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Women's Basketball
 Want to go behind-the-scenes and get the inside scoop on women's basketball at Notre Dame? The BasketBlog is your source for breaking news on everything related to the Fighting Irish women's basketball program, so stop back here regularly to get your fix on what's going on at Notre Dame. You can also sign up for the official Fighting Irish women's basketball Twitter page (@ndwbbsid) so you've always got your finger on the pulse of the program. And don't forget to contact the Notre Dame Athletics Ticket Office (574-631-7356, UND.com tickets page) to purchase your season tickets for what promises to be a memorable 2009-10 season! Remember -- "You Bring The Spirit, We'll Bring The Game!"
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-- posted by assistant sports information director Chris Masters Just a quick heads-up and congratulations to senior center Erica Williamson, who has signed on as an intern with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's women's basketball weekly podcast, "Shootaround With Beth & Debbie" with national TV broadcasters Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli. Erica will be writing regular blog entries for the show (each of which can be read by CLICKING HERE), which will be posted on the show's web page (found by CLICKING HERE). For you die-hard women's basketball enthusiasts, this is the best show to listen to each week, especially when it's supported by the WBCA and hosted by two people as passionate about our sport as Beth and Debbie. In fact, we'll get a chance to see Debbie in person at the end of the month, as she broadcasts our games at Central Florida (Dec. 29) and at home vs. Vanderbilt (Dec. 31) for CBS College Sports. If you see her at either game, please stop by, say hello and let her know all about our Irish! All for now ... time to get ready for tonight's visit by IPFW ... hope to see you out at Purcell! Chris
-- posted by coordinator of basketball operations Stephanie Menio Wow! What a great trip to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands for the 2009 Paradise Jam. I put together my Top 10 highlights from the trip. 10. Hitchhikers - Our sport administrator/Associate Athletics Director Jill Bodensteiner and trainer, Anne Marquez almost missed the team bus to the airport on Sunday because they took an excursion to St. John in the Virgin Islands (the next island over from St. Thomas). They ran into some unexpected troubles on their way back from hiking on the beautiful island and almost had to stay in St. Thomas. They made it though with some great stories about the Island Lady, the father and son from Flint, Michigan and the deer along the trails. 9. BASSSSKKKKETTTTBAALLLL - The public address announcer for the Paradise Jam was outstanding. His island accent accompanied by his enthusiasm made it very entertaining throughout the games. Many times he would mispronounce our players' names (Lick-lite-ner or Brooz-ewski) or hometowns (Mish-awaki) , but you couldn't correct him because he was hilarious. One time, he just forgot to announce Lindsay in the starting line-up. She just ran out when he said "and the head coach for the Fighting Irish is Muffet McGraw." He would start every game with "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, let's play some BAAAASSSSKKKETTTBALLLL!" After every point, he would say "Shot Good." I wish we could bring him back for a few games here at Notre Dame during the winter months, so we feel like we are on vacation. 8. Safari Buses - The team rode on safari buses to and from the games, which were rundown, open-air buses. My curly hair was gigantic from the humidity and the warm wind. Some of us felt a little nauseous driving on the windy mountain roads, but the scenery was amazing, so you just got used to it. 7. The Beach - The players and coaches snuck down to the beach every chance they got. Crystal-clear waters and a hot sun made for a great day on Sunday. The entire team laid out on the beach and threw around a frisbee in the water just before departing on the team bus to the airport to head home. 6. The Halftime Shows - During halftime of the San Diego State game, Lindsay's dad, Darcy, had to dance to the "circle song", which is a well-known song in the Caribbean. In addition to following the PA announcer's instruction on the dance, he inserted the infamous "sprinkler." Lindsay caught a glimpse as the team was preparing to run out of the tunnel for second-half warmups and was mortified. Lech's mom, Lori, and brother, Kyle, took part in a shooting contest at halftime of the South Carolina game. Let's just say that Lech doesn't get her shooting ability from her mom. Congrats to Kyle for winning the contest! 5. Welcome Party - Our first full day on the trip, the team took a gondola up to Paradise Point, which is the highest point on St. Thomas. At the top, we saw one of the best bird shows. The birds were riding scooters and talking to us. We were rolling with laughter after watching the exotic parrots perform for us. We then ate a great meal under the stars overlooking the lights of St. Thomas. I could eat the pineapple on the island every day! Having fresh fruit for every meal was awesome! 4. Sunsets - Erica Williamson took unbelievable pictures of the sunsets on the island. One of them is currently the wallpaper on my computer. Check out the opening picture in the photo gallery (the link is below). 3. Coach's 500th Career Win at Notre Dame - Congratulations to Coach McGraw for winning her 500th game at Notre Dame against San Diego State on November 26th. What a huge accomplishment! I am so happy I was a part of it. 2. Catamaran Tour - One of my favorite parts of the trip was the catamaran/snorkel tour on the Caribbean. We cruised on yacht, where we got to sunbathe all the way to our snorkel spot. I am so proud of Kaila Turner and Erica Solomon, who although were very scared to get in the water, jumped in the water with their life vests and noodles. When it was time to come back to the boat, our trainer Anne and Brittany Mallory started swimming in the opposite direction. They were swimming after sea turtles, but couldn't quite catch-up to them. We saw plenty of fish and as Lindsay said "We found Nemo!" Some of us even swam to the bottom and touched the sand. What an awesome experience! 1. Winning the 2009 Paradise Jam! - It truly felt like the beginning of great things to come for the 2009-10 team. When the buzzer sounded at the end of the Oklahoma game and we won 81-71, the team went crazy. Everyone received bright orange hats and held up the trophy as if it were the national championship trophy. That was the icing on the cake for a great trip. 3 Days. 3 Wins! Check out our pictures from our tour in this PHOTO GALLERY. Can't wait to see everyone with our tans! Go Irish! Stephanie
-- posted by assistant sports information director Chris Masters Welcome back Irish fans, Hope you're as ready for the 2009-10 season as I am! We had a good showing in our exhibition game last week against Indianapolis, both on the court and in the stands. In fact, you were responsible for the largest exhibition game attendance (7,508) in Notre Dame women's basketball history -- hopefully just the first of many records we'll be setting during the upcoming year. Just wanted to take a quick timeout for a couple of "Fighting For Fashion" updates, courtesy of our assistant coach Niele Ivey. First off, she wanted me to pass along that former Notre Dame forward Julie Henderson ('00) was recently named one of the nation's top plus-sized models by Tyra Banks. Check out this link for more information: http://www.tyrabanks.com/view/MODEL_CITY_PLUS_SIZE. Closer to home, Coach Ivey is set to roll out the options for the first of her "fan's choice" outfits this season. For those of you not familiar with this concept, Coach will offer three potential outfits to wear for an upcoming game, and you get to vote on which one you want to see her wear. Right now, Coach is looking for your input on what she should wear for the season opener on Sunday night against Arkansas-Pine Bluff ... here are the three choices: OPTION 1, OPTION 2, and OPTION 3. E-mail your vote for Coach Ivey's Arkansas-Pine Bluff outfit to our coordinator of basketball operations Stephanie Menio at smenio@nd.edu. The deadline for voting is Friday at 5 p.m. (ET), so make sure to vote early -- you can vote as often as you'd like! In the meantime, if you haven't done so already, make sure to get your tickets for Sunday night's opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET), and if you can't make it to the brand-new Purcell Pavilion (which is AWESOME, by the way!), you can hear the radio broadcast right here at UND.com -- just click on the "Listen" button in the "Athletics This Week" box on the front page of our web site. That's all for now ... get ready, Notre Dame fans 'cause it's gonna be one heck of a ride ... GO IRISH!! Chris
-- posted by assistant coach Niele Ivey -- Fighting For Fashion 2009-10 Hello fans, I just got back from my long trip to Los Angeles, and was so happy to be home. All the traffic and hustle, bustle of the big city was very overwhelming for me. I was over it after 24 hours of being there. However, I did have the best rental car ever. I had a 2010 Camaro that looked like it was right out of the movie, Transformers!! It was silver and FAST. That was pretty cool considering the next rental I got was a Subaru. Anyway, I anticipated a great trip to Rodeo Drive and meeting the Kardashians at their family boutique called Dash, but unfortunately that didn't go as planned. I was in California recruiting, so I decided to use some of my down time to check out some of the popular areas of Hollywood to shop and sight see. Traffic in L.A. was ridiculous. It literally took me almost an hour and a half to go about 30 miles. The first place I decided to visit was the store Dash which is run by the popular reality TV family, the Kardashians. I left early enough from my hotel, so I wouldn't be pressed for time when headed to my open gym to watch some of our recruits. I pulled up to the store and it was empty. I asked around and found out that the stores don't open till 11 am and it was 9 am. All that for nothing! I wanted to invite the store to participate in our "Fighting for Fashion" campaign, where they can donate an outfit for Coach McGraw and I, to wear to a game this season. I had some Notre Dame t-shirts and some flyers and pamphlets explaining my desire to use fashion for breast cancer awareness, but I had to leave it in their mailbox and hope that they look at it and decide to help. After failing to meet the Kardashians, I continued my tour of L.A. and drove to Rodeo Drive. It was amazing!! So many high end stores all within walking distance, such as Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Yves Saint Laurent, Jimmy Choo, and many, many more expensive stores and boutiques. I was trying to find the store that kicked Julia Roberts out in the movie, Pretty Woman, but I didn't have time!! LOL!! That area was definitely an area where I couldn't personally shop, but it was fun to window shop! Well, not that fun. I wanted almost everything I saw. I did get to my favorite store H & M in the mall in Brea, Calif., and found a couple of great items that were very affordable and really nice!! I found a couple of dresses and a beautiful purple sweater! So my trip wasn't entirely in vain, I did come away with some amazing pieces that I would never have found in South Bend. That brings me to some more fall trends for you all to look for. The next great fall trend is Ruffles. Whether it is a romantic blouse with ruffles, detailed pumps or ankle boots with ruffles, or a pencil-thin skirt with ruffles, this style is very feminine, classy, and easy to pull off. Find pieces that are flattering to your body, I actually just found a red pair of heels that have ruffles on the front of them. How I found both trends of red and ruffles all in one, I will never know but these shoes are HOT! I will probably wear them to one of our big televised games. They are extremely unique and surprisingly comfortable! Look out for those!! I hope you enjoy these fashion tips and I hope to help you as you prepare for our season. It is finally here!! Happy shopping!! Coach Ivey
-- posted by Notre Dame women's basketball fan/Spirit Patrol member Wanda Gall Hi Notre Dame Women's Basketball Fans! I am a Notre Dame women's basketball fan of many years and a member of the Middlebury Walks for a Cure board. I would like to share my blog from our recent walk to raise money for Elkhart County. Sunday October 4, 2009 was a radiantly "pink" day even though the sky was gray and the air a little breezy. However the atmosphere inside the Das Essen Haus Conference center was buzzing with warm emotions as we celebrated the 5th Annual Middlebury Walks for a Cure. Our keynote speaker, Head Coach Muffet McGraw, said she could feel the collective energy and emotions of the approx. 400 walkers and 100 runners that packed the conference room. The crowd of survivors, friends and families of all ages responded warmly as Coach inspired us to "keep on running the race" and then led us in a rousing cheer of "I WON!" (Editors' note: A photo gallery of Coach McGraw's appearance can be found by clicking here: PHOTO GALLERY) The event raised just over $15,000 this year even though the economy of Elkhart County is still in a depressed condition. All funds raised are divided between The Goshen Health Systems: The Retreat and United Cancer Services Inc. of Elkhart County. The Retreat will use the money to assist woman that may need screening mammograms. United Cancer Services will financially assist cancer patients and their families with many needs including transportation, utility bills, testing and medications. It was truly a radiant day highlighted by Coach McGraw's willingness to share her time and talent at another community event. Thank-you Coach, you are truly "in the pink" with the Irish fans in Middlebury! GO IRISH! Wanda Gall
-- posted by associate athletics director/women's basketball administrator Jill Bodensteiner Hello Notre Dame Women's Basketball Fans - This is my first BasketBlog entry, but not my first blog. When I went to China a few years ago with the Notre Dame Executive MBA program, I kept a daily blog about my travels. The main difference between the China blog and this blog is that the BasketBlog is not censored by the Chinese government! Seriously, I think some parts of my China blog entries mysteriously disappeared... Anyway, who am I and why am I writing this? I am the newly-appointed sport administrator for the women's basketball team. Our Athletic Director, Jack Swarbrick, maintains primary sport administrator responsibility for football and men's and women's basketball, so I'll work closely with him (yes, that will be "Jack and Jill") to provide the coaches with administrative assistance. In addition to my role with women's basketball, in my capacity as an Associate Athletics Director, I oversee the athletics department's compliance efforts and work on legal issues impacting the department. I just started this job on July 1, after 11+ years as an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at Notre Dame. So far, I love my job, and I couldn't be more excited to work with women's basketball. I don't have any great scoop yet about the team because I'm just getting to know the players and coaching staff. The thing that strikes me immediately about the student-athletes on the team is that they are incredible representatives of the University of Notre Dame. They are respectful. They are dedicated to community service. They are responsible. But you all knew that already! When I'm not working, I love to travel (international and domestic) and to watch and play sports. I'm just getting pretty into golf, but basketball is my first love. I watch college or pro basketball every night during the season. In addition to Notre Dame sports, I am a huge Bulls, Bears and Cubs fan. I grew up in Valparaiso, IN, and went to Notre Dame for my undergraduate degree. Random trivia fact: my freshman year roommate in Pasquerilla West was Sara Liebscher, who played for Coach McGraw from 1987-91. She is still one of my best friends, and now we both work in the Joyce Center. Very fun. Finally, I definitely will not steal any thunder from Coach Ivey's fashion efforts. I have never been known for my fashion... in fact, I would wear adidas sweats and shoes every day if I could get away with that. That's all for now. I can't wait for the season to get started, and I look forward to meeting many of you. Enjoy the fall! Jill Bodensteiner
-- posted by junior forward Becca Bruszewski Hey Irish Fans, This is your favorite Irish player, Becca Bruszewski, aka Bruiser. I can't believe that basketball season is right around the corner. This has been a great fall so far. We are definitely working hard, but we are also slipping in a little fun too. Congratulations to the Irish on a great wins against Michigan State and Purdue. Both games were so much fun! We had a huge weekend with recruits in town for the Michigan State weekend. There were a ton of them here and it was so fun interacting with everyone. Friday night we went to the pep rally on the Irish Green. It was definitely a different environment with the pep rally outside, but it was still so much fun. Normally, we have the pep rallies at the Joyce Center, but since it is under renovation, the pep rallies are in a different spot every week. I love hanging out with my teammates, dancing to the Notre Dame band and screaming the cheers at the pep rallies. I want to give a shoutout to Brittany, one of the craziest of my teammates, and usually the one that I can act goofy with. If you have never been to a Notre Dame pep rally, you should go. There is nothing like it. Then, we woke up bright and early Saturday morning for a full day of activities. We started with a tour of campus. Thank goodness we had a student tour guide to help us out with the tour. They know so much about Notre Dame. Do you know the story of the Gipper? I learned that for the first time on our tour. "Win one for the Gipper" Knute Rockne said to his football players to inspire them after one of his football players, George Gipp, fell ill and died. Did you know that Ronald Reagan played the part of the Gipper in "Knute Rockne: All American"? There is also the story of "Shrek" and "Harry Potter". Two of the screenwriters for "Shrek" lived in Carroll Hall. Carroll Hall is on the other side of the lake. Since the Notre Dame campus is separated into quads, South Quad, North Quad, etc., the Carroll Hall guys renamed their dorm as Far Quad, since it is so far away from everything. King Farquaad! And, on Shrek's back is the outline of the golden Dome. The city of Dulac came from Notre Dame du Lac - Our Lady of the Lake. The castle is also modeled after the Hesburgh library. Isn't that cool? The dining hall in "Harry Potter" is modeled after our South Dining Hall too. Now you have to go back and watch those movies to see all the references. After our tours, we played some basketball in the PIT (our practice facility). I can't wait until the Joyce Center renovations are done in mid-October. It will be amazing to play on the new court and new seats in the arena. I peaked in the arena and it is looking so awesome!
