Notre Dame signee Hannah Hidalgo wins Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year
The very best girls high school basketball player in the state of New Jersey is signed with Notre Dame. Five-star point guard Hannah Hidalgo won the 2023 Gatorade New Jersey Girls Basketball Player of the Year award Wednesday.
Hidalgo is the No. 5 recruit in the class of 2023 according to the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. She averaged 28.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.3 steals and 5.1 assists per game during her senior season at Haddonfield (N.J.) Paul VI High School. She guided the team to a 21-3 record and a spot in the South Jersey, Non-Public A state championship game. Paul VI lost, 63-61, to St. John-Vianney (32-1). Hidalgo had 19 points, 7 assists, 7 steals and 4 rebounds.
Hidalgo was one of three five-star signees in Notre Dame’s class of 2023. Cassandre Prosper enrolled early and has played 19 games for the Fighting Irish this season. She has averaged 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game.
With the injuries to guards Dara Mabrey and Olivia Miles, and with center Lauren Ebo missing five games in the middle of the conference slate, Prosper has been a heavily-used commodity for head coach Niele Ivey of late. Prosper has played at least 23 minutes in every game since Jan. 29. She has over 30 minutes in four of the 11 games in that span.
Melbourne (Fla.) Palm Bay Magnet guard Emma Risch is Notre Dame’s other signee in the class of 2023. She averaged 23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game as a senior. She made 116-of-256 (45.3 percent) of her three-point attempts and a staggering 85-of-91 (93.4 percent) free throws. With Mabrey departing from the program, Risch will show up over the summer and instantly become the team’s most reliable shooter.
Hidalgo, meanwhile, has an interesting situation on the roster. She’s a point guard by nature, but that title currently belongs to Miles. Notre Dame has a wealth of riches at guard with Sonia Citron and KK Bransford playing significant roles this year and in the future. It all boils down to Ivey having a healthy problem. It’s never a bad thing to have to try to figure out where a Gatorade Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American fits into the lineup.
