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With March Madness in full swing, the WNBA's biggest stars are coming to support their respective teams. Notre Dame played the Austin Lady Jacks on Friday in a first-round matchup and some special guests came to support the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame alumnae Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brianna Turner and two-time WNBA champ Devereaux Peters were spotted in the crowd.
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The trio witnessed the current crop of Irish stars thump SF Austin 106-54. That's despite just two points from star senior Olivia Miles, who also left due to an ankle injury.
Skylar Diggins-Smith spent four years playing as a member of the Fighting Irish (2009-2013) which allowed her to team up with Devereaux Peters. Diggins-Smith was teammates with her every year except her final one. Although, Peters had a five-year career which spanned from 2007-2012.
Diggins-Smith impressed during college due to her multi-dimensional play. Aside from being an elite scorer, she was a talented passer and a sneaky ballhawk. In fact, she led in assists twice, with 5.7 as a junior and 6.1 as a senior. Additionally, she led in steals as a junior with 2.6 per game.
Peters on the hand, also put up impressive numbers during her five years there before in Notre Dame. She averaged 10.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.7 spg and 1.8 blocks. Brianna Turner joined Notre Dame when both Diggins-Smith and Peters were already pros.
She played her freshman season in 2014-15 and her senior year in 2018-19. She was a defensive force, especially on the interior, leading the women's conference in blocks three times (3.0 in 2015-16, 2.5 in 2016-17 and 2.8 in 2018-19).
Due to their fantastic college careers, all three were selected in the first round of their respective drafts. Peters was selected third in 2012, Diggins-Smith was drafted in the same position a year later and Turner would join them in the WNBA in 2019 as the 11th overall pick.
Devereaux Peters, the only WNBA champion among herself, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Brianna Turner
Brianna Turner has been picked up by the Indiana Fever for the 2025 campaign, which is set to be her seventh in the WNBA. This means she will be surpassing the number of years Deveraux Peters played in the WNBA by one season and it could grow into more if Turner stays in the league beyond this year.
Peters only had a six-year career as she retired in 2019 amid the accumulation of injuries. Her career was not lengthy but she was a part of two championship squads — 2013 and 2015 with the Minnesota Lynx.
Meanwhile, Skylar-Diggins Smith has had the most decorated career and longest career. She won the Most Improved Player award in 2014. She has also been named to six All-Star teams and six All-WNBA teams.
A championship continues to elude her, but she came close in 2021 with the Phoenix Mercury. That year, Diggins-Smith and the Mercury made it to the Finals, where they lost to the Chicago Sky.