We ended the weekend with dinner at Coach McGraw's house and some team bonding. The best thing about this year's team is how close we are. My abs hurt every time we are together because we laugh so much with and at each other. I can't wait for what this season has in store for us. This past weekend I had the chance to go home for a little breather before basketball becomes very busy. I love being so close to home. My family comes out to every game and I can go home whenever I want for a home-cooked meal. Sometimes I bring my teammates home too. I watched the Notre Dame-Purdue game with my cousins. What an exciting game! GO IRISH! Well, that's it for me. Until next time ... Bruiser
-- posted by assistant coach Niele Ivey Hello Notre Dame family, This is Coach Ivey! It's about that time to get ready for the beginning of our basketball season. I am so ready for the season and ready to see you guys cheering for the Irish in the stands. As you have probably noticed, I love fashion! I am fortunate to have my best friend and former Irish teammate, Julie Henderson, as my fashion consultant. She is modeling in New York now and has always helped me with my wardrobe for the start of every season. This year I am writing a blog about fashion. I plan on giving helpful hints for the women of the crowd about what's "in style" and hints on good bargains and places to shop. Throughout the season, we will have promotional games and games where you, the fans, will be able to help me pick out outfits to wear! I want to hear your feedback!! It's going to be a lot of fun and I hope that you can be a part of our "Fighting For Fashion" campaign. I am a huge fan of People Style Watch magazine. They always do an amazing job of giving you the hottest trends for your body and budget. One of the ten fall trends of 2009 is the color RED!! This fiery shade is surprisingly versatile and great on accessories, dresses, shoes, bags, and tops. It can go casual or chic! I personally love the color red because it really makes my outfit pop when I wear either a red dress, red heels, or a red accessory. Actually, Coach McGraw has a pair of red heels that are the business!! (that means really cool)!! She is just as fashionable as I am and she is always dressed impeccably! I love her style!! So that is my first of many insights into what is hot for the fall. You don't have to break your bank in finding items that are in this category, find something that is affordable and comfortable for you and your budget. I hope this helps and I look forward to helping out more in the near future!! Go Irish!!
-- posted by coordinator of basketball operations Stephanie Menio You can feel the spirit at Notre Dame! It is that time of year -- the leaves are beginning to change, the footballs are flying high in the air, fans are traveling from miles and miles away to experience the magic of Notre Dame, students are back in class, the band is practicing every day, the basketball coaches are hashing out plays and the student-athletes are pushing themselves to become better. Can you feel it? Congratulations to the Fighting Irish football team on an excellent performance on Saturday against the Nevada Wolf Pack (35-0). Great things are in store for the football team this season and I can't wait for rest of the games. Notre Dame is back! Now back to basketball ... the women's basketball team is working hard in the weight room, on the track and on the court to hone their skills for what is going to be a great season. Every player you talk to knows that this is the year for BIG THINGS and I know the fans are ready for the same. Any time I go to the grocery store or the mall, fans stop me and express how excited they are for the season to begin and how they purchased their season tickets. That says a lot about what we have brewing here at Notre Dame. While I have the chance, here is a little update on ticket sales.
Season Tickets
Single Game Tickets
"Week of" Single Game Tickets
NCAA All-Session Packages
The women's basketball team will be doing some community service in the next couple of weeks as an extension of our "Spirit of Giving" outreach program that we started this summer. This week, the Irish will be visiting St. John the Baptist and Corpus Christi schools for pep rallies. These are two of our most dedicated schools with great showings at our games each year. Both won the attendance contest at You Can Lend a Hand Night last February. Then, on September 20th, a few players will be participating in the Walk for Diabetes at Potawatomi Park in South Bend. It is so important for us to give back to the community that supports us, and we will blog about these great events in the coming weeks. Well, that's it for me. I will keep you posted as the season gets a little closer. As always ... GO IRISH!
