Niele Ivey surely has to be bothered that she still can’t get over the Sweet 16 hump as a head coach. Yes, Notre Dame was ravaged of depth and height by season’s end, but that likely doesn’t make the pill any easier to swallow. Still, she has no choice after the Irish lost to Oregon State in Albany Regional 1, 70-65. It’s the third straight season the Irish have been stopped short of the Elite Eight.
Among those returning next year will be guard sonia citron. In three NCAA Tournament games this season, she averaged 22.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 assists while shooting 47.4% from the field. She will be key to the success of the 2024-25 Irish.
Unknown at this point is whether Maddy Westbeld will exercise her final year of eligibility and return to the Irish for a fifth season. She averaged 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game in March Madness. Hopefully for Irish fans, it won’t take much convincing for her to come back, especially with a healthy team sure to have high expectations.
Ivey, Citron and Westbeld all spoke to the media shortly after their season ended. Here’s what they had to say:
