Niele Ivey raves about the impact of Hannah Hidalgo on Notre Dame

It was clear to Niele Ivey that she hit the recruiting jackpot with Hannah Hidalgo before she ever stepped on campus.

Hidalgo made an immediate impact on the court for Notre Dame as a true freshman, leading the Fighting Irish to a 29-7 record and a Sweet 16 berth. She hasn’t skipped a beat so far during her sophomore season. The Notre Dame head coach expected this star power out of her since the day she signed, although didn’t expect it out of the gates.

“I knew that she was going to be a special player,” Ivey said after Hidlago scored 29 points in a 79-68 win over No. 2 UConn. “She always played with a chip on her shoulder. She always wears her heart on her sleeve.

“Having that passion and that energy and the love and joy of the game — I was shocked last year that she did it so fast. She was in the fire last year. I knew right away. I honestly knew in the summertime, when we went on our foreign tour that she’s a big, big player. Big-time, big-stage player. She’s different in such a unique way, the way that she plays, and she just stepped in and she just growing and blossoming.”

Hidalgo made six 3-pointers against the Huskies and dished out eight assists to fend off a 25-point effort from Paige Bueckers and company.

The performance continued a trend for Hidalgo, aiding in her reputation as one of the most lethal scorers in the nation. She’s averaging 25.0 points through 10 games this season, not to mention averaging 7.1 rebounds at 5-foot-6, 3.8 assists per game, and a mind-numbing 4.0 steals per game.

Not only will she score on you, but she’ll pick your pocket afterward. She’s a constant headache for opposing teams on both sides of the ball.

Most of her numbers are up from her true freshman season, and she’s only getting her career started in South Bend.

“Again, she’s one of the best in the country,” Ivey continued. “But I knew that recruiting her, and then when she stepped on the stage it was like, yeah. She solidified that right when she stepped on this campus.”