-- posted by senior center Erica Williamson Hey Irish Fans! Wow! Can you believe that ANOTHER summer has already sped by? I can't believe I just finished my first day of class ... of my SENIOR YEAR! It seems like it was just yesterday we were all moving into the dorms our freshman summer. I tell ya ... the time really does fly! As many of you may know, this summer has been especially busy for me. I had the great fortune of landing an internship with Pete Byrne at WSBT (the local CBS TV station here in South Bend) working in the sports department. So on top of workouts and another class this summer, I spent 16-20 hours a week working with Pete on writing scripts, editing footage, filming sporting events, and editing online stories. Although it was a lot of work at times, I had an absolute blast. Without the internship, I would be nowhere near where I am today in terms of comfort with and in front of a TV, how the news station works, what all goes into a broadcast, etc... I know that I will do a better job and be a better applicant in the future because of everything I learned this summer. I can't thank Pete, Chad (Damp), Carolyn (Manno), and all the wonderful people at WSBT for all of their help, advice, and friendly faces this summer. They made it much easier to get the job done and provided a great learning environment. Everyone always wants to know about workouts. How's basketball going? How are the freshman doing? How's the team look? Well, let me tell you know. The answer to all the questions is AMAZING! The team worked their butts off this summer in both the weight room and on the court. Everyone gave 100% effort, and a lot of strides were made in terms of weight being put up and speed on the court. On top of all the numbers though, the best thing that happened this year was how well our chemistry formed. As all Irish fans know, we have EVERYONE from last year's team returning; no one graduated! So although the 12 girls returning from last year have all gotten along really well, especially after our (wonderful, amazing, once-in-a-lifetime, absolutely breathtaking, incredible) trip to Europe, it was important that the two freshmen acclimated to our program and the team really well. And let me tell you, they did a superb job. When they came in, it seemed like Kaila and Skylar didn't skip a beat. Sometimes when new people join a tight knit group of people, sometimes it's hard to break in, or to feel welcomed, or to just get along with everyone. Well that hasn't happened in the slightest. It seems like Kaila and Skylar have been a part of our team for years! Our chemistry on the court mirrors our great chemistry off the court. If you see one of us out in South Bend or Mishawaka, you'll most likely see another one around the corner. I can assure you now that it will mean great things to come for this year's squad. Another reason my summer was so busy was my brother Adam's wedding this past weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony held at Windmill Island in Holland, Michigan. After months of preparation and planning and plenty of work done by both families, my "little" brother Adam wed his college sweetheart, Hannah in a beautiful outdoor ceremony. Although it had been raining on and off for two days, the clouds cleared up and the sun shone through just in time for the ceremony. I was a bridesmaid in the wedding and my other brother Reid was the Best Man, which was a great experience for both of us. I've loved getting to know Hannah's good friends from school who were also bridesmaids and had a blast spending time with both of their families during the wedding reception. I can tell you though...the Williamson's really do know how to break in the dance floor! I didn't know my mom and dad knew how to dance so well!! Everyone was breaking it down on the dance floor. My feet were screaming for the hotel bed after 3 hours of dancing! It was great to get to know Hannah's family and to spend some more time with my brother and his bride before they head back to California. :( I'm so proud of both of them and am so happy and fortunate to now say that I have a sister! I've wanted one all my life, and now I have one! It has been one crazy summer. I can't believe it's already come to an end and that everything is about to start going 150% again. I still find it weird knowing that I'm a senior. People will ask what year in school I am when they meet me and the reminder that I'm actually a senior still surprises me to this day! There will be a lot of last-time-this-will-happen moments for our senior class this year, so I know that Barlow, Alena, Lech, Lindsay and I definitely want to make the year a memorable one. It's so encouraging to hear that our ticket sales have been so incredible. Thank you to YOU, all of our amazing fans for buying season tickets. If you haven't bought yours yet, make sure you do so ASAP!! I hear we're down to less than 100!!!! I'm looking forward to the start of the season. I can't believe we only have six weeks left before it all goes full-swing again! (yay ... last pre-season haha!) Till next time!
-- posted by senior guard Alena Christiansen Christmas in July! Christmas came early this year. It was an ordinary day; I showed up in Steph's office and was about to start working on summer camp packets before the next camp started. Then Coach McGraw walked in and asked to see me in her office. Eek! I was so nervous and I felt like I was walking the Green Mile. As soon as I sat down in Coach's office, she gave me my Christmas present six months early. She told me she wanted me on the team this year. I can't even begin to describe what I felt. That was the single greatest gift I could have ever wished for (other than world peace of course!). Last year was a dream come true. After three years of hope, my dream finally came true - I walked-on the Notre Dame women's basketball team. Scoring my first collegiate point wearing my Notre Dame jersey was a dream come true. And being with my teammates and having them accept me taught me a lot about teamwork and camaraderie. I don't know what this season holds for me, but just being part of something larger - the whole Notre Dame athletic experience - is enough to make my year unforgettable. This summer has been great, but I'm ready to begin basketball season. I'm ready to make unforgettable lifetime memories on the Notre Dame Women's Basketball team. So this year I'm telling my friends not to bother getting me any gifts for Christmas because I already got the best gift of all. Merry Christmas!!
