Four-star guard Jenica Lewis gives Notre Dame women's basketball fifth 2026 commitment

Niele Ivey understood the assignment. And the women’s basketball high school recruiting class of 2026 understands that Ivey’s Notre Dame program is the place to be in the near future.

Ivey and the Fighting Irish had four commits in the cycle with the early signing period right around the corner. And now, as of Thursday evening, you can make it five.

Four-star guard Jenica Lewis of Johnston (Iowa) High School committed to Notre Dame tonight over Iowa, TCU and Oregon. She’s the No. 21 overall player in the class according to Rivals. Her decision

Lewis was recruited hard by her home-state Hawkeyes. Iowa legend Caitlin Clark even got in on the recruitment; there is a social media photo out there of Clark and Lewis hanging out in the Hawkeyes’ gymnasium. There are also photos out there of Lewis having a heck of a time with the Notre Dame staff and Irish commits in South Bend, and ultimately that’s who won out in her courtship.

Lewis was the Iowa Player of the Year as a junior at Johnston. She averaged 18.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.4 assists per game, according to MaxPreps. Her team finished the season with a 52-game winning streak dating back to the previous year and a second consecutive state championship victory.

All five of Notre Dame’s commits in the class are premier prospects. Lewis is joined by, in order of their class rankings, No. 12 Jacy Abii, No. 22 Amari Byles, No. 24 Bella Ragone and No. 78 Isabella Sangha.

Abii, a 6-2 shooting guard, is a five-star recruit. The rest are four-star talents. Lewis is listed as a 5-10 combo guard. Byles is a 6-2 small forward. Ragone is a 6-2 wing. Sangha is a 6-3 power forward. Notre Dame has all of its bases covered minus a true low-post center. The transfer portal could be of use for that, as evidenced by bringing in Malaya Cowles from Wake Forest for the 2025-26 season.

The 2026-27 season, meanwhile, is shaping up to be one to look forward to for Notre Dame fans. All-American Hannah Hidalgo will be in her senior season, and she’ll be joined by — when all is signed, sealed and delivered — what would be Ivey’s best recruiting haul in a single cycle, by far.

Again, the portal will have to be Ivey’s friend again to fill out a roster with adequate depth because Notre Dame is losing five players to exhausted eligibility this coming spring, but if Ivey does indeed complement the incoming recruiting class with a nice crop of portal players then the Irish will be in the national conversation in Hidalgo’s swan song season.