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Hannah Hidalgo’s basketball career is just getting started but it’s already clear that the WNBA is in her future. The 5-foot-6 guard averaged 22.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and a nation-leading 4.6 steals per game as a freshman. She carried an enormous load at both ends for the Irish, as their other starting guard, Olivia Miles, missed the entire season with a knee injury. Even without her running mate, Hidalgo helped carry Notre Dame to a 28-7 record, a No. 2 seed in the tournament and a spot in the Sweet 16 before they eventually bowed out to Oregon State.
As a sophomore, with Miles back and healthy, Hidalgo’s playmaking numbers have declined but she’s upped her scoring average significantly and made enormous improvements in her shooting percentages. She’s established herself as one of the premier scorers in women’s college basketball, she’s on track to lead the nation in steals again and has turned the Player of the Year race into a two-woman battle with Juju Watkins.
But it will be a bit before she can bring her talents to the WNBA.
WNBA rules state that a player must have graduated or have turned 22 years old in the year in which they want to enter the draft in order to be eligible. That means Hidalgo won’t be on the board until 2027. That gives her two more seasons after this one to continue building up her draft stock and adding to her Notre Dame legacy.
The Irish have been inside the top 10 since the beginning of the season and have a very good shot at a national championship this year. However, things could change after that as Hidalgo’s backcourt running mates, Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron, will both be eligible for the WNBA Draft after this season and both are projected to be first-round picks. Right now, Leah Macy — a 6-foot-2 forward and the No. 19-ranked player in her class — is the only incoming recruit Notre Dame has for next season.
Hidalgo will be entering the WNBA draft as a member of a star-studded class that should include Mikaylah Williams, Madison Booker, Juju Watkins and more. There is still a lot of time for her draft stock to evolve but based on her resume so far she should be in the mix for the No. 1 pick. Hidalgo will also be entering a league with a lot more roster spots, with the expansion Golden State Valkyries joining the league for the 2025 season and expansion teams from Portland and Toronto beginning play in 2026.
