By Staff
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame head women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw announced Thursday that Skylar Diggins, a 5-9 guard from South Bend, Ind., and a student-athlete at Washington High School, has chosen to continue her academic and athletic career with the Irish, signing a National Letter of Intent to attend Notre Dame beginning in the fall of 2009. Diggins, who made her official commitment to Notre Dame during the early signing period, is the second member of the Irish incoming class of 2009, joining guard Kaila Turner (Joliet, Ill./Marian Catholic HS), who signed her National Letter of Intent last week.
A smooth, athletic and versatile player who already is one of the top 20 all-time scorers in the storied history of Indiana high school basketball, Diggins is considered by all major recruiting services to be the top guard in this year's high school senior class and is rated as high as No. 2 in the nation (Blue Star Basketball). In addition, All-Star Girls Report, Dan Olson Collegiate Girls Basketball Report and ESPN Hoopgurlz each rank Diggins third in the country, with Hoopgurlz awarding her that outlet's highest marks ever for a point guard.
"This is a great day for our program, our University and the whole South Bend community," McGraw said. "Skylar is an exceptional young woman, on and off the court, and we are so excited and thrilled that her family, friends and other supporters will be able to watch her play right here at Notre Dame for the next four years.
"The things that really impress me the most about Skylar are her composure, her drive, her competitiveness and her will to win," McGraw added. "She's such an unselfish player and is someone I think our current team is really going to enjoy playing with."
The combination of Diggins and Turner (a top-90 player by all major services) also has given Notre Dame a Top 25 recruiting class for the 13th consecutive year. Dan Olson Collegiate Girls Basketball Report rates the incoming Irish duo as the 13th-best class in the country, while All-Star Girls Report has the Notre Dame pair rated 14th, ESPN Hoopgurlz positions them at No. 15, and Blue Star Basketball ranks the Irish tandem at No. 18. Only two other schools in the country (Connecticut and Tennessee) came into the 2008-09 early signing period with a 12-year streak like the Irish.