Newsstand: Top-five recruit has Notre Dame women’s basketball among top six schools

One of the best women’s basketball recruits in the class of 2025 is considering Notre Dame. ZaKiyah Johnson is down to the Fighting Irish, South Carolina, LSU, Kentucky, Louisville and USC, she told On3’s Talia Goodman .

Johnson is the No. 4 player in the class according to the newly released On3 Women’s Basketball Recruiting Rankings. The Shelbyville (Ky.) Sacred Heart Academy product is one of just four five-star prospects in the class.

A 6-0 shooting guard, Johnson averaged 22.4 points per game as a sophomore at Sacred Heart and 18.9 as a junior according to MaxPreps . She recently teamed up with 6-2 forward Leah Macy , the Irish’s current lone commit in the class of 2025 who also hails from Kentucky, at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Colombia. Johnson averaged 8.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 19.1 minutes per appearance over the course of five games.

Johnson told On3 she likes the vibes given off by Notre Dame’s coaching staff led by Niele Ivey . She said it’s a staff that’s mostly on the younger side, which she feels she can connect easily with.

“I’m looking for diversity on a campus, just so I can branch out and meet new people,” Johnson told On3. “I also really pay attention to dorms and dorm living. Then it’s just looking at the team, kind of reading them and seeing how their relationships are. Are they close or is it kind of fake? I look for little things. The majority of [these schools] are in the city area, so that’s really what I like. NIL also plays a big part in it.”

Notre Dame tweets of the day

Cassandre Prosper is heading to the Olympics with Team Canada.

Arike Ogunbowale and Kayla McBride are four-time WNBA All-Stars. They’ll face off against the Team USA national team in the WNBA All-Star Game on July 20.

Happy Independence Day from Notre Dame.

Fighting Irish quote of the day

“I’m not communicating with any other schools. I’m not planning to visit any other schools. I’m locked in with Notre Dame, and I plan to be like that forever.”

— Fighting Irish class of 2016 quarterback commit Noah Grubbs

Blue & Gold headlines of the day

• Where Notre Dame stacks up in odds to make College Football Playoff
• How the coach of Notre Dame DL commit Davion Dixon compared him to a five-star prospect
• Notre Dame football 2024 opponent preview: Virginia
• Countdown to kickoff: The best-case scenario for Jayden Thomas
• How 2024 WNBA All-Star Game will have plenty of Notre Dame ties
• 2026 QB Noah Grubbs: ‘I’m locked in with Notre Dame’

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