How Alasia Hayes, new commit, will help Notre Dame

Highly ranked 2020 guard Alasia Hayes is headed to South Bend

Following two consecutive trips to the national championship game, including winning the title in 2018, Notre Dame, and head coach Muffet McGraw saw their entire starting five depart for the WNBA. For coaches like McGraw, and teams like the Fighting Irish, they don’t rebuild, they reload.

The reload is in full effect, as McGraw landed another top recruit in the 2020 class, as point guard Alasia Hayes has committed to Notre Dame following her official visit this past weekend.  Hayes, the 44th-ranked player in the class, according to ESPN, chose Notre Dame over the likes of North Carolina State, Michigan, Rutgers, and Middle Tennessee State.

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Hayes, who hails from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and attends Riverdale High School, plays AAU with the Tennessee Flight Silver of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL). Hayes will bring a dynamic set of skills to South Bend, as her ability to break down defenses at all three levels offensively, should translate extremely well to the college level. One of the most impressive aspects of her game, which is critical for a point guard, is her ability to change pace and direction, while always being in control — she has the ball on a string at all times.

Notre Dame fans will see a player who also impacts the game on both ends of the floor. While she is a terrific passer and an accomplished scorer at the point guard spot, she is an extremely active defender. Whether is be her on ball defense, or off ball defense, Hayes has shown the ability to create turnovers and turn them into points on the other end.

Following a recruiting year that saw two top-20 players in the 2019 class head to Notre Dame in Samantha Brunelle (No. 6) and Anaya Peoples (No. 18), the addition of Hayes is the third top-50 recruit for McGraw in the 2020 class. She joins fellow 2020 players Allison Campbell (No. 25) and Natalija Marshall (No. 32).

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