McGraw lands top recruits
By NOAH AMSTADTER
Assistant Sports Editor
Following the departure of head men's basketball coach Matt Doherty after only one season, the importance of being able to guarantee continuity in the coaching staff during recruiting has become magnified at Notre Dame.
As a reward for the team's success — as well as providing a powerful recruiting tool — first-year athletic director Kevin White rewarded head women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw with a five-year contract that will keep McGraw at Notre Dame through the 2004-2005 season.
"Coach McGraw has indeed demonstrated that Notre Dame can be a consistent player at the elite level of women's basketball and this contract represents our mutual interest in advancing this respective level of achievement," White said Thursday in a prepared statement.
Although the contract was first announced Thursday, McGraw said she signed it quite a while ago. As a result, she was able to tell prospective members of the Class of 2005 that she indeed would be under contract as their coach for their entire career.
McGraw came out of the recruiting jungle with one of the most solid recruiting classes in the short history of Irish women's basketball. Four of the five recruits announced Wednesday afternoon are ranked among the top 100 high school seniors by Blue Star basketball, including two players with close ties to Notre Dame.
Jacqueline Batteast, a 6-foot forward who attends South Bend's Washington high school, is sure to quickly become a crowd favorite.
"I'm so excited about having a local player," said McGraw. "Our crowds have really increased already. Our season ticket sales are way up. We feel like that's going to help us even more."
Batteast already is a two-time Northern Indiana Conference most valuable player, averaging 21 points and 14 rebounds per game last year. She likely will start out at the power forward position, although her 3-point shooting skills make her a versatile addition to the Irish offense.
Point guard Jill Krause brings a familiar name to the Irish roster as the 5-foot-6 veteran of Notre Dame's summer basketball camp is the granddaughter of longtime athletic director Edward "Moose" Krause. Krause averaged 12 points and 5.5 assists per game last year.
Katy Flecky of Lone Tree, Colo. is the highest-ranked member of the group, falling at No. 13 on Blue Star's list. The 6-foot-2 forward reminds McGraw a bit of Kelley Siemon.
"She's very similar to Kelly. She's a very strong rebounder. She's physical, aggressive. She can step back and hit the free-throw jumper," McGraw said.
The other forward entering next year's freshman class is the athletic 6-foot-1 Kelsey Wicks of Gillette, Wyo. The versatile Wicks has played every position on the court for her high school team, and also excelled in golf and track, winning the state championship in the high jump last year with a leap of 5-feet, 6 inches.
The final member of the incoming class is shooting guard Allison Bustamante of Miami, Fla. Bustamante competed against Irish freshman point guard LeTania Severe during tournament and playoff games in high school.
"She's a great shooter," said Severe, who claims to having stopped her future teammate when guarding her in high school. Bustamante's shooting helped her score 40 points in her team's district-championship winning victory last spring.
All Sports Stories for Friday, November 10, 2000
