ALBANY, N.Y. — One of Hannah Hidalgo’s first memories of women’s basketball came in the fifth grade. It didn’t involve a special team or a phenomenal player or a competition worthy of an instant classic.
It was how people talked down about it, hated on it and bashed it openly. It made Notre Dame’s freshman star not want to watch.
“Hearing all that noise as a kid, you think you kind of believe it [that] it's not interesting,” Hidalgo told Yahoo Sports ahead of the team’s first practice at the super-regional site. “But then when you really start to watch it, you see how much talent the women have, how they're able to make moves and how they're able to finish [and] shoot from halfcourt.