guys come on

by CW (Rakes) , Harlan County, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11:06 (1 day, 0 hours, 12 min. ago) @ Chris

I know this board has been trying to put Ivey on the hot seat for years (especially with Brey no longer in place to kick around) but are we really landing on "She doesn't work hard at recruiting and is also bad at Xs and Os" for one of three coaches to have made the last five Sweet Sixteens? Plus an Elite Eight, some ACC titles and an AP No. 1 ranking. It's a half-decade run via, what, magic and good fortune (which ignores various ACL tears and courtside nasal procedures)?

Sweet Sixteens can't be the ceiling and not to say you can't nitpick the half-court offense or some of the broader roster management strategies like KGB mentioned -- I don't know if there is a good answer in modern college hoops and think "I'll recruit a few no-brainer prospects, keep them happy with playing time and supplement with transfers" isn't a terrible idea but runs into the realities of portal randomness, Notre Dame admissions and potential checkbook limitations.

For those who don't follow closely, Ivey switched up strategies and is bringing in a top three recruiting class with five legit prospects this summer and has two top five high schoolers coming in to visit for Blue-Gold. For further recruiting background, I'd cross-reference 1) Her arrival on the sideline for Muffet 2) Muffet's tournament results after that 3) The number of WNBA players who just signed seven-figure deals and were recruited to ND by Ivey. I'd also reference Hannah choosing to stay all four years despite some massive offers from SEC country.

FYI Cass Prosper is trickier to pay via NIL because she's Canadian. She also early enrolled and her brother is in the NBA so I think the goal was always go pro as quickly as possible to make it a family affair. If there is bad blood between her and Ivey, it certainly was hidden on draft night.