Which Notre Dame WBB hoopers are on the Naismith Player of the Year watch list?

The Naismith Awards announced its 50-person College Player of the Year watch list on Saturday. Notre Dame has three players on the list: Sonia Citron, Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles. Hidalgo, a sophomore, had a great introduction to college basketball last year and is expected to be one of the faces of the sport.

As a freshman at the Fighting Irish, Hidalgo was a standout rookie, and she averaged 22.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 4.6 steals per game, leading the country in steals. The sophomore guard is a preseason AP All-American.

Sonia Citron enjoyed her best year as a junior, as she averaged 17.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals. She played an average of 35.8 minutes per game, the fourth longest in Notre Dame history.

Olivia Miles missed last season due to a torn ACL. During her junior season, she averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game and was named second in the run to the 2023 ACC Player of the Year award.

Sonia Citron speaks on Hidalgo and Miles' importance for Notre Dame's prospects

Sonia Citron will be suiting up for her final season with Notre Dame this year. She plays an important role in leading the team together and was called the Fighting Irish's "glue” by coach Niele Ivey.

During the ACC media day presser, Citron spoke about the potential with both Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles' presence on the court.

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“They’ve been meshing amazingly,” Citron said. “It’s kind of crazy that we have two of the (nation’s) best point guards on the same team. … It’s every wing’s dream to play with two guards like that.”

Niele Ivey also had high praise for the point guard, as she said:

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“They make each other better and they make (each other’s) job easier because you have two incredible minds on the floor. I mean, personally, as a point guard, I would have loved to have another point guard with me because it takes a lot of pressure off.

"They’re going to do a great job flowing off each other and kind of feeling each other.”

Notre Dame is ranked No. 6 in the AP preseason poll. With Hannah Hidalgo at the helm, the Fighting Irish will be looking to build on their Sweet 16 run from last season and enjoy a deeper postseason. They last won the championship in 2018 and came close in 2019 before settling as runner-up.

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