Diggins 'changed our program': How Notre Dame became the pipeline for some of the WNBA's top guards

When she walked off the Purcell Pavilion court for the last time as a senior in the 2019 NCAA tournament, Arike Ogunbowale knew Notre Dame would always be home. She never imagined she would play there again.

But on Friday, Ogunbowale and the Dallas Wings face the Las Vegas Aces and their two former Fighting Irish stars, Jewell Loyd and Jackie Young, in a WNBA exhibition game at Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

"I figured, 'Of course, I'll go back and watch the team.' But now to actually play a game again there? And for Jewell and Jackie to do that as well? It's super special, something I'll always remember," Ogunbowale told ESPN. "I'm just excited to see the fans, to feel that energy again. I have so many great memories there."

The game -- one of three preseason contests this month that take college stars such as the Chicago Sky's Angel Reese back to LSU and the Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark to Iowa -- is a celebration of Notre Dame's WNBA success. The program's alumni have especially been impactful as perimeter players over the past 12 years, starting with Skylar Diggins, who was the No. 3 pick in the 2013 draft.

"They call it 'Guard U' for a reason," Young said. "A lot of great guards have come out of there. Notre Dame does a great job of preparing us for the next level."

Eight guards who played at Notre Dame are expected to make 2025 WNBA rosters. That projects to be the most this season from any school.

Along with Ogunbowale, Loyd and Young, Diggins (Seattle Storm), Marina Mabrey and Lindsay Allen (Connecticut Sun) and Kayla McBride (Minnesota Lynx) played in the WNBA last season. Rookie Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics) was the No. 3 draft pick last month.

"You think it's just, like, normal. And then you realize it's not normal," Loyd said Tuesday of the high profile of Notre Dame guards in the WNBA. "It's awesome."

Final roster cuts aren't until May 15, and UConn -- which has had more players appear in the WNBA entering 2025 than any other program (47) -- Notre Dame and South Carolina will have the most alums (regardless of position) in the league this season. Not surprisingly, those programs have combined to win five of the past eight NCAA titles.

Entering the 2025 WNBA season, Notre Dame has 20 alums who have played in the league. Among the guards, Diggins, Loyd and Young are Olympic gold medalists. Loyd, who was also a No. 1 pick, won two WNBA titles with the Seattle Storm before being traded this season to Las Vegas, where Young has won two championships. McBride nearly joined the title club last year, but the Minnesota Lynx lost the decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals in overtime to the New York Liberty.

Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey was a guard for five seasons in the WNBA after helping lead the Irish to their first national championship in 2001. She joined longtime Irish leader Muffet McGraw's coaching staff in 2007, spent the 2019-20 season as an NBA assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies, and then took over the Irish when McGraw retired in April 2020.

Ivey, whose son Jaden Ivey is a guard for the Detroit Pistons, said Notre Dame's read-and-react "Princeton-style" offense has been effective not just for the Irish's success, but for players going to the pro game. On a basic level, that entails constant motion, backdoor cuts, off- and on-ball screens and the ability of all five players to handle the ball and shoot with proficiency.

"It's a read-based offense that makes you think," Ivey said. "You have to learn fast in the WNBA; training camps just started Sunday and you need to process information very quickly to make a team. In recruiting, those are the types of players we look for. For those who do really well in these systems in college, the translation is very organic to the WNBA."

While former Irish players such as guard Coquese Washington (Houston Comets) and center Ruth Riley (Detroit Shock) won WNBA titles before the current run of WNBA standouts, both Ivey and McGraw credit Diggins as the pivotal player in Notre Dame becoming "Guard U."

"When Skylar came in, it just went up another notch. She changed our program." McGraw told ESPN. "You saw the success with her, and she was so charismatic. She was popular on social media, and she became nationally known. And it helped us recruit the guards that followed her."

"I feel like all of them came here with the 'it' factor," Ivey said. "They came with a hunger to get better and with aspirations of being a pro. It's been so much fun working with competitive players like that."

With Ivey's help, we look at their paths to and impact in the WNBA, along with the word or phrase Ivey said she first thinks of when asked about each player.

Skylar Diggins: 'A dog'

Diggins was born and grew up in South Bend. She went to the championship parade when the Irish won the 2001 NCAA title. Ivey said her first big assignment when joining McGraw's staff was to keep the homegrown superstar at home. That wasn't easy: Programs across the country wanted Diggins.

But Ivey said it helped that Diggins had watched her play at Notre Dame, and they quickly made a connection. To this day, Ivey said, she and Diggins still talk almost every week.

"Niele was a big part in getting us all to Notre Dame," Diggins said on a Storm media call. "It's great to see it continue there, and for us to continue to have a legacy in this league."

Diggins led the Irish to the Final Four three times before being chosen by the Tulsa Shock in the "3 to See" draft of 2013, behind Brittney Griner, who is heading into her 12th WNBA season, and Elena Delle Donne, who retired in March.

Diggins, 34, is entering her 11th WNBA season; she missed 2019 and 2023 on maternity leaves with her two children. She is one of the top point guards in the league, with career averages of 16.5 points, 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals with Tulsa/Dallas, the Phoenix Mercury and Seattle.

