Top 5 transfer portal targets for Niele Ivey as Notre Dame looks to replace Sonia Citron
Between the transfer portal and stars exhausting their eligibility, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are at a big loss this offseason. One of the players that the team is bidding farewell to is starting shooting guard Sonia Citron. After four seasons with the Fighting Irish, Citron is out of eligibility and is expected to be an early first-round pick in the 2025 WNBA draft.
Notre Dame will be losing a solid two-way guard with rebounding success. In her final college season, Citron averaged 14.1 points per game and added 2.7 assists and a team third-best 5.4 rebounds. Her 1.9 steals per game and 0.9 blocks were both career highs.
Citron is a solid shooter from anywhere on the court and a reliable playmaker who consistently records double-digit points. The Fighting Irish will need another strong shooting guard to take her place. Let's look at which players in the transfer portal could be a possible fit.
Top 5 transfer portal targets for Notre Dame to replace Sonia Citron
#1. Ta'Niya Latson
Ta'Niya Latson is the best shooting guard in the transfer portal, making this the best-case scenario for Notre Dame. The junior's 25.2 points per game were the best in the nation this season, and she further aided FSU with team bests in assists and steals, with 4.6 and 2.2, respectively.
Citron is a better shooter and rebounder than Latson, but Latson's scoring prowess is undeniable. Both are star shooting guards with defensive depth, and getting Latson would be huge for the Fighting Irish.
#2. Cotie McMahon
Cotie McMahon is a very similar player to Citron who could take her place on Notre Dame nicely. The junior, who has served as a three-year starter at Ohio State, has entered the transfer portal.
The Buckeyes' star averages more points than Citron, with a team-best 16.5 points per game. Citron is a more successful rebounder and assister, but McMahon's 4.7 average rebounds and 2.1 assists are still admirable values.
Citron shoots better from the field, averaging 48.4% as compared to McMahon's 44.4%, but the two guards have nearly identical 3-point percentages. McMahon is a decent defender, averaging 1.2 steals this season, while Citron averaged 1.9.
These are two shooting guards with a similar skill set, meaning McMahon could likely fill Citron's shoes seamlessly.
#3. Yarden Garzon
Yarden Garzon, another guard with a playing style similar to Citron, averages 0.3 more points per game than the Fighting Irish star, but matches her in rebounds.
The Israel native has been a three-year starter for the Hoosiers and would bring experience to Notre Dame. Garzon, a two-way shooting guard, excels as a passer and shoots 40.7% from beyond the arc, outperforming Citron's 37.2. However, the 6-foot-1 Citron edges Garzon in field goal percentage, shooting 48.4% compared to 43.1%.
Although these two guards vary slightly in different stat categories, they are overall similar, and Garzon could be a good addition to Notre Dame in Citron's absence.
#4. Ta'Mia Scott
Ta'Mia Scott is a combo guard as compared to a true shooting guard like Citron, but could still be a promising pickup for the Fighting Irish. The junior has spent her entire college career at Middle Tennessee State, starting the past two seasons.
This season, Scott led the Blue Raiders in scoring with 16.7 points per game, an increase from Citron's 14.1 average. She also outrebounds Citron, with 6.6 per game, while the Notre Dame star averages 5.4.
Citron finds more assisting and shooting success than Scott, but both guards excel defensively. While Scott differs from Citron as a player, she has some of the same skills that make the Fighting Irish guard successful.
#5. Elle Blatchford
Elle Blatchford is also a combo guard but shows strong potenial that could benefit Notre Dame. The sophomore is in the transfer portal for the second offseason in a row, having begun her college career with a season at Southern Miss before playing one year at Gardner-Webb.
In her sole season with the Runnin' Bulldogs, Blatchford appeared in 23 games, making 16 starts. She recorded 12.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, both shy of Citron's stat values but still admirable.
Like Citron, Blatchford is a two-way guard, having led Gardner-Webb in steals this season with 1.4 per game. She shot slightly better than the Fighting Irish star from three this season, but struggles from the field, averaging just 39.9%.
Blatchford shows promising potential and could be a fit on this Notre Dame squad, although she may not be an exact replacement for Citron.