Five-star forward Cassandre Prosper commits to Notre Dame women’s basketball
Notre Dame women’s basketball made a potential program-altering move Saturday. A positive one.
Hours after the Fighting Irish beat California, 90-79, in head coach Niele Ivey‘s native St. Louis, five-star forward Cassandre Prosper announced her commitment to Ivey’s program via Instagram. The 6-2 do-it-all post player, ranked No. 16 overall in the class of 2023 per ESPN’s HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings, chose Notre Dame over Duke, South Carolina, Arizona and North Carolina.
“This is the most important day of my basketball career so far,” Prosper said in her Instagram commitment caption.
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A product of Cairine Wilson Secondary School in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Prosper brings much needed size to South Bend, but she’s more than a traditional forward. She has nice touch on her jumper and will make an occasional three. She spent time at a Stephen Curry-led skills camp this past summer.
In seven 2021-22 regular season games posted to the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association’s website, Prosper averaged 18.7 points on 43.8% shooting from the field. She averaged 23.2 points on 41.2% shooting in the three playoff games listed and made 10 threes in those 10 games.
Prosper was the OSBA 2022 Player of the Year and the 2022 Canadian High School Athlete of the Year. She scored 15 points, snagged 6 rebounds, retrieved 3 steals and rejected 1 shot in the 2022 Biosteel All-Canadian Game in March.
“I work hard and want to make others better,” Prosper said before the game. “I’m just having fun playing my game. It pays off.”
Prosper is the second signee in Notre Dame’s class of 2023. She joins five-star guard Emma Risch, who signed Wednesday on the first day of the early signing period. Prosper’s pledge ensures Notre Dame will not take home a signing class of just one player like it did last year when current true freshman KK Bransford was the lone representative. Bransford scored 6 points with 3 assists, 3 rebounds and a steal in her collegiate debut vs. Northern Illinois on Nov. 7.
There could be more work for the Irish to attend to on the recruiting trail in this cycle, too. Five-star point guard Hannah Hidalgo remains unsigned. She’s the top player in the class who has not found a next-level destination. Before Prosper committed, she was the No. 2 ranked player in the class who had yet to sign. Hidalgo is the No. 5 overall prospect and the No. 1 point guard in the class according to ESPN.
