April 10, 2007

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - While the 2006-07 college basketball season has come to an end, the news surrounding the Notre Dame women's basketball program continues. Here's an update on several items of interest related to the Irish that have occurred in recent weeks:

Incoming Notre Dame Freshmen Cap Off Stellar High School Careers
The three players who make up the 2007-08 Notre Dame women's basketball freshman class -- ranked 11th in the nation by Blue Star Basketball -- completed their high school playing careers last month, with each finding tremendous success at their respective institutions.

Forward Devereaux Peters (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick HS) was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Illinois Class 2A State Tournament after leading Fenwick to the state championship, defeating Bolingbrook, 35-27 in the final. Peters averaged 15.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.7 blocks with a .621 field goal percentage in the three-game state tournament, rolling up double-doubles in the semifinals (25 points, 10 rebounds vs. Chicago Heights Marian) and final (13 points, 10 rebounds vs. Bolingbrook). The 6-foot-2 post went on to earn first-team all-state honors and was the runner-up for Illinois Miss Basketball honors.

For the season, Peters averaged team highs of 16.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game with a .597 field goal percentage, helping Fenwick finish with a 36-2 record and a No. 6 ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 poll. She went on to be named a McDonald's All-American (the fourth future Irish cager in the past six years to be so honored) and was a third-team Parade All-America selection.

Forward Becca Bruszewski (Valparaiso, Ind./Wheeler HS) led her team to unprecedented heights in 2006-07, as Wheeler went 19-4 and won the Lake Station Sectional, advancing to regional play in the Indiana Class 2A state tournament. The 6-foot-1 Bruszewski (pronounced broo-SHEFF-skee) averaged 22.8 points, 13.2 rebounds, 3.4 blocks and 3.0 steals per game this season, earning first-team all-state honors and finishing as the second runner-up for Indiana Miss Basketball. She also has been tapped as a member of this year's Indiana All-Star Team, which will face their Kentucky counterparts in a two-game series June 16 (at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky.) and June 23 (at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis).

Guard Brittany Mallory (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh School) also helped her team reach a new level, as McDonogh posted a 21-5 record and advanced to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) Class A Conference finals for the first time since 1999. This season, Mallory averaged a team-high 17.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game with a .470 field goal percentage and a .390 three-point ratio. The 5-foot-10 sharpshooter was named an IAAM A Conference All-Star for the fourth consecutive year, and also garnered a place on Baltimore Sun All-Metro and All-County Teams for the fourth year in a row. In addition, she is a finalist for the 2007 Baltimore Sun Area Female Athlete of the Year award, which will be presented in June.

Notre Dame Women's Basketball Summer Camps Filling Up Fast
Space is limited for the 2007 Notre Dame women's basketball individual summer camps, which will be held in five sessions from June 11-28 at the Joyce Center on the Notre Dame campus. The Co-Ed Day Camp (June 11-14) is designed for younger campers in grades K-6 who are aspiring to learn the game. The ND Hoops Camp (June 14-17) is geared to an older age group from grades 6-11, with focus on fundamentals and the chance to participate in several team scrimmages. The Ultimate Point Guard Camp (June 24-26) is led by Irish associate head coach and former WNBA champion Coquese Washington, and it is a unique and challenging program stressing the fundamentals and techniques associated with playing the point. The Irish Post Camp (June 24-26) features hands-on instruction with Notre Dame assistant coach and former WNBA veteran Angie Potthoff, as she helps campers gain the tools necessary to be a force in the paint. The Irish High Intensity Camp (June 26-28) is aimed at those players in grades 7-12 who are very serious about the game, with the camp featuring a number of competitive scrimmages, as well as informative sessions on weight training and nutrition, NCAA academic guidelines and college eligibility requirements.

For more information on all of the Notre Dame women's basketball summer camps, or to obtain a camp brochure, contact Irish coordinator of basketball operations Stephanie Menio at (574) 631-3589 or simply click here.

Notre Dame Women's Basketball Games Earn Dual Honors From South Bend Tribune Readers
The Notre Dame women's basketball program has been selected for a pair of honors in the 2007 South Bend Tribune Readers' Choice Awards, which were announced recently. According to a survey from hundreds of Tribune subscribers and non-subscribers, the Irish women's basketball home games at the Joyce Center were chosen as the "Favorite Family Entertainment" winner, as well as the "Favorite Place To Take The Kids (Regionally)" for the Michiana area.

This season, Notre Dame ranked 10th in the nation in attendance, averaging 6,364 fans for its 16 home games. The 2007-08 Irish women's basketball schedule will be announced in the fall of 2007.

Former Irish All-American Katryna Gaither Back In The WNBA
One of Notre Dame's women's basketball greats is returning to the U.S. professional ranks, as two-time All-America forward Katryna Gaither signed a contract with the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx last month. Gaither, who graduated from Notre Dame in 1997 as the school's No. 2 all-time scorer, went on to spend three seasons in the WNBA from 2000-02 with five teams, before heading overseas. She then played professionally in Europe for four years, including the 2006-07 season with the Euroleague's Dexia Namur (Belgium), where she averaged 14.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. She was fourth in the league in rebounding and third with five double-doubles in 13 games. Gaither went on to be selected to the '07 Euroleague All-Star Game, where she was the lone player to amass a double-double, finishing with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Gaither will join former Irish All-America guard Megan Duffy on Minnesota's training camp roster. The pair are two of four Notre Dame alums who will suit up for WNBA training camps later this month, joining Ruth Riley (San Antonio) and Jacqueline Batteast (Detroit). Riley, a 2005 WNBA All-Star, is in her first year in San Antonio after being traded from Detroit in February, five months after she and Batteast helped the Shock to their second WNBA championship in four years.