-- posted by coordinator of basketball operations & marketing Stephanie Menio Wow ... has this summer flown by! After a camp-filled June and a recruiting-filled July, the women's basketball office has been hoppin', looking for young talent, preparing for fall practices, planning ticket sales events, doing interviews and participating in community outreach events. My favorite question is "do you take the summer off?" I have to just smile because most people don't realize that the summer time is when we get much of our work done for the upcoming season. This summer, we have been working on the reallocation of current season ticket holder seats for the newly-renovated Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center and getting the word out on new season ticket sales. This is such a big year for Notre Dame women's basketball. Although my desk regularly vibrates due to the construction, I am so excited that the team will be playing in a newly-renovated arena in the fall. We are so fortunate to have a very strong fan base of more than 5,300 season ticket holders. The main issue we run into with the current arena is the bleacher sections. Many people do not want to sit in the bleachers. How could you blame them? No one wants "bleacher butt." The good news is that there will be no more bleachers. Every seat in the arena will be a chairback seat ... yay! With the size of the arena going from 11,400 to 9,300, there will not be a bad seat in the place. Since I have this opportunity, here is an update on season tickets: Current season ticket holder renewals will be sent out between August 5th and 7th, so they should reach everyone's mailboxes by the week of August 10th. The renewal will have their newly-allocated seat location. The Ticket Office did the best they could to give current season ticket holders a comparable location, but the new seating configuration did not allow this for everyone. The deadline for current season ticket holders to renew their tickets is Monday, August 31st. With the renewals, current season ticket holders will have the first opportunity to purchase 2010 NCAA Tournament tickets at a discounted rate of $27 for adults and $17 for youth. This includes all three games of the first and second rounds -- that's two first-round games on Sunday, March 21st and a second-round game on Tuesday, March 23rd. There is nothing like March Madness, especially when you don't have to leave town to see the Irish play! On Friday, August 14th, new season tickets will go on sale. Due to the decrease in seats, we only have 3,000 seats available to sell. Seat locations will not be available until September after all season ticket renewals are finalized. Our phones have been ringing off the hook with fans excited to purchase season tickets, so it is highly recommended that new season ticket holders purchase on Friday, August 14th to ensure they get a seat. Tickets will go on sale beginning at 9 a.m. (ET) on August 14th via the following channels:
What is really exciting is that, Notre Dame could become the first collegiate women's basketball program to sell out every game during the regular season! The new Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center will be rockin' for sure. If you don't have season tickets, I would definitely recommend purchasing them for the upcoming season and here are five great reasons you should purchase Notre Dame women's basketball season tickets this year:
5. Great Opponents are coming to town.
4. Games are Affordable, Family-Friendly Entertainment.
3. The Joyce Center is undergoing a multi-million dollar facelift, making it one of the best facilities in the country to watch college basketball.
2. The Irish are projected to be Top 10 in the nation going into the 2009-10 season.
1. There may not be any single game tickets available during the season! On a side note ... I just got a new puppy named Shamrock, but I call her "Roxy" for short. She is a Yorkshire Terrier and is the cutest dog in the world (not that I am biased or anything). She has a Notre Dame nametag and I may even dress her up as the leprechaun for Halloween. Her original name given by the breeder was "Becca," so she was meant to be my little puppy since she was named after one of our players, Becca Bruszewski. But Becca told me that I had to change her name to Becky or Bebe because she didn't want a dog to be named after her. We will keep you posted with more Notre Dame women's basketball news! As always ... GO IRISH!
-- posted by assistant sports information director Chris Masters Happy Friday, Irish fans! Been a busy couple of days around the Notre Dame women's basketball program, as the coaches have come back off the recruiting trail for a quick breather (necessitated by an NCAA-mandated break in the July recruiting calendar). With that timeout, the team all got together on Friday afternoon and threw a surprise baby shower for assistant coach Angie Barber, who is only weeks away from delivering her first child (which we already know will be a girl!). We were able to get some photos from Friday's shower, and you can take a look at the festivities in the photo gallery linked here: Angie Barber Baby Shower Photo Gallery. Earlier this morning, the cameras from Fighting Irish All-Access (the multimedia arm of UND.com) were on hand as the Notre Dame players went through a tough hour-long workout under the steely eye of strength coach Craig Cheek. We also were able to visit yesterday afternoon and evening with senior center Erica Williamson and tag along as she continued her internship in the sports department at WSBT-TV Channel 22 (the CBS affiliate in South Bend). Fighting Irish All-Access is in the process of putting together all of that footage from the past two days and will bring you an extensive video update on Notre Dame's summer progress, both on and off the court, late next week, so keep an eye peeled for that. Yesterday morning, five Irish players -- sophomores Fraderica Miller and Kellie Watson, and seniors Ashley Barlow, Lindsay Schrader and Erica Williamson -- stopped by the pediatric cancer ward at South Bend's Memorial Hospital as part of the Notre Dame women's basketball team's "Spirit of Giving" program, and were able to spend time with three young ladies who are fighting a courageous battle against cancer. They are the true Fighting Irish and our players were happy to be able to bring some smiles to the faces of these girls and their families. Fraderica Miller has more on the team's visit to Memorial Hospital (along with a photo of the players meeting with one of the young patients) in her own BasketBlog entry that immediately follows this one. Speaking of cancer, it's with a heavy heart that we remember Rich O'Leary, the former Irish men's lacrosse coach and longtime director of intramurals and club sports at Notre Dame, who passed away this morning from a cancer-related illness at the age of 62. I had the pleasure of getting to know Rich during the past eight years, as he was part of the loyal and dedicated crew who worked at the scorer's table for our Irish women's basketball games. He was a warm and generous man, a friend to all who knew him, and his contributions to Our Lady's University, and Fighting Irish athletics, will never be forgotten. A complete obituary for Rich can be found here at UND.com: Rich O'Leary Obituary. On a brighter note, as you read this, Irish incoming freshman guard Skylar Diggins is winging her way across the Pacific with her USA Under-19 World Championship teammates to Bangkok, Thailand, for the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championships, which are set to get underway next Thursday. The Americans will tangle with Spain in their tournament opener at 5:30 a.m. ET (4:30 p.m. local time in Bangkok), and we'll have recaps from each one of Team USA's games at the U19 World Championships right here at UND.com -- the complete tournament schedule can be found by visiting the USA Basketball web site. Skylar is out to follow in the footsteps of current Irish senior guard Melissa Lechlitner, who helped lead the 2007 U.S. U19 squad to the gold medal at the World Championships in Slovakia, posting a perfect 6-0 record in the event. It's been a hectic week for Skylar, who was in Los Angeles on Wednesday to receive the Gatorade National High School Athlete of the Year award in a ceremony prior to the ESPY Awards. The future Irish cager also attended the ESPY Awards show and was recognized during the event, which was taped for television and will be broadcast Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN. Somewhere between her travels to Los Angeles, Colorado Springs (to train with Team USA) and Thailand, Skylar found time to talk with Ken Sothman, a reporter from Fox 59 in Indianapolis and a freelance writer at Indy Sports Nation. His story can be read at the following link: A Red, White And Blue Sky All Over The World. In the WNBA ranks, 2001 Notre Dame alum and current San Antonio Silver Stars center Ruth Riley narrowly missed being voted as a starter to the 2009 WNBA All-Star Game, finishing second in the balloting among Western Conference centers with 75,412 votes, trailing only Los Angeles' Lisa Leslie (80,748), who has missed significant time lately with a severe knee sprain. It's possible Ruth could be selected as an all-star reserve by the league's other 12 head coaches (coaches are not allowed to vote for their own players) when the complete all-star rosters are announced on Tuesday. The 2009 WNBA All-Star Game will be played July 25 (3:30 p.m. ET on ABC) in Uncasville, Conn., at Mohegan Sun Arena, home of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun. In the meantime, Ruth and the Silver Stars have a pair of games this weekend, playing host to Connecticut on Friday (8 p.m. ET) before heading up to Chicago on Sunday to tangle with the Sky (6 p.m. ET on NBA TV and CN 100 in Chicago). Don't forget to help us stay up to date with our Fighting Irish women's basketball alumnae. If you're a former player (or know the whereabouts of a former player), drop me a line at masters.5@nd.edu and let us know what you've been up to. We hope to bring those updates to everyone here on the BasketBlog in the future and even feature them as part of next year's Notre Dame women's basketball media guide. Couple of quick shameless personal plugs before we sign off -- a tip of the hat to John Altavilla at the Hartford Courant, who name-dropped yours truly in his own blog on Friday as part of a mailbag segment that included a question about the origins of the first name of Irish head coach Muffet McGraw (you'll have to check out his blog for the answer!). Also, our Notre Dame women's basketball media Twitter page is about to reach a milestone, as we await our 100th follower ... who will it be? Well, if you haven't signed up to follow us already, just click on the link at the top of this BasketBlog page and maybe you could be that lucky follower that puts us into triple digits. No purchase necessary, but then again, there aren't any prizes for signing up -- at least not at this point. We'll work on that. For now, have a great weekend wherever you may be and, as always, GO IRISH!!
-- posted by sophomore guard Fraderica Miller Yesterday, we went down to Memorial Hospital here in South Bend to visit a few of the kids in the pediatric center. I've done a lot of community service at day care centers back at home in Atlanta and I really love working with children. This was my first time doing community service at a hospital and to be honest, I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to handle it. I wasn't sure what to expect, but after being there I was very glad I decided to go.
One of the girls we met had just found out that the cancer is back for the third time. When her mom told us that, my heart sank. I can't even begin to think how that feels, but the fact that she and her mother seemed to have so much hope that they would once again beat the cancer made me realize how amazing the power of faith is. Another one of the girls was being prepped for a spinal tap. As soon as I saw her, I had to fight back tears. To see this little girl sitting in her mother's lap, getting ready to go through such a painful procedure, was so sad. When we walked in, she seemed really down, but when we handed her one of the adidas bags, her face lit up and she actually smiled when she grabbed the bag. Knowing that we may have brightened this little girl's day was amazing. I commend the parents, family, friends, and especially the cancer patients themselves for being able to fight the way the do. I know it isn't always easy, but I find it remarkable how someone battling a disease like cancer can find it in themselves to smile and carry a positive attitude the way these girls did today. Although it was a little emotional to see these girls, all so young, having to spend their day in a hospital bed, I was really glad that we were able to make them smile. I may have been a little apprehensive at first, but after this experience I know that I will definitely be visiting the pediatric center again very soon.
-- posted by assistant sports information director Chris Masters Hope you've been enjoying our newly-redesigned UND.com and the tipoff of this latest incarnation of the BasketBlog. Just some quick housekeeping items from the weekend gone by and the week to come:
All for now ... but keep it tuned here for more news and GO IRISH!!
-- posted by sophomore guard Kellie Watson Hey Irish fans!! I hope you all have been having an amazing summer so far! We have been very busy with classes, workouts, and pick-up. Every morning we have workouts that involve running, lifting, and agilities. All of us are working really hard to ensure that we have a very successful season! We play pick-up four times a week and we are looking very good! Everyone is gelling together very well and we will be ready to play once practice starts. To go along with our workouts together as a team, we all have a notebook with our individual workouts. Everyday we have about an hour long routine of shooting, dribbling, and driving drills we must complete. This is when you show your discipline and drive for getting better in the off-season. My personal workouts consist of lots of shooting drills. I want to be as consistent as possible during the season so I am working very hard on my shot now. Every once in a while I will also come in later at night to get a few shots up. I like to shoot to clear my mind and settle down so I go to the gym if I can't sleep. These last three and a half weeks will be very difficult for the 12 of us, but we are working great together and will get through it! The summer time is a great time to not only strengthen our game, but get out into the community as well. Last week, we went to the Martin Luther King Center in South Bend to help out with Camp Soldiers, which is a co-ed camp for grades 2-8. It brought me back to the good ol' days of playing in really hot gyms. The kids were great! Every one of them worked extremely hard and really wanted to improve their game. It is always nice to be around kids and help them develop their skills. It has been great blogging for you again, and as always, GO IRISH!!!
