explosive guard with exceptional speed, court vision and flair,” South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said about Fulwiley in a press release. “Her scoring mentality and competitive drive will be an immediate asset to our program.”

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.

USC’s Aaliyah Gayles Opens Up About Her Journey Back to Basketball

USC Basketball - Aaliyah Gayles

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate Aaliyah Gayles. Here are five things to know from our conversation with the redshirt freshman guard from Las Vegas.

#1 Aaliyah suffered from a near-death act of violence in 2022.

The incident taught her a lot about herself and the support around her. “[USC] Coach Lindsay [Gottlieb] was one of the first people to fly out there and come see me. That means a lot to me off the court.” 

#2 Her favorite USC memory is when she surprised her teammates after getting out of the hospital.

She left her walker at the door to show she was on the road to returning to the court. “That was my favorite memory because it was family. It was my first time being able to walk to you guys and see you practice.”

#3 There's a reason she wears #3.

#3 was her grandpa’s favorite number and a golden number in her life. Plus, AG3 has a nice ring to it. 

#4 She has a list of basketball GOAT’s:

Candace Parker, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Cason Wallace.

#5 There have been many celebrity appearances at USC’s games over the years, especially this season.

Aaliyah’s favorites include Will Ferrell, Kehlani, and Saweetie. And she hopes Lil Durk will come to watch a game soon.

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Gotham, USWNT forward Midge Purce out with ACL tear

(Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)

Midge Purce announced on Wednesday that she has torn her ACL. 

The Gotham FC and USWNT forward went down with the injury on Sunday during Gotham’s 1-0 win after tweaking it earlier in the game. Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós did not have any immediate updates following the match, with further evaluation revealing the tear. 

“It’s a reality I’m still struggling with and has left me with not too much to say,” Purce wrote in a statement on social media. “I’m heartbroken to no longer be available for my season with Gotham FC or for Olympic selection with the USWNT – know I’m rooting for you both all year long. 

“Though you may not see it, I’ll be doing everything I can to get back on the field.”

Purce is just the latest women's soccer star to tear her ACL, and joins USWNT teammate Mia Fishel in having torn her ACL in the last couple of months. Other notable players include Catarina Macario and Christen Press, with Macario only just returning to the USWNT lineup after tearing hers in 2022. 

International stars such as Alexia Putellas, Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Leah Williamson have also suffered ACL tears. 

Purce’s injury caused Amorós to call out the international schedule, which has been a growing point of concern as more players fall victim to injuries and the playing schedule becomes more packed. Kansas City’s Debinha suffered a hamstring injury in the team’s opening game, while both Lynn Williams and Rose Lavelle have yet to play for Gotham due to injuries picked up during the W Gold Cup. 

“We lost Midge during the game which for me is a bittersweet flavor,” Amorós told reporters after Sunday’s game. “By the way, it’s another player that came from the Gold Cup. Last week, it was Debinha. We are paying the consequences of a tournament that shouldn’t have happened.”

“We’re talking about protecting the players, [who shouldn’t] go to play an international competition after one week of preseason,” Amorós continued. “We’ve seen the consequences now. We’ve got Rose, Lynn, last week it was Debinha in Kansas [City] and now we have Midge. From my experience, the clubs are going to keep paying for that competition."

In her statement, Purce said that “so many friends, teammates and even players I’ve only ever competed against” reached out to offer support. 

“I am so blessed,” she wrote. “Your messages have meant so much to me throughout this process, you have consoled what, for a moment, felt inconsolable. Thank you for reminding me that our football world is not only full with incredibly talent but also, incredible kindness.”

Lauren Jackson included on Australia Olympics roster

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 01: Lauren Jackson of Australia celebrates with team mates after playing her final Opals game during the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup 3rd place match between Canada and Australia at Sydney Superdome, on October 01, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

Lauren Jackson has come out of retirement once again to compete for a spot on Australia’s Olympic roster. 

Jackson was included on the 26-player roster named by coach Sandy Brondello on Tuesday that will take part in training camps, tours and games in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics. The roster will eventually be whittled down to just 12 players selected from the 26 named on Tuesday.

Jackson helped Australia qualify for the Olympics with a win over Germany in February. After that, she announced her retirement, revealing that she struggled to spend so much time away from her two young children. 

The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reported that Jackson and the basketball federation had come to an agreement in which they would help cover costs for her children to travel with the team for training camps and the Olympics. 

She’s largely expected to make the Opals’ Olympic roster. 

"It's always an exciting time to announce an Olympic squad and I congratulate all the athletes," Opals coach Sandy Brondello said. "They all know what it means to play for Australia and they all want the opportunity to represent their country at an Olympics. Our squad is full of exceptional talent and they will make the decision to pick a final 12 very difficult."

At the 2022 FIBA World Cup, Jackson helped Australia win a bronze medal with 30 points against Canada. She had previously retired in 2016 due to knee injuries, but slowly made a return in a domestic Australian league the last few years.

Jackson has won four Olympic medals, including three consecutive silver medals starting with Sydney in 2000 when she was a teenager. 

First two rounds of NCAA tournament boast record attendance, viewership

(David K Purdy/Getty Images)

The first two rounds of the women’s NCAA tournament broke attendance and viewership records set just last year – and it wasn’t even close. 

The NCAA announced on Tuesday that attendance for the first two rounds of the tournament was more than 292,000 – up from last year’s record, when almost 232,000 fans attended the first two rounds.

Among the host sites, Iowa had the biggest crowds with nearly 29,000 fans packing Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the first and second rounds. 

"We expected the historic success and quality of play and high level of competition from the regular season would carry through into March Madness. Our championship is again delivering," NCAA vice president of women's basketball Lynn Holzman said in a statement. "Record crowds, ratings, incredible performances and evolving storylines will continue to make the next two weeks a must-see for fans across the world."

And for those that couldn’t attend the sold-out Iowa games, they watched on television. Monday’s matchup between Iowa and West Virginia drew 4.9 million viewers, setting a record for a women’s D-I tournament game prior to the Final Four. 

It is also the third most watched tournament game in the last 20 years, behind last year’s national championship between LSU and Iowa (9.92 million) and Iowa’s Final Four win over South Carolina (5.6 million).

Iowa’s game against Holy Cross in the first round drew 3.23 million viewers. 

But it wasn’t just Iowa drawing big viewership. ESPN’s five games on Monday averaged 2.25 million viewers. UConn and Syracuse drew 2.05 million viewers while LSU and Middle Tennessee on ABC drew 2.01 million viewers on Sunday. 

The full, 16-game slate for the second round averaged 1.4 million viewers – a 121% increase from last year and the highest average ever for the second round.

The full tournament so far is averaging 812,000 viewers per game, a 108% increase from last year.

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