Hannah Hidalgo earns ACC honor after historic start for Notre Dame women’s basketball
You might not find anyone in the country playing better basketball than Notre Dame freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo. She was recognized by the Atlantic Coast Conference on Monday for her hot start.
Hidalgo won ACC Rookie of the Week honors following the conclusion of the first seven days of the regular season. In two games, Hidalgo averaged 28.5 points to check in with the country’s No. 4 scoring average. She’s also averaging 4.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and a staggering 7.5 steals per game.
NC State’s Saniya Rivers won the ACC Player of the Week for scoring 33 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the Wolfpack’s 92-81 upset win over No. 2 UConn. She averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals in NC State’s first two games.
Hidalgo had 12 steals in Notre Dame’s 104-57 victory over the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Sunday. That tied a program record. According to ESPN, Hidalgo is the first Division I player with at least 50 points and 15 steals in the first two games of a season in the last 25 years.
Hidalgo’s latest masterful performance came in her native New Jersey. Notre Dame played the NJIT Highlanders on the road in Newark, N.J. Hidalgo is one of five Irish players on the current roster hailing from either New Jersey or New York.
“This was a homecoming for them, and it made me so happy,” Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said. “The energy was awesome. When we landed and drove around to our hotel, just to see their eyes light up just from being home, that’s what I always want. I want them to have their opportunity in front of their home, their fans, their family, people who have known them their whole lives.”
Now, Hidalgo gets the chance to play in front of the home fans in South Bend for the first time in a regular season game on Wednesday. The Irish’s home opener tips off against Northwestern at 7 p.m. ET. In an exhibition game at Purcell Pavilion on Oct. 30, Hidalgo had 23 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 steals in a 110-48 victory over Purdue Northwest.
The Northwestern game is the first one at home that actually counts for Hidalgo, but in a way it feels like the 18-year-old has already been doing this for a long time in a Notre Dame uniform. In actuality, she’s just getting started.
“She’s a great player,” Notre Dame junior Sonia Citron said. “I think we all knew this. I think it’s surprising to other people because she is a freshman, but our team has known the impact she was going to have from the beginning. So nothing has surprised me.”
“She has a very high IQ,” Ivey added. “Very mature. I’ve known that from recruiting her. It’s like I’m talking to an assistant coach because she sees the game, she’s very cerebral. And she’s very coachable. I can talk to her about different things and she listens. She’s a sponge. And she just wants to win. She’s so competitive that she wants to do whatever it takes, and having someone with that mindset is just awesome to have, especially at the point.”
