What Niele Ivey said about Marcus Freeman’s support for Notre Dame women’s basketball
When ESPN’s College GameDay picked Notre Dame as its host site for the final regular season show of the 2024-25 women’s basketball season, there was really only one person they could pick as the guest picker and have it all make sense. Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman, of course.
Freeman is seen at Fighting Irish women’s basketball games in his court-side seats across from the Notre Dame bench at more games inside Purcell Pavilion than not. He’s often accompanied by one of his children and sometimes a couple of his players.
He’s not there for show; he gets into the games. Didn’t you see him dap up Olivia Miles after her buzzer-beating three-point shot in the third quarter of the Irish’s 72-59 win over Louisville on Sunday? He’s all-in on the Irish. Not just his Irish — women’s basketball head coach Niele Ivey’s Irish, too.
She does not take it for granted.
“I’m super grateful for our relationship,” Ivey said. “Knowing that he’s been here three years, I’ve been here five, coming from being an assistant, taking over a program like Notre Dame football, Notre Dame women’s basketball, we have a lot in common. I think that’s how our relationship has grown.”
Ivey is a Notre Dame alumnae who’s spent most of her professional life in South Bend. She won a national title with the Irish as the starting point guard in 2001 and then was a part of the last team standing again for the program’s second national championship in 2018 when she was an assistant coach. She became the head coach in 2020. Freeman went from Notre Dame defensive coordinator to Notre Dame head coach ahead of the 2022 season, meanwhile.
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Freeman met with Ivey about making such a transition shortly after his promotion was finalized.
“Ever since then, just been great friends and colleagues,” Ivey said. “Have so much admiration and respect for each other. We just bounce ideas off of each other. We’re both big supporters of each other’s programs, especially high-profile, high-stress jobs here at Notre Dame.”
Freeman took the Irish to the national championship game this past season. The Irish came up short against Ohio State, but only one team is ever a runner-up and it was Notre Dame. A step away from winning it all.
Ivey would love to get her team to that point and break through. The Irish are 25-4 and just finished a 16-2 ACC season. They’re the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament this week and projected to be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Freeman will surely follow along as March Madness plays out for Ivey’s team.
“Through highs and lows, we’re always there for each other,” Ivey said. “He’s very genuine. He’s just very genuine. And he genuinely supports me and our program. It’s always amazing having somebody with his profile and status come support us. He’s a girl dad. He has a couple daughters that he brings to the games and his children and his wife. So it’s awesome to have that support, and he knows it’s mutual.”
