Diggins scores 22 of her 27 points in first half Sunday and became the school's career scoring leader.
OVERVIEW: Smooth-shooting wing player with tremendous overall skill set ... athletic and fluid with the basketball, allowing her to blend seamlessly into Notre Dame's half-court or transition offense ... dangerous at the defensive end, with long arms and strong court awareness ... creative and skilled with a scorer's mentality ... someone who can attack the rim or make opponents pay from long distance ... excellent vision as a passer ... should play a significant role in the Fighting Irish rotation this season.
HIGH SCHOOL: Graduated from Niles West High School in Skokie, Ill., where she was a four-year starter (combined record of 93-31, .750) for head coach Tony Konsewicz ... prior to her arrival, school had not won sectional title since 1981, conference title since 1985 and regional crown since 1998 -- during her prep career, Niles West won three regional championships, two conference titles and one sectional crown ... career per-game statistical averages of 24.8 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 3.2 steals and 2.2 blocks (along with 46 double-doubles in her final 62 games) ... only player in Illinois girls' high school basketball history (dating back to first sanctioned season in 1976-77) to rank among the top 12 for both career points (3,077 - 7th) and rebounds (1,478 - 12th), while also placing 18th in state history with 275 career blocks ... just the third Illinois prep player since 1993 to score 3,000 points, and only the second Chicagoland player ever to reach that milestone (Pam Gant from 1977-81) ... holds school records in virtually all game, season and career categories ... as a senior in 2011-12, sparked Niles West to 22-9 record and Illinois Class 4A regional title ... averaged 26.9 ppg., 12.7 rpg. and 3.8 spg., with 22 double-doubles while shooting 50-percent from the field and 39-percent from the three-point line ... scored career-high 50 points (with 10 three-pointers; tied for fifth-most in a game in state history) against Maine West ... as a junior in 2010-11, helped Niles West to another 22-9 record and a spot in 4A sectional final ... averaged 30.1 ppg., 15.0 rpg., 4.5 spg., 4.1 apg. and 3.2 bpg., while registering 24 double-doubles (including one triple-double) and shooting 53-percent from the field ... had five 40-point games as a junior, including season-high 46 points against St. Francis ... as a sophomore in 2009-10, sparked team to 27-6 record and trip to Class 4A Elite Eight (supersectionals), as well as a share of school's first Central Suburban League (CSL) title since 1985 ... averaged 22.8 ppg., 12.2 rpg., 3.6 apg., 2.1 spg. and 2.0 bpg. ... as a freshman in 2008-09, paced team to 22-7 record and berth in Class 4A regional final ... averaged 19.0 ppg., 5.0 rpg., 3.0 bpg. and 2.0 spg. ... has been standout on the AAU circuit, playing for Midwest Elite (formerly Full Package) and coach Ralph Gesualdo (the same AAU program and coach that produced current Notre Dame sophomore guard Whitney Holloway) ... helped AAU teams to 189-10 record in her career, with per-game statistical averages of 24.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 4.3 steals and 3.0 blocks ... led Midwest Elite to four titles during summer 2010 AAU season -- U.S. Junior Nationals in Washington, D.C., USJN Mid-America Challenge (Champaign, Ill.), USJN Premier Invitational (Cincinnati, Ohio) and USJN Summer Final (Chicago) ... team also finished as runner-up at Nike Summer Showcase in Chicago.
AWARDS/HONORS: One of five finalists for 2012 Naismith National High School Player of the Year award ... consensus high school All-America selection in 2012, earning top honors from McDonald's, Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), Parade and MaxPreps ... collected Most Valuable Player honors at 2012 WBCA High School All-America Game after registering game highs of 18 points (6-10 FG) and eight rebounds for the victorious White Team; joined senior guard Skylar Diggins (2009) as Notre Dame signees who earned MVP honors at the WBCA All-America Game ... garnered 2012 Illinois Player of the Year accolades from ESPNChicago.com and Champaign News-Gazette ... first runner-up for 2012 Illinois Miss Basketball honors ... MaxPreps honorable mention All-American (2011) ... ESPN RISE Underclass All-American (2010) ... four-time all-state selection (2010, 2011, 2012 - first team; 2009 - second team, one of only two freshmen on the squad) ... four-time all-area pick (2009-12) ... Chicago Tribune Fabulous Freshman list (2009) ... four-time first-team all-conference choice (2009-12) ... attended Nike Skills Academy (2009) ... ranked No. 3 in Class of 2012 by Blue Star Basketball, All-Star Girls Report and Collegiate Girls Basketball Report ... ranked No. 4 by ESPN Hoopgurlz.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION: Member of 2010 USA Basketball Under-17 World Championship Team that went 8-0 and captured the gold medal at the inaugural FIBA U17 World Championships in Toulouse, France ... averaged 8.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting .460 from the field and .353 from the three-point line ... also participated in 2009 USA Basketball U16 National Team Trials.
PERSONAL DATA: Daughter of Gwendolyn Davis-Loyd and Calvin Loyd ... has older brother, Jarryd, who currently is playing professional basketball overseas after standout college career at Valparaiso University from 2004-08 ... the 14th player from state of Illinois to suit up for Notre Dame, and the 13th to come from the Chicagoland area, a list that also includes senior guard Kaila Turner (Joliet/Marian Catholic HS) and sophomore guard Whitney Holloway (Plainfield/Montini Catholic HS) ... off the court, she enjoys playing the piano and cooking and loves soccer ... currently enrolled in Notre Dame's unique First Year of Studies program ... some other Fighting Irish players who have worn No. 32 include Becca Bruszewski, Julie Henderson and Comalita Haysbert.
