Certain types of players grace a program only once in a lifetime. In basketball specifically, to reach “generational” status, an athlete must display a unique kind of sterling leadership on the court to match such talent. Last season, Irish junior guard Hannah Hidalgo did just that.
After two years in South Bend, Hidalgo’s junior campaign marked her first as Notre Dame’s centerpiece. In her freshman and sophomore seasons, the New Jersey native was able to float around and showcase her skillset on the foundation laid by surrounding upperclassmen like Sonia Citron and Olivia Miles. With a majority of familiar star power gone this past season, however, everyone knew it was Hidalgo’s time to take control. For better or worse, the team’s pulse beats in her.
“As a person, this team has made me so much better,” Hidalgo said, following Notre Dame’s season-ending 70-52 defeat against UConn in the Elite Eight on March 29. “Just taking this team kind of on my back and just learning each and every single one of our players — who they are as a person, who they are as a player. I was a lot more intentional with that.”
Given her talent, Hidalgo’s potential destiny always included heroics as the hub for the squad from the day she walked on campus. In her debut donning the blue and gold against No. 6 South Carolina in the 2023-2024 season opener, Hidalgo amassed 31 points and 3 steals, announcing herself to the college basketball world. She tallied 21 points and 6 steals in her first home game against Northwestern two weeks later.
A young, fearless gun on every court she graced, the freshman First Team All-American closed the season averaging 22.6 points per game. She notably led the Irish with 22 points in their 55-51 win over No. 2 NC State in the ACC title game, and also averaged 4.3 steals per NCAA tournament contest during a Sweet 16 run. With 4.6 steals per contest across the season, it also marked the first of three consecutive campaigns in which she led the ACC in steals.
“All credit to my teammates, because, you know, I wouldn’t be able to do it without them,” Hidalgo said when asked about being named the ACC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player following the Irish victory against the Wolfpack. “It’s truly a blessing just to be here in this position.”
Heading into her sophomore year, with the return of Miles and forward Maddy Westbeld from injury, Hidalgo’s status as the fulcrum on the offensive side of the court could have been adjusted. However, she improved her scoring output to 23.8 PPG on her way to a second straight All-American campaign. Along with Citron, Miles and Westbeld, Hidalgo helped the Irish to a 16-2 conference record and regular-season ACC Championship. The team, however, ultimately came up short in their bid to make the Final Four and bowed out in the Sweet 16 with a 71-62 loss to TCU.
“Having [Miles] on the floor just opened so much,” noted Hidalgo after the Irish’s 76-55 NCAA Tournament second round win against Michigan. “She was able to find shooters or dish it down to the post to get a layup, and so having her back is always crucial for us.”
All of this to say, Hidalgo was ready to fill the lead backcourt role once Citron departed for the WNBA and Miles opted to spend her fifth year with those very same Horned Fogs. The only question remaining was whether or not she could be the team’s leader in the locker room to pair with her on-court prowess.
Her leadership was tested countless times during stretches of the season, as the Irish entered the year ranked 15th and fell out of the AP Poll entirely from Jan. 19 through March 8 due to uneven play in the ACC. Through it all, Hidalgo showed herself to be a bulwark in the face of adversity and keyed a five-game winning streak to end the regular season. She later carried the Irish during an Elite Eight run with spectacular play and on-court fire in the tourney.
“I think her maturity last year was tremendous,” said head coach Niele Ivey. “Her maturity from a leadership standpoint was so phenomenal — I was so, so impressed and so proud of her.”
Hidalgo broke school records with 25.3 points and 5.6 steals per game, additionally averaging 6.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists per contest. In Notre Dame’s 78-66 win against Stanford in Palo Alto on Feb. 1, Hidalgo dropped a season-high 37 points, adding 9 rebounds and 4 pilfers; in the second half, she went 7-7 from the floor and 5-5 from the free-throw line. As for steals, in Hidalgo’s 27 minutes on the court in the Irish’s 85-58 home win against Akron, she recorded a career-high 16 steals, setting the Division I record for the most steals in a game.
“Defense first; defense wins championships,” said Hidalgo on her historic production against the Zips. “You know, I make sure that I bring the energy for my team defensively so that we can get out in transition and get buckets.”
Hidalgo’s most memorable regular-season performance came in the final show when the Irish upset No. 10 Louisville in a 65-62 win that portended the squad’s and Hidalgo’s impending tournament heroics. She notched 30 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals, including a game-sealing swipe. After reaching the ACC Tournament semifinals a week later, Notre Dame entered the NCAA tourney as a No. 6 seed. Facing No. 3 Ohio State in the second round in Columbus, Hidalgo posted 26 points, 13 rebounds and 8 steals to slay the Buckeyes 83-73 on their home turf and send the Irish to their fifth consecutive Sweet 16.
On a quest for their first Elite Eight berth since 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas, the Irish faced a powerful second-seeded Vanderbilt team paced by First Team All-American guard and Hidalgo counterpart Mikayla Blakes. After being relegated to Second Team All-American for the first time in her career, Hidalgo proved a point against Blakes, besting her and keying the 67-64 win over the Commodores with 31 points, 11 rebounds, 10 steals and 7 assists in the 67-64 victory. Hidalgo became the first player to record a triple-double including steals in tournament history and set the record for most steals in a single tournament with 16 on her way to 19 overall.
“I’m going to still go out and play the same way I’ve been playing,” Hidalgo said about her Second Team honors. “I’ve been playing consistently this whole season and since my freshman year, and right now, it’s about winning. So I don’t care about any of the accolades. I didn’t care about them going into this year, and I’m, you know, here to win.”
The glorious tournament run ended for Hidalgo and the Irish one game short of the Final Four, as top-seeded powerhouse UConn proved too deep and talented. Though Notre Dame battled until the final whistle, the Huskies notched a 70-52 win. Hidalgo ended her campaign with a 22 point, 11 rebound and 3 assist performance.
Hidalgo earned the praise of the legendary UConn coach despite the loss. “She probably causes more problems for [the opposing] offense than any player in the country,” Geno Auriemma said. “I just love watching her, and I asked her after the game if she was old enough to go pro, and she said, ‘No, I want one more shot at you guys.’”
Hidalgo indeed will return for her senior year in South Bend with a chance to add to her growing legend. A truly unique and awe-inspiring talent, Hidalgo has already amassed a career for the books. Fortunately, she will write more chapters beginning next fall.
