Well, that was fast.
Within minutes of Muffet McGraw’s retirement, Notre Dame had named her replacement: Niele Ivey is officially the new head coach of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team.
"God's got a plan for Niele."In 2016, we inducted @IrishCoachIvey into our Ring of Honor.Now, she rejoins us as head coach of the Fighting Irish.#WelcomeHomeNiele pic.twitter.com/8EY3tM0Z1e— Notre Dame WBB (@ndwbb) April 23, 2020
"God's got a plan for Niele."In 2016, we inducted @IrishCoachIvey into our Ring of Honor.Now, she rejoins us as head coach of the Fighting Irish.#WelcomeHomeNiele pic.twitter.com/8EY3tM0Z1e
The name should ring a bell to fans of the Fighting Irish.
Ivey played for McGraw for five seasons, helping the Irish win their first ever National Championship in 2001. She was just the 17th player in school history to record over 1,000 career points when she graduated.
After college, Ivey enjoyed a successful five-year WNBA career. She was hired as an assistant coach at her alma mater in 2007, and in 2016, she was promoted to associate head coach. Ivey remained at Notre Dame until this past season, when she took a role as an assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA.
Ivey famously played a key role in the recruitment of then-high school phenom Skylar Diggins, whose arrival on campus helped propel Notre Dame’s resurgence as a basketball powerhouse. The school subsequently advanced to seven Final Fours in nine seasons after Diggins’ commitment.
The quick handoff from McGraw to Ivey was anything but accidental: reports are now out that McGraw began honing in on Ivey as her replacement more than two years ago. Following her retirement announcement, Notre Dame immediately posted a video outlining McGraw’s case for her successor:
Welcome home, @IrishCoachIvey.Niele Ivey returns to @NDwbb as head coach after playing a part in each of the program's nine Final Fours.???? https://t.co/mlsSFV1CBz#WelcomeHomeNiele pic.twitter.com/00DWSRPeFk— The Fighting Irish ???? (@FightingIrish) April 22, 2020
Welcome home, @IrishCoachIvey.Niele Ivey returns to @NDwbb as head coach after playing a part in each of the program's nine Final Fours.???? https://t.co/mlsSFV1CBz#WelcomeHomeNiele pic.twitter.com/00DWSRPeFk
Diggins herself took to twitter to voice her approval of Ivey’s hiring:
Y’all gotta realize how historic Niele getting this ND job is. Trailblazer!— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) April 23, 2020
Y’all gotta realize how historic Niele getting this ND job is. Trailblazer!
And earlier in March, Diggins posted a video showing Ivey in action during her time as a Notre Dame assistant in 2012:
This was final four in Denver 2012.I was playing soft and @irishcoachivey was NOT happy! She came on the floor and in my grill to speak her mind! ????????This is great coaching! Half the kids nowadays couldn’t handle this, but I needed to hear it ???????????? pic.twitter.com/hSYvdOcAbE— Skylar Diggins-Smith (@SkyDigg4) March 29, 2020
This was final four in Denver 2012.I was playing soft and @irishcoachivey was NOT happy! She came on the floor and in my grill to speak her mind! ????????This is great coaching! Half the kids nowadays couldn’t handle this, but I needed to hear it ???????????? pic.twitter.com/hSYvdOcAbE
Now, just days into her tenure as head coach, Ivey has already snagged another top recruit. Olivia Miles, the No. 2 ranked high school player in the country, announced on Friday that she would sign with Notre Dame. The Irish now have four of the nation’s top 50 recruits signed to their incoming freshman class.
After a down year this past season, Ivey has the Irish poised for a quick turnaround in her first season as a head coach.