“How Could It Not Be?”: Hannah Hidalgo Picked Over Paige Bueckers As Player Of The Year By Sue Bird

Sue Bird has shown interest in Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame, who emerged victorious against the goliath UConn Huskies during their showdown. Bird, a former national champion under the Huskies, believes Hidalgo’s skills are worthy of being called the Player of the Year.

Hannah Hidalgo scored 29 points and 10 rebounds during the 79-68 victory against UConn, who was third in the national standings then. The match promoted the Fighting Irish’s standings and put their sophomore star as AP’s women’s basketball player of the week.

In an episode of her podcast, Bird complimented Hidalgo and teammate Olivia Miles, those with the most significant impacts on their team.

“[Notre Dame] showed a lot about who they are, a team that has two young guards, but the reason I bring up the guards specifically is I believe that a lot of time they’re the ones that have more of an impact on a team’s identity… When you have players like Hannah Hidalgo, like Olivia Miles, their fingerprints are going to be all over that team,”Bird said.

Bird pointed out Hannah Hidalgo as the Fighting Irish’s most vital player, bringing up her stats and the influence she provides to the team, one that convinced her to pick the 19-year-old as the year’s top prospect.

“You can’t really talk about this game without talking about Hannah. She balled out, 29 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists in front of some Notre Dame greats. You can’t say enough about Hannah. If I had to put in an early vote for Player of the Year, it’s probably Hannah. How could it not be? The numbers she’s putting up, the ways in which she’s helping her team win games, the big buckets she’s getting, can’t say enough about her play,” Bird added. 

Hannah Hidalgo set to break record according to Dallas Wings star

Hannah Hidalgo had reached the 1,000-point mark during the match against the UConn Huskies, eventually winning against the formidable team. Arike Ogunbowale, spectating Hidalgo from the sidelines, shares a daring banter that the sophomore will achieve the all-time scoring record.

In Ogunbowale’s vlog showing her visit to the Joyce Center, she told those watching that Hidalgo would soon break Caitlin Clark’s 3,951-point mark in college women’s basketball.  

“She legendary already. She gonna shatter the record,” Ogunbowale said.

Ogunbowale, a former Notre Dame Fighting Irish, heavily supports Hannah Hidalgo, who sees her as another massive prospect for the team. Throughout the season, Hidalgo averages 23.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, which are massive stats for a second-year like her. 

Hidalgo and the Fighting Irish, currently 10-2 in the standings, will face the Loyola Greyhounds on December 23.

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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.