100th Medium Post: Freshman Fe-nom: Hannah Hidalgo
It took me a while to think over what I wanted to write about for my 100th Medium post (for this account) because a few ideas came to mind. After the year Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo had as a Freshman, I chose her for my 100th post.
I came across Hannah in November when I saw her stat line for a game where she put up these crazy numbers, but what stood out to me were the five steals.
A few months later, she came back to mind when I decided to do a scouting report on her, which will be later featured on my scouting blog.
Looking at her numbers, I saw where she was getting five, six steals nearly every game — that’s insane on any level. No wonder she won Defensive Player of the Year, and made the ACC All-Defensive team.
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Of course, getting steals alone doesn't necessarily make one a good defender, and this was one of the things that prompted me to look at her film.
I was impressed with what I saw. She’s lighting quick; can make shots on all levels: off the dribble, using screens, and spotting up. She doesn’t waste a lot of time or motion, whether it’s getting the offense set up or getting her own shot, making her almost impossible to stop. Some compared her to Chris Paul, but (offensively) she reminds me of Tim Hardaway Sr. with the quickness and effortless way she moves handling the ball and getting into her shot.
She practically shadows players on defense and is attentive to where the ball is going, which enables her to get a jump on the ball in passing lanes.
Although she’s a feisty defender, at 5–6, she could get overwhelmed by players or they could simply shoot over the top of her. Her aggression on defense could also be used against her, which could lead to her getting into foul trouble or overplaying a passing lane.
While I am aware of the dominant year fellow Freshman (USC’s) Juju Watkins had, already being nominated for Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year, I think Hidalgo went under the radar in comparison, who averaged 22.6 PPG, 6.2 REB (incredible for any 5–6 player), and 5.5 AST.
I think Hannah is WNBA-ready, the only thing stopping her is the league’s age limit.
