ATLANTA ― Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo seemingly dreams of creating chaos for opponents.
As Glorilla’s ‘Let Her Cook’ fittingly blares through the speakers at McCamish Pavilion, Hidalgo isn’t hard to spot. Her signature puff is tied up, ever so lightly bouncing, as the junior guard awaits the opening tipoff. Just one minute and 20 seconds into a New Year’s Day matchup against Georgia Tech, Hidalgo does one of the things she does best ― picks her opponent’s pocket.
As the minutes tick away, Hidalgo eventually gets another steal and zooms down the hardwood. With no one around her, she stops on a dime and drains a pull-up triple. It’s a regular day at the office for one of the best two-way players in the country. Hildago leads the nation in steals (5.9 per game) and is second in scoring (25.5 ppg) behind Iowa State’s Audi Crooks. As her junior season unfolds, Hilalgo says she’s matured as a person and player under Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey.
‘My biggest thing was that next play mentality and being able to manage my emotions, and then also be able to manage my teammates’ emotions and not be so worried about myself,’ Hildago told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I feel like I’ve grown a lot in that area, especially from a freshman to now. I still think I have a lot of growth to do … but I think that’s the area I’m most proud of.’
Since her collegiate debut in 2023, Hildago has been the ultimate competitor. She scored 31 points and three steals in her first college basketball game ― against then No. 6 South Carolina. The Notre Dame guard shared she’s had one goal since that day: ‘strike fear into my opponents’ eyes.’ A self-described ‘dawg,’ Hildago has lived up to her objective.
She has added numerous accolades to her name, including an ACC Player of the Year Award, two ACC Defensive Player of the Year trophies and the Dawn Staley award, given to the nation’s best guard. Hidalgo broke the Notre Dame record for consecutive games scoring in double figures (now 81 matchups and counting). She also set the program record for most points in a single game (44 against Akron on Nov. 12) and eclipsed the Division I record for steals in a game with 16. On Dec. 29 in a victory over Pitt, Hidalgo passed her coach on the Notre Dame career steals list. Ivey had 248 career steals from 1996-2001. Hidalgo now has 261 and is within 20 steals of all-time Irish leader Skylar Diggins.
Hidalgo is averaging career highs in nearly every statistical category and quietly carving out her place on the list of candidates for National Player of the Year. Outside of being a scoring threat, she takes pride in making ballhandlers uncomfortable. According to the New Jersey native, after forcing a takeaway, ‘It’s just you and the basket,’ and she enjoys the art of stealing, running into the open court and making plays. Hidalgo’s ability to make game-changing plays, like steals and even passes, which she admits might be one of her more slept-on skills, has become increasingly important for Notre Dame.
She is the only returning starter from and one of three players from last year’s roster. Former Fighting Irish guard and starter Olivia Miles moved on to TCU, and three other starters, including guard Sonia Citron, to the WNBA. The Irish lost back-to-back ACC games over the weekend and fell out of the Associated Press women’s college basketball rankings, ending a run of 85 straight polls ranked ― the third longest active streak.
With a brand new team that’s still figuring it out, Hildalgo’s been thrust into a larger leadership role. The Notre Dame star says while there have been plenty of good moments with a revamped roster, there’s still plenty of work to do.
The Fighting Irish guard is playing some of her best basketball with the support of assistant coach Charel Allen and Ivey, who played point guard at Notre Dame and spent time in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury and Detroit Shock. The former pro is sharing her knowledge with Hidalgo. Both she and Ivey have ‘point guard minds.’
‘She’s been preaching to me ever since my freshman year … ‘next play mentality,” Hildago said. ‘That’s the biggest thing because I’ve always been a player that’s very emotional, whether it’s high or it’s low. I’ve always been a very emotional player, and so she’s just really been trying to help me with my leadership skills and being able to be frustrated but knowing that my team needs me and they’re watching me.
‘She’s telling me, ‘Be you, but still be able to manage your emotions, manage the team.’ She just lets me play, and that’s the biggest thing for me, is that she allows me to play freely.’