Hannah Hidalgo opens up on Niele Ivey trusting her in Olivia Miles' absence: "She had told me she was giving me the keys"

Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles are one of the biggest duos in college basketball this season. However, it was not always like this. Hidalgo arrived at Notre Dame last season, months after Miles sustained her right knee ACL injury in Feb 2024. As a freshman, she was not only tasked with pulling her weight or making her presence known in the D1 world but also to replace Miles as the star player.

However, given the timeline of Miles' injury, Hidalgo had an idea of what the team could demand. She shared how Niele Ivey's guidance and honesty helped her live up to the program's expectations.

"I think coming into college, I (knew) it was gonna be a lot, especially with Liv (Olivia Miles) going down," Hidalgo said in an exclusive with SLAM. "It was gonna be a lot of taking on such a dominant team, such a strong team and just leading that team as a freshman."

"Coach Ivey, she had instilled a lot of trust in me before I even got here. She had told me she was giving me the keys and it was going to be a lot but she knew what it was and knew who I was and she had trusted me a lot."

Hannah Hidalgo averaged 22.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 4.6 steals on 44.6% shooting in her freshman season. She led the Fighting Irish to a 28-7 overall record, earning a trip to the NCAA tournament and losing to Oregon State in the Sweet 16.

Hidalgo also helped Notre Dame mount a 13-5 ACC record, earning second spot through a three-way tie.

Hannah Hidalgo first saw Olivia Miles play in elementary school

Hannah Hidalgo's first experience of watching Olivia Miles on the floor came when she was in elementary school. Miles was in eighth grade at the time and had started making a name for herself in the hoops circuit.

"It was just this little girl with goggles and a puff," she said. "She started with the puff. She was just running up and down, killing our girls. I was like, 'Yo, this girl is tough.'"

Hidalgo and Miles are combining for more than 40 points, 12.4 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 5.7 steals this season, leading Notre Dame to a 17-2 season record and an 8-0 ACC dominance.

Fighting Irish is also the only team this season to defeat NCAA contenders UConn Huskies and USC Trojans.