A season-ending injury before a college career even begins is a devastating blow for any athlete, but for Notre Dame’s Leah Macy, the public support from her Head Coach, Niele Ivey, is proving to be a powerful silver lining.

Leah Macy updated fans on her injury status via Instagram. The Fighting Irish freshman poured her heart out in an Instagram post, stating that she, along with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish team, had made the decision not to risk playing during the 2025-26 season and use the time to completely recover and prepare for the next season.

One of the top recruits in the country suffered a knee injury requiring surgery in the final game of her high school career nearly a year ago. Her rehab has gone well, but she doesn’t want to force a return to the floor. Instead, she’ll come back fully healthy in 2026-27 as a redshirt freshman.

So, if there was any lingering hope that Notre Dame would get reinforcements this season, it’s now clear that the team will wait. Yet head Coach Niele Ivey offered nothing but encouragement, commenting on Macy’s Instagram post, “Keep crushing it!! Comeback always bigger than the setback!”

Leah Macy’s connection with Ivey goes way back to her involvement with the under-18 United States National Basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2024 FIBA AmeriCup. Ivey was the Assistant Coach for the triumphant under-18 team. Macy had credited Ivey and her coaching as one of the reasons behind her commitment to the Notre Dame Women’s Basketball program.

Ivey holds Macy in high regard, too. The Head Coach believes the 19-year-old to be a crucial player and much-needed cog for the Notre Dame frontcourt and for future ACC campaigns. And as her comment suggests, the Head Coach is going to give Macy all the time she needs in order to be healthy for the 2026-27 campaign.

Niele Ivey needs more ‘amazing performances’ from Hannah Hidalgo to revive the Notre Dame campaign

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have had a mixed ACC campaign so far. Hannah Hidalgo has been an outright star for Notre Dame, leading the scoring charts with an average of 25.1 points per game. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are currently 4-3 within the ACC and have a 12-5 overall record, with recent losses to Duke and Georgia Tech causing them some trouble.

The key reason behind those losses, especially the one against Duke, was that Hannah Hidalgo was having an unusually poor game, despite grabbing 22 points. The form continued in the win over Boston College, as Hannah recorded just 17 points on the night.

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The victory over the 22nd-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, though, has seen Hannah return to her normal self. A game-defining 31 points as Notre Dame dominated the Tar Heels and returned to the Top 25 AP poll rankings. However, in the most recent loss vs. Louisville, even Hidalgo’s 24 points couldn’t save the Fighting Irish.

Still, it’s safe to say Hannah Hidalgo’s on-court dominance has been directly responsible for Notre Dame’s success. In fact, in the Notre Dame losses, Hannah Hidalgo has shot just 37% from the field, while she usually averages just around the 50% mark overall. This stark contrast in numbers shows that the opponents that manage to keep Hidalgo from finding easy shots have found success against Notre Dame.

With a trip to UConn coming next, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish can still prove to be a contender for the ACC title if they manage to find a way to upset the defending champs.