Notre Dame Women's Basketball Departures Account for 76.6% of Scoring

On February 20, Notre Dame women’s basketball was ranked number one in the country coming off a 40-point victory over the University of Miami. The win moved the Irish to an astounding 24-2 record and undefeated in ACC play with 15 wins.

Less than two months later, on April 2, graduate senior center Kylee Watson joined senior guard Olivia Miles, freshman forward Kate Koval, and sophomore guard Emma Risch in the transfer portal.

Photo via Notre Dame Athletics

Following a loss to Texas Christian University in the Sweet Sixteen on March 29, Notre Dame women’s basketball has lost 31.2% of its scoring to the transfer portal. It was the fourth straight year the Irish have lost in the Sweet Sixteen under head coach Niele Ivey after finishing the year 4-4 in their final eight games.

It started on March 31 when Miles - the projected No. 2 overall pick in the WNBA draft - announced her decision to not only forgo the draft, but also enter the transfer portal. After missing the entire 2023-24 season, Miles had a career year in South Bend where she saw career highs in points per game (15.4), field goal percentage (48.3%) and three-point percentage (40.6%).

Miles collected three triple-doubles this past season against Mercyhurst University in Notre Dame’s opening contest on November 4. Later in the season, Miles tallied back-to-back triple-doubles first against Loyola University Maryland on December 22 and then against Virginia on December 29. It was the fifth time she finished with a triple-double in her career.

It was a slower postseason for Miles, however. In three games played, she averaged 25 minutes per game, scoring just 6.7 PPG on 25% shooting. In the loss to TCU, Miles finished with 10 points on 3 for 10 shooting in 23 minutes of action.

Koval, who played in 32 games in her freshman season with the Irish this past season, averaged 5.3 PPG on 45.1% shooting from the field. The 6-foot-5 native of Kyiv, Ukraine, was the No. 5 overall player in the 2024 class and the top-rated post player according to ESPN HoopGurlz.

Despite the high hopes, Koval showed inconsistencies in her first season, scoring in double figures just three times during ACC play and never scoring more than nine points after January 19 against SMU. In the NCAA Tournament, Koval averaged just 2.0 PPG in 15.7 MPG, shooting 23.1% from the field.

Risch played in just 13 games for the Irish in her second season, averaging 5.7 PPG on a 44.4% shooting clip, while also grabbing 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Her best performance in a Notre Dame uniform came this past season on December 15 against Eastern Michigan University. Risch knocked down seven threes on nine attempts, finishing with 23 points in 25 minutes of play. The very next game against Loyola Maryland, she played 27 minutes with seven points on 3 for 7 shooting.

Risch would play just 14 minutes the rest of the season and didn’t see the floor after January 23, when she played just three minutes against Boston College.

From Melbourne, Florida, Risch was rated as a five-star prospect according to ESPN HoopGurlz. She committed to the Irish after taking visits to schools like Michigan University, the University of Tennessee, the University of South Carolina, etc.

After suffering a torn ACL during the 2024 ACC Tournament, Watson missed all of this past season. She spent two seasons with the Irish after starting her career with the University of Oregon. In her final season with Notre Dame in 2023-24, Watson averaged 6.2 PPG while shooting a career-low 52.4% from the field. She saw career-highs in rebounds (5.0), assists (1.3), steals (0.8), and blocks (1.4) per game.

The Irish will not only suffer losses to the transfer portal, but also to graduation. Forwards Maddy Westbeld, Liatu King, and Liza Karlen, along with guard Sonia Citron, will also not be on the team next season.

With these losses, Notre Dame will be losing 76.6% of its scoring next season, including four of its top five scorers.

It will be a difficult but important offseason for Ivey, as she tries to replace 64.9 PPG. Last offseason, King was brought in from Pittsburgh along with Karlen from Marquette University, which has arguably been the best transfer class Ivey has had in her tenure with the Irish. With just one freshman recruit joining Notre Dame next season in 6-foot-2 five-star forward Leah Macy (No.19 overall; No.4 forward), the Irish will be tasked with constructing a brand new roster.