"I'm hanging on," said a smiling Diggins, who played every game last season and averaged 31.6 minutes. "I feel really good coming into this season. I've lived a long life in this league ... it's an honor to put the jersey on."

Kayla McBride: 'So efficient'

McBride was a key part of Notre Dame's Final Four teams in 2012, 2013 and 2014. She averaged 17.6 points for the Irish's 2014 squad that was undefeated until its national championship game loss to UConn.

The No. 3 pick by San Antonio in 2014, she stayed with that franchise when it moved to Las Vegas in 2018. She joined the Lynx in 2021 and last year averaged 15.0 points and 3.2 assists while shooting 40.7% from 3-point range, the second-best percentage in her 11-season WNBA career.

McBride has more WNBA 3-pointers than any Notre Dame alum: 619, with a career-best 105 last season.

Jewell Loyd: 'Incredible athlete'

Loyd, from nearby Chicago, was a teammate at Notre Dame of both Diggins and McBride. Loyd played in three Final Fours and two championship games, then left Notre Dame after three seasons. She was draft-eligible by age and the clear No. 1 pick in 2015. She is the only Notre Dame player to be WNBA Rookie of the Year.

Nicknamed the "Gold Mamba" in reference to her idol, Kobe Bryant, Loyd was a perfect fit in Seattle. Joined by 2016 No. 1 pick Breanna Stewart of UConn, Loyd helped the Storm win WNBA titles in 2018 and 2020.

Loyd led the WNBA in scoring average (24.7 PPG) in 2023. Her relationship with the Storm deteriorated after her 10th season last year, but she is excited to be in Las Vegas now.

"I've had to guard her for six years," Young said. "So to be on her team and give her the ball and watch her work ... it's great."

Lindsay Allen: 'High IQ'

McGraw said Allen is the player who reminds her most of herself: "She was always right to the point, all business, let's get it done. And the team really responded well to her."

Allen was the first WNBA player from Notre Dame to spend her entire college career in the ACC and is the league's all-time assists leader (841). That's especially impressive considering WNBA players such as Dawn Staley, Kristi Toliver, Chelsea Gray, Lindsey Harding and Ivory Latta also played in the ACC.

Drafted in the second round (No. 14) in 2017 by the Liberty, Allen is now with Connecticut -- her sixth WNBA team -- having spent last year with Chicago. Her specialty remains playmaking; she has averaged 3.3 assists and 4.8 points in seven seasons.

Jackie Young: 'Versatile'

Young, like Diggins, is an Indiana native and played alongside Ogunbowale and Mabrey on the 2018 NCAA championship team. She was a draft-eligible junior in 2019 with those two seniors.

In what has proved to be one of the best WNBA drafts, Young was the top pick of 2019. Then-Las Vegas coach/general manager Bill Laimbeer said at the time that it might take a couple of seasons for Young -- who had to change her shot mechanics -- to develop into the WNBA All-Star he was sure she would be. But that's what happened.

Young is an elite defender as well as offensively skilled; she has averaged 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in six seasons with the Aces. Her 3-point improvement stands out: She had 22 combined treys her first three seasons. Over the past three, all under coach Becky Hammon, Young has made 209.

Arike Ogunbowale: 'Clutch'

The 2018 Final Four might be best remembered for Ogunbowale's signature performances: She hit the game-winning shot for Notre Dame in both its semifinal and championship game victories.

She also helped lead the Irish back to the title game in 2019, when they lost by one point to Baylor. Then both Ogunbowale at No. 5 and UConn's Napheesa Collier (No. 6) were drastically underestimated in the WNBA draft; if teams had a re-do, both would be lottery picks.

Ogunbowale's scoring prowess continued in the WNBA: She has averaged 20.6 points over six seasons. This year, she will be joined in the backcourt by No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, a combo that could bring the best out of the Wings' offense.

Marina Mabrey: 'Tasmanian Devil'

Ivey laughed and said, "It's what Marina's mom called her. She told us, 'That's what you're getting because she's so fiery.'"

Mabrey was a second-round pick in 2019 (No. 19) by Los Angeles. She then spent three seasons as Ogunbowale's teammate in Dallas and has since played in Chicago and Connecticut. She is known for her "won't back down" personality on court and her consistent scoring, especially behind the arc. She averaged 14.4 PPG last year between the Sky and the Sun and has made 370 3-pointers, including a career-high 98 last season.

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Mystics take Sonia Citron with the 3rd pick

The Washington Mystics select Notre Dame star Sonia Citron with the third pick in the WNBA draft.

Sonia Citron: 'Like Jackie'

Being compared to Young is high praise from Ivey, who sees Citron as similarly versatile. Citron was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2022 and has been on the all-league first team the past two seasons, plus the ACC All-Defensive team this year.

Citron played alongside two other standout guards at Notre Dame this season: Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, both of whom are expected to be future lottery picks. Miles was a projected lottery pick this year but opted instead to transfer and will play her final season at TCU. Ivey said that she is thrilled to see Citron following the rest of the Notre Dame alums in the WNBA.

"And now our community will be able to witness the WNBA in person," Ivey said of Friday's game. "It will be inspiring for my team to be there, and we're going to be so proud that three of them are our own from Notre Dame."