Miles is a real basketball savant, somebody who admits she doesn’t have a particular method on the subject of her type of play, however as a substitute sees the court docket as her canvas. “I see basketball as artwork,” she says. “I feel I’ve a canvas, and I will be the artist and use my creativity in ways in which you do not actually see fairly often. Hannah does a bit little bit of the identical. We’ve such nice, nice gamers on our group that even have nice imaginative and prescient. So, it is simply enjoyable to play with individuals who can discover you and be inventive with the sport, as a substitute of simply, like, go, shoot, layup. We wish to make it enjoyable as a substitute of so basic on a regular basis.”
Hannah describes Miles’ sport as “clutch and flashy,” but it surely’s honest to say we haven’t seen Miles at her most inventive simply but. She reveals that she doesn’t even really feel absolutely again, which is to be anticipated from somebody who was on the sidelines for a yr. How precisely will she know when she’s her full self once more on the court docket? “Not being sore mid-game or, like, eager to die within the fourth quarter. That is positively a begin,” she says. “I feel making it via a full sport may be very tough, and anybody getting back from an damage is aware of that. I feel there are ranges to this, and I am barely even midway via the season but, so I am simply giving myself grace. I am trusting I will be again in due time.”
The yr Miles was out was the identical yr Hidalgo arrived. To carry your personal as a freshman is one factor, however to be tasked with main the group and bringing vitality again to this system with its star out? That takes somebody on a wholly totally different wavelength.
The excellent news for the Irish is that Hannah is an entity. As a pressure of nature, Hidalgo wasn’t afraid of the second. She owned it. “I feel coming into faculty, I [knew] it was gonna be rather a lot, particularly with Liv taking place,” she says. “It was gonna be a whole lot of taking over such a dominant group, such a powerful group and simply main that group as a freshman. Coach Ivey, she had instilled a whole lot of belief in me earlier than I even obtained right here. She had instructed me she was giving me the keys and it was going to be rather a lot, however she knew what it was and knew who I used to be, and he or she had trusted me rather a lot.”
Throughout coaching and exercises in the summertime main as much as this season, Liv took on the function of mentor with Hidalgo. She’d carry Hannah to their 6:00 a.m. group exercises and lifts and, most notably, helped her put together her for what was forward. “Being a freshman, not realizing anyone, having Liv there to say, You may’t get this individual the ball once they’re working right here, they are not gonna have the ability to catch it. Or, Sonia likes the ball on this spot. That is what this participant likes. That is how you must search for this participant. It was actually useful.”
All of the whereas, Miles knew that in some ways, Hidalgo additionally needed to simply go on the market and determine issues out. “I positively let Hannah type of determine it out, study on her personal,” Miles tells us, including: “I have been in her sneakers earlier than she was right here, but it surely was simply unimaginable to type of see what she did in that rookie yr—main such a strong group, as she stated, and figuring it out alongside the best way.”
And he or she positively did. With unmatched pace and flexibility on each ends of the ground, Hidalgo put the school basketball world on discover together with her all-around sport. She packed the stat sheet with numbers nobody had ever seen earlier than: from quite a few 30-pieces, together with in opposition to UConn and Georgia Tech, to program single-season information of twenty-two.6 factors and 4.6 steals per sport (the latter of which additionally led the nation). That season, she totaled 160 steals, which broke a program report beforehand set by none aside from Diggins-Smith. Talking of which: “She simply obtained it right here [pointing to her heart],” Sky stated not too long ago about Hannah whereas on Angel Reese’s podcast, Unapologetically Angel. “Simply fearless, can play each side of the basketball, cares about each side of the basketball. That’s not at all times the case.”
Reese clearly agreed: “A killer.”
Miles has used—and tweeted—the phrase “menace” to explain Hidalgo’s sport. She performs in a method that’s so unafraid, it actually doesn’t matter who she’s guarding or who’s guarding her. HH goes to get a bucket (or a steal) each single time.
“It’s simply essentially the most insane vitality performs,” Miles says. “In that tweet, I stated, I simply be laughing. I am at half-court—like, test the movies. I simply chortle, as a result of it is simply humorous what she does to individuals and simply in her cute little, like, uppity self, she simply runs round after which will get again on protection immediately. Simply so unassuming. That’s simply such a menace to me. You get fired up.”
Whereas everybody sees greatness in her, what issues most is that Hidalgo sees it in herself. She’s taken her sport to a totally totally different stage in her sophomore season, presently averaging 25.7 factors on 50.4 p.c taking pictures from the sector. She ranks second within the nation in factors per sport. “I feel essentially the most deadly half [of my game] is my capability to attain over greater defenders, and my protection, in fact,” she says.
“Duh,” Liv chimes in.
“Protection is sort of a misplaced artwork in and of itself. Not lots of people need to play each side of the ball,” Hidalgo continues.
They’re each artists in their very own methods, distinctive and inventive. However what occurs on the court docket once they’re collectively is the results of pure collaboration. Their reads to one another appear to be linked by an invisible string, like when Olivia despatched a full-court hail mary go to Hidalgo in opposition to Wake Forest, or the time Hidalgo dished out a behind-her-head go to Miles for a fastbreak layup. It’s loopy to suppose that that is solely their first yr enjoying collectively.
“It is arduous to explain,” Miles says, when requested about their type of play collectively. “It simply occurs.” To which Hidalgo provides: “I feel it is simply two high guards studying one another. Once you’re enjoying with one other nice guard, it is one thing that you’d do additionally. You are prepared for it. You are anticipating it, in comparison with, like, a giant who may not have performed with one other high guard.”
As for what occurs subsequent, solely time will inform. Miles has but to announce whether or not she’ll declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft or return to Notre Dame subsequent yr, however that’s neither right here nor there. What the Irish are targeted on proper now’s profitable all of it.
“The job is simply beginning, it is not completed but,” Miles says. “Consistency is the largest assertion we are able to make. We have struggled with that in years prior, going out early within the match, not after we ought to have, shedding to groups that we most likely should not have as nicely. Simply being constant and bringing our identical id every single day is an announcement for us.”
Provides Hannah: “This yr is the time to take all of it the best way and win all of it.”
