Notre Dame women’s basketball sends offer to top-10 player in class of 2025
Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey is always on the lookout for elite guards to join the Fighting Irish program. She recently sent a scholarship offer to one of the best wings in the recruiting class of 2025.
Madison Francis of Lancaster (N.Y.) Central tweeted late Sunday night that she has received an offer from Ivey and the Irish coaching staff to continue her career at Notre Dame. The 6-1 Francis is the No. 7 player in her class according to the ESPN HoopGurlz rankings. None of the top 12 players in the class have committed to any programs yet.
In two seasons at the varsity level, Francis has averaged 19.4 points, 11.7 rebounds, 4.0 steals, 3.0 assists and 2.8 blocks per game according to MaxPreps. As a sophomore this past season, she averaged 22.0 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.
ESPN is very high on Francis’ future.
“[She] can make plays athletically that most players cannot make,” ESPN’s Shane Laflin wrote in April. “An elite level track athlete as well, she moves so smoothly and powerfully around the floor, it is like she can cover sideline to sideline without the slightest bit of effort. She operates predominately around the rim but has improved open court skills. Good luck to opponents keeping her off the glass. Her best basketball is ahead of her.”
Francis is not the towering post player Notre Dame fans are yearning for on the recruiting trail, but she is the exact type of player Ivey looks for to fit in her system. She’s eerily similar to rising sophomore Cassandre Prosper, who as a 6-2 early enrollee freshman recorded 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in 22 appearances.
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Prosper would be a senior by the time Francis made it to Notre Dame. If the two truly are similar in playing styles, it would be prudent for Francis to watch Prosper’s development over the next two seasons. Personal success for Prosper coupled with a continued rise in Notre Dame’s overall team success would make signing with the Irish difficult for Francis to say no to.
Of course, a player of her caliber has a lot of options.
Francis has scholarship offers from Rutgers, Georgetown, Minnesota, Michigan, Boston College, Ole Miss, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi State, Michigan State, Arizona State, Villanova, Illinois, Louisville, St. John’s, Florida State, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Miami, Purdue, Ohio State, Syracuse and Rhode Island according to her Twitter account. That list will only continue to grow.
Ivey has been hot in recruiting for as long as she has been Notre Dame’s head coach, so look for the Irish to remain in the running to land Francis up until when she decides to commit.
