Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey drops 4-word praise for Fighting Irish hooper Kylee Watson’s glamorous pre-game fit

Notre Dame women's basketball coach Niele Ivey hailed Kylee Watson for the Fighting Irish player's stunning photo on Instagram. Watson posted a picture of herself in a shiny gold ensemble on Saturday.

"Usually a silver girl tbh," Watson wrote in the caption.

Ivey joined other followers in the comment section:

"🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥killing the sideline 4real," the Fighting Irish coach wrote.

Notre Dame HC Niele Ivey drops a comment on Kylee Watson's IG post. (Image via @kyleewatsonn)

Watson transferred from Oregon to Notre Dame ahead of the 2023-24 season. However, she suffered a season-ending ACL injury during a game against Virginia Tech in the semifinal of the 2024 ACC Tournament. She has remained on the sidelines since then, and there is no clear timeline for her return.

Niele Ivey leads Notre Dame to a 10-game winning streak amidst injury woes

No. 3 Notre Dame extended its winning run to 10 games after the Fighting Irish defeated No. 17 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 81-66 at the Purcell Pavilion on Thursday. Notre Dame were without their star point guard, Hanna Hildago, who missed a second successive game due to a sore ankle. Reserve Emma Risch also missed the game due to soreness.

“This is a team that has multiple weapons, and so when one person is down, somebody else can step up. There’s five people on the floor that can score,” coach Niele Ivey said after the game. “They understand that they’re very unselfish, so tonight was Sonia [Citron] and Maddy [Westbeld].

The team emerged victorious despite just using a seven-player rotation. Sonia Citron finished with 21 points and six assists. Maddy Westbeld, who returned for the first time since Jan. 5 due to an ankle injury, scored a season-high 20 points with five rebounds. Cassandre Prosper added 15 points and nine rebounds.

Before the game, Ivey received a game ball for her 100th win, as she became the first Notre Dame coach to achieve 100 victories.

“I don’t feel like it’s a job I get to come in do what I love with a team that I love but they’re a special group,” Ivey said. “I’m really grateful for them I’m really blessed to work with so much talent, but also just great people.”

With the victory over Georgia Tech, Notre Dame has improved to 15-2. The Fighting Irish will next face the visiting SMU Mustang on Monday.