Well-traveled Irish women's basketball team means business in Canada

SOUTH BEND — Between being busy with the first-time academic demands most college freshmen face and in her case the demands associated with being part of big-time college basketball, what’s coming on Thanksgiving hadn’t even dawned on Abby Prohaska until she was asked about it Tuesday afternoon after practice.

“Now that I think of it, now that you ask, I don’t think I have,” Prohaska said of whether she’s ever been separated from her family during the November holiday.

“I don’t think it’ll totally hit me until we’re out there and it happens,” the lefty guard said.

Prohaska, the oldest of three siblings, will not be joined by her family from Liberty Township, Ohio, when top-ranked Notre Dame plays three games over three days beginning Thursday at the inaugural Vancouver Showcase in British Columbia, Canada.

As is typically the case with games, some of the players’ families will be able to attend and some won’t.

“My parents travel a lot,” fifth-year Irish forward Brianna Turner said, “and they are coming this week, too. It’s always nice to have family supporting you on the road, but even when they can’t, we have our team.”

“I’m really looking forward to this trip, kind of like overseas and what we did this summer,” Prohaska said, referring to the club’s one-week tour of Rome and Croatia in August. “It really helped us become closer as a team, and I’m hoping this is the same kind of thing.”

To make that August trip, Prohaska and fellow ND freshman Jordan Nixon even gave up the spots they’d already earned on the USA Basketball U18 National Team that proceeded to win gold that same week at an eight-nation event in Mexico City.

“Coach (Muffet McGraw) needed us here, and I think it was probably the best option for us, because we’re going to be here four more years as opposed to a little tournament,” Prohaska said. “It was a great opportunity, but it was kind of a double-edged sword. You gotta just take one.”

Now the well-traveled Irish are taking still another foreign trip, this one in-season.

“Personally, I’ve never been to Canada before, so it’s definitely something I’m looking forward to,” Turner said, “but it’s also a business trip. We’re going out to the West Coast to play a team we’ve never played. It’s going to be exciting.”

The Irish (3-0) start the journey with a 3 p.m. (ET) matchup Thursday against Gonzaga (4-0), which, actually, ND has played once, but that was in 2010, a win that came before Turner’s arrival.

Notre Dame then faces Rutgers (4-0) or Drake (4-0) in a semifinal (9 p.m.) or a losers bracket contest (3 p.m.) Friday.

ND’s game on Saturday will be at 8 p.m. if it’s the championship or third-place matchup, or earlier in the day if it’s a fifth or seventh-place game.

The other half of the bracket features No. 9 Oregon State (3-0) and No. 13 South Carolina (2-1), joined by Western Kentucky (1-4) and East Tennessee State (