Notre Dame hires Grizzlies assistant Niele Ivey as women’s basketball coach

As a Grizzlies assistant coach, Niele Ivey was a pioneer – joining the small, but expanding, ranks of women coaching in the NBA.

Now, with Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw retiring as Notre Dame women’s basketball coach, Ivey will take the next step in her career.

Notre Dame release:

Notre Dame Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick announced Niele Ivey (‘01) as the fourth head coach in women’s basketball history on Wednesday.

Grizzlies:

.@memgrizz Head Coach Taylor Jenkins and Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Zachary Z. Kleiman today released the statements below regarding Niele Ivey being named head coach of @ndwbb. pic.twitter.com/tcOOck6fGG

— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) April 22, 2020

Ivey played at Notre Dame, played in the WNBA, returned to South Bend to join McGraw’s staff then went to Memphis. It’s an impressive career arc.

If Ivey has ambitions of becoming an NBA head coach, this could be a step back. But Notre Dame women’s basketball coach is a prestigious job, and Notre Dame is her alma mater. It’s easy to see why this job would appeal to her – and why she’d appeal to the Fighting Irish.