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Notre Dame signee Kate Koval named Naismith Player of the Year semifinalist

IMG_9992by:Tyler Horka•02/06/24•

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koval
Notre Dame signee Kate Koval. (Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics)

Notre Dame women’s basketball signee Kate Koval is officially one of the 10 best recruits in the class of 2024. She was named a Naismith Trophy Girls High School Player of the Year Semifinalist on Tuesday.

A 6-5 center out of Brookville (N.Y.) Long Island Lutheran, Koval is averaging 16.2 points and 10.4 rebounds through 18 games according to her school’s social media account. “LuHi” has three top-10 national matchups in a row coming up this month.

Koval recently eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her high school career. She was the 2023 Gatorade New York Girls Basketball Player of the Year for averaging 15.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game. She also shot 60.7 percent from the floor.

The only player currently signed by Notre Dame in the class of 2024, Koval is the No. 5 player in the country according to ESPN. Notre Dame also signed the No. 5 player in the nation in 2023 in point guard Hannah Hidalgo. Koval and Hidalgo were both Naismith semifinalists last year.

Here is a look at all of the 2024 Naismith semifinalists.

2023-24 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Girls High School Player of the Year Semifinalists

Sienna BettsJuniorFAurora, COGrandview High SchoolUCLA
Jaloni CambridgeSeniorPGNashville, TNMontverde AcademyOhio State
Aaliyah ChavezJuniorPGLubbock, TXMonterey High School–
Morgan CheliSeniorGSan Jose, CAArchbishop Mitty High SchoolUConn
Jasmine DavidsonJuniorGClackamas, ORClackamas High School–
Joyce EdwardsSeniorFCamden, SCCamden High SchoolSouth Carolina
Kateryna “Kate” KovalSeniorPBrookville, NYLong Island LutheranNotre Dame
Arianna RobersonSeniorFSan Antonio, TXClark High SchoolDuke
Kennedy SmithSeniorWEtiwanda, CAEtiwanda High SchoolUSC
Sarah StrongSeniorFFuquay-Varina, NCGrace Christian School–

Strong is the No. 1 player in the class per ESPN. Her recruitment has not been extensively reported on, but she said in late December South Carolina and UConn have piqued her interest. Notre Dame does not appear to be in the mix.

Sierra Canyon (Calif.) High’s Mackenly Randolph was not named a Naismith semifinalist, but she’s the No. 21 recruit in the class per ESPN and is undecided at the moment. Notre Dame is in her top three along with Michigan State and Louisville.

A signing class of 6-5 Koval and 6-0 Randolph would directly address Notre Dame’s needs of size and rebounding prowess. Randolph has not set a date for her commitment.

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