Five things Notre Dame women's basketball coach Niele Ivey said at Irish media day

Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey spoke to reporters Tuesday during Fighting Irish media day. She spent much of her 12 minutes with the media asking questions about junior point guard Olivia Miles coming back from major knee surgery performed in April.

Ivey shared some encouraging news on that front.

“She’s in a position where she’s really, really close to getting back on the court,” Ivey said.

Here are some other things Ivey said about Miles and Notre Dame women’s basketball in general.

On how Notre Dame is preparing for the season with Olivia Miles’ status in flux

“I’m in constant communication with Liv and our performance team. I kind of have a general idea, but going into the season, she’s at about six months [post-surgery], doing great. I understand it is more of the individual feeling process. Everybody comes back differently at different times. But she’s doing really, really well. So I’m just prepared either way. If she’s back, whatever timeframe that is, then I’m prepared. If she’s not, I’ll prepare for that as well.”

On if Miles might redshirt instead of returning to the floor this season

“Obviously, the option is redshirting depending on when that decision is made. I’m putting that in Liv’s hands. I trust my performance team. Like I said, she’s done a really, really great job. She’s right on track. Kind of just playing by ear to see. Each month, you make a lot of gains at this point of her rehab. Right now, it’s more strengthening. She’s starting to run now. That could speed the process up. I’m kind of just being there for her and us having great communication of how she feels. My biggest thing, I’ve gone through this twice. It’s an individual decision of her comfort level being back on the floor. I just want to make sure she’s comfortable, confident and ready.”

On what Ivey has learned about Notre Dame while Miles has been out

“I’ve learned about our resilience. Last year with Liv and Dara [Mabrey] going out, everyone stepped up. Everyone knew they had to do a little bit more. It was point guard by committee. Fortunately, this year i have a true point guard in Hannah Hidalgo who has done a tremendous job od being in the fire as a freshman. Having the foreign tour, I thought she did a really good job of running the team. And she has picked up the offense really well.

“What I’ve learned about this team is they want to win. And whatever that takes, if that means different people playing different positions, that’s what we’re doing. Everyone is helping Hannah, and Liv is really leading really well on the side. Just the fortitude and resilience of the team is what I’ve learned since last year.”

On what she expects from the Notre Dame defense

“Defense is something I think we’re going to be better at this year. The two years identity-wise that I want from our team is pushing pace, I talk about that every year. I think we’re going to be fast and even faster when Liv comes back. And defensively, I think I have the bodies that can do that. We’re going to impact the ball more aggressively this year. I would like to extend our defense. That’s something we’ve been working on this summer and the last couple weeks.

“Having players like Hannah come in, the way she changes the game with her defense. And also Cass [Prosper] and everyone being in great shape, it’s going to allow us to be able to play faster defensively and do more things defensively to disrupt offenses.”

On the profile of Notre Dame women’s basketball

“I’m fortunate to be behind a brand that’s national and international like Notre Dame. We’re afforded many incredible opportunities to play and to be a part of a lot of historical matchups and moments. I was fortunate to have that as an assistant coach. As a head coach, I always want to give my players that experience.

“Understand that it’s bigger than basketball. We get a chance to go across the pond. We get the chance to play in a historical first NCAA women’s basketball matchup [overseas]. My son just played last year in Paris. We get a chance to play this year, playing Dawn Staley, but we also get a chance to impact the community there. The Citi Bank game, getting a chance to be the first [NCAA women’s basketball game] on NBC, having another matchup this year in D.C.

“I think those are just such incredible experiences for the players, and that’s what when I recruit I say. You’re not just part of a basketball piece. You’re going to learn a lot about life and different cultures. That’s what makes Notre Dame so unique and special. I’m fortunate that we have the resources that can allow us to do those types of things. I’m really grateful we get a chance to be a part of those historical events.”