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Notre Dame women’s basketball in top four for 6-3 frontcourt transfer portal target

IMG_9992by: Tyler Horka04/08/25tbhorka
Marta Suarez
Mar 7, 2025; Greensboro, NC, USA; California Golden Bears forward Marta Suarez (7) fights for position against Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Maddy Westbeld (21) during the third quarter at First Horizon Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

The Notre Dame women’s basketball transfer portal effort took a step forward this week when Talia Goodman of On3 reported that Marta Suarez, a 6-3 forward from Cal, has Notre Dame among her top four transfer portal destinations. Suarez is also considering TCU, Ohio State and North Carolina.

Suarez averaged 12.9 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Bears this past season, both career highs. She played in and started 32 games in her second season in Berkley. She began her career at Tennessee, where she made 36 appearances with 14 starts in two seasons.

For her career, Suarez averages 9.6 points and 5.7 rebounds in 23.7 minutes per game.

Notre Dame is in dire need of transfer portal help after four players from the 2024-25 roster went into the portal themselves. The Irish also lost a handful of players to an exhaustion of eligibility.

What’s left, before any players decide to commit to head coach Niele Ivey and a Notre Dame program that has made it to four consecutive Sweet 16s but no step further in the NCAA Tournament, is four student-athletes on scholarship; three returning from the most recent roster and one incoming freshman from the recruiting class of 2025.

The returnees — junior guard Hannah Hidalgo and seniors guards KK Bransford and Cassandre Prosper — should be familiar with Suarez. They played against her twice this past season. Suarez had 10 points and 8 rebounds in a 91-52 Notre Dame win over Cal in February. She had 14 points and 11 rebounds against the Irish in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. to record her third consecutive double-double. Notre Dame won that game, 73-64.

Something to look out for in regard to Suarez if she chooses to suit up for the Irish; she has issues with turnovers. She had 9 the first time Cal played Notre Dame and 8 the second. In 2023-24, Suarez averaged 3.5 turnovers per game. That number went up to a career-high 4.2 this past season.

But again, Notre Dame needs all it can get from the portal. It’s not surprising to see the Irish after a familiar face from the ACC in that regard. The Irish have a history of pulling front court players from the transfer portal. Just last year, Liatu King came in from Pitt and had a successful season in South Bend. Suarez is not that type of talent, but she is an extra body available for a locker room that needs many more of them.

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