-- posted by assistant sports information director Chris Masters Hello Irish fans and welcome to the BasketBlog, version 2.0! With the debut of our newly-redesigned athletics web site (www.UND.com) on Wednesday, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to bring back the BasketBlog, this time in a much sleeker and streamlined format, similar to what we did during our European tour back in May. Between this blog, our special Notre Dame women's basketball Twitter page (@ndwbbsid) and our free Irish ALERT text messaging system, there's absolutely no way you won't be able to keep up with what's going on the world of Fighting Irish women's basketball. Speaking of which, it's already been a busy summer for the players, coaches and staff. I'm sure most of you have checked our European tour web page, but if you haven't, take a few minutes to get caught up on what was truly a memorable experience. Once we got back, most of the team scattered to the four winds for some time with their families before returning to help out with our extremely popular summer camps, which were once again a huge success even though we didn't have the benefit of using the main Joyce Center floor, due to the on-going construction. In fact, the night we got back to town from Europe, we rolled up to Gate 6 at the arena to the sight of several large dumpsters filled with some of the "historic" seats of the old arena that had been cleared out to make room for the new setup. For most of the summer, we're kept out of the arena (unless we're sporting a hard hat), but judging by the noise and the amount of heavy equipment rolling through campus, you can be sure the place is going look great when we tip off next season! It's also because of the construction that the players relocated out of their regular locker room to a temporary one as part of the main women's Olympic sports locker room adjacent to the Joyce Center Fieldhouse. The Irish men's basketball and volleyball team also had to make similar relocations ... all the price of progress, right? Anyway, back to the summer recap. Almost all of our players are following a normal student-athlete regimen of attending summer school in an effort to keep them ahead of the game when the jam-packed basketball season (with games, practices, meetings and studying, not to mention a social life) all converge at once. Natalie Novosel was the first to get the jump on summer school -- she enrolled in the shorter early session and actually missed the first day of classes which came as we were coming back from Europe -- and she's now been joined by the rest of the team for the regular summer session, except Alena Christiansen, who is back home in Fort Lauderdale working at her summer job as well as several clinics in the area near her alma mater, Cardinal Gibbons High School (we miss you Alena ... see you soon!). One of our freshmen, Kaila Turner, also is getting her feet wet with life on a college campus, while our other rookie, Skylar Diggins, has joined the team for their workouts and pickup games, but her involvement with the USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team was going to cause her to miss a great deal of summer classes, so she'll officially enroll at school when the fall semester gets going next month. Ah yes, those morning workouts ... nothing like a 6 a.m. wakeup call to get the blood flowing and really test who's got that championship mentality and how much they really want to reach up and grab the proverbial brass ring. Under the watchful eye of our strength coach, Craig Cheek, the players have gone through a strict regimen of weights and cardio workouts, mixed with individual basketball drills prescribed by their respective position coaches. The team also has been getting together nearly every afternoon at the Rolfs Sports Recreation Center on campus for an hour to an hour and a half, playing pickup games (both against each other and a mix of male players who happen to stop by) and working every day to improve and strengthen the bonds and the chemistry that make this team so very dangerous to play against. On the court -- well, let's just say that Tom Bacsik (our personnel manager) and I have exchanged more than a few grins and knowing glances based on some of the effort we've seen from the players so far this summer. Meanwhile, the coaches are on the road right now, fanning out to all corners of the country in part one of the July recruiting season. Some of you may remember from our previous BasketBlogs (click the "Older Posts" link above for a refresher) how our associate head coach Jonathan Tsipis, recalled the long days and nights in gyms, airports, hotels and restaurants evaluating the next crop of potential Fighting Irish women's basketball players. Coach McGraw, Coach Barber and Coach Ivey also have been out on the road -- Angie's been a real trooper in that she's about eight months pregnant! But recruiting is the lifeblood of any college basketball program and you can bet our staff will leave no stone unturned when it comes to evaluating talent. That's a quick snapshot at what we've been up to lately. There will be more on the horizon in the coming weeks and months, as we work with our friends at Fighting Irish All-Access (the video side of UND.com) to bring you some features on the Notre Dame players' summer workout program, our new "Spirit of Giving" summer outreach program (which started with an appearance this past Wednesday at Skylar Diggins' Camp Soldiers for grades 2-8 at the Martin Luther King Rec Center in South Bend), and Erica Williamson's summer internship at WSBT-TV in South Bend. And, if the weather holds up, the players are penciled in for their annual on-campus media guide photo shoots on the 15th, an event that often has its own set of logistical nightmares for yours truly, not to mention some mad scrambles by the ladies to get their hair, makeup and dresses just right. What's more, we're going to have regular BasketBlog contributions from the players and coaches. So make sure to bookmark this page and check back often 'cause we're just getting warmed up ... GO IRISH!
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