Where Notre Dame women's basketball stands with Maya Dodson, other seniors returning for 2022-23

It had the feeling of someone whose college career was quickly coming to a close for Notre Dame graduate senior center Maya Dodson.

She walked out of Georgia Tech’s arena on Feb. 17, the day after her birthday, to a large gathering of family and friends clapping, cheering and emphatically calling her name. An Alpharetta, Ga., native, Dodson’s supporters didn’t have far to travel to watch her notch a seventh double-double in Notre Dame’s last 11 games. Dodson had 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks in an overtime triumph.

The celebration could turn out to be more of a birthday/victory shindig rather than a commemoration of her career, though. Instead of having just two regular season games plus postseason play remaining as a college athlete, Dodson could have an entire year left to play for the Fighting Irish. Asked if Dodson would give it another go in blue and gold for the 2022-23 season, Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said absolutely.

But those cards aren’t exactly in Dodson’s hand.

Notre Dame will honor four seniors — Dodson, Dara Mabrey, Abby Prohaska and Katlyn Gilbert — in a pregame ceremony at Purcell Pavilion before Thursday’s game against Clemson. With a waiver granted to every player who participated in the 2020-21 season (one heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic), it has been common knowledge all along that the latter three could return for an extra year of eligibility if they chose to do so.

Dodson did not play that season, however. She opted out and transferred from Stanford to Notre Dame instead. But according to Ivey, there is a behind-the-scenes movement in the works to get Dodson cleared for one more season.

“There is a bunch of paperwork and compliance and all this red tape that she’s in the process of going through,” Ivey said. “Hopefully everything will work out and she can come back for another year. They’re working on it.”

Fighting Irish football

• Notre Dame players show support for new Irish Players Club NFT project

• What Deland McCullough sees in his new group of Notre Dame running backs

It’s not clear if Dodson’s case is being made on the grounds of giving up an entire season in 2020-21 or if it’s because she only played nine games during the 2019-20 season because of a left foot injury. Ivey did not comment on the particulars of the waiver Dodson is clearly trying to obtain. The mere fact that she’s going for it is big news for Notre Dame, though.

Ivey and the Irish only signed one player in the class of 2022. It’s McDonald’s All-American KK Bransford, a player Ivey and her assistants worked tirelessly to make Irish, but 5-10 Bransford isn’t going to replace a post player like 6-3 Dodson. Dodson ranks fifth in the ACC in rebounds per game (8.0) and tied for seventh nationally with 71 blocks. Outside of freshman point guard Olivia Miles, Dodson has been Notre Dame’s best and most important player. Many nights, she impacts the game even more so than Miles.

Miles and Dodson are Notre Dame’s two leading scorers at 13.9 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. Bringing them back — along with sophomore Maddy Westbeld (11.7), freshman Sonia Citron (11.4), Mabrey (9.8) and junior Sam Brunelle (7.2) — plus the addition of Bransford and key role players like Prohaska and junior guard Anaya Peoples would essentially give Ivey the same team she worked with this season only with much more experience.

This season is far from over, too. Plenty more where that came from.

Losing Dodson would completely flip the script, though. Who on the current roster can play center outside of Dodson? Probably not 6-5 sophomore Natalija Marshall coming off her second knee surgery in as many years. Moving Westbeld from the four to the five would hinder so many aspects of her game. Same goes for Brunelle, who is much better served as a stretch four off the bench.

At this point, it’s Dodson, striking gold in the transfer well or bust for Notre Dame. Irish fans are in a position to cross their fingers and root for one of the first two options.