Niele Ivey is coming home. Ivey was introduced as the new coach of the Notre Dame women's basketball team on Thursday, succeeding her mentor, Muffet McGraw, who retired a day earlier. “Those are big heels to fill,” Ivey said during an online news conference. “When you follow a legend, it's not easy.
But I want to be myself. Always be true to myself, try to stay as authentic as I can.” The 42-year-old, who got emotional at times during the news conference while sitting with her son, Jaden, has been preparing for this job for much of her adult life.
She helped lead the Fighting Irish to a national championship as the point guard in 2001 and was an assistant coach on the Notre Dame team that won the title in 2018.