Diggins puts on show for Indy crowd

Image : espn

SM*SH -The NCAA Tournament has turned Skylar Diggins from a South Bend superstar into a national superstar. Angelo: You've blown up on twitter. Skylar: Oh man.

Everyone's watching.

Angelo: You've been the South Bend Superstar.... this tournament has made you a national superstar. Skylar: It just humbles me. Skylar: It would mean a lot. Skylar and Notre Dame face Texas A&M in the national championship game tonight at 8:30 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indy. Now Lil Wayne’s adoration of Skylar Diggins has, by all accounts, thrust women’s basketball into the forefront and made Diggins a household celebrity name. The Notre Dame star garnered Weezy’s affection before beating two time champion UConn with a stunning twenty-eight point game performance. But despite her team’s loss to Texas A&M last night 76-70, Diggins still scored twenty-three points. Off the court, however, Diggins is still scoring thousands of fans and international news attention today.

Before Tuesday’s game, Diggins boasted nearly sixty thousand followers. << Women's Basketball News

Title:

Video Subheadline: After idolizing her as a child, Diggins gets coaching from Ivey

INDIANAPOLIS - A decade ago, a 10-year-old Skylar Diggins was sitting with her parents in their South Bend home glued to the television watching point guard Niele Ivey’s every move as Notre Dame defeated Purdue, 68-66, to win the 2001 NCAA Championship.

Diggins said, when asked about the 2001 NCAA title game. I was a huge Niele Ivey fan.”

“There is something so eerie about the connection about her team and our team,” Diggins said. Diggins had led her team to four consecutive Indiana state championship game appearances (2006-09), including three title games played in Conseco Fieldhouse. Her team won a Class 4A state championship in 2007. “Niele Ivey was instrumental [in recruiting Diggins] when I hired her,” McGraw said. Diggins also credits Ivey with easing her adjustment from the two-guard to the one-guard as a sophomore this season.

Ivey definitely sees the parallels between her and Diggins, and not just the fact they have both played point guard for the Irish.

Diggins was recently named to the 2011 State Farm Coaches' All-America Team by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Ivey is honored that Diggins considers her such an influential person in her life.

“I just wanted to play the game and whatever game it was, I wanted to win. Ivey is not the only member of the 2001 National Championship that has mentored and motivated Diggins and her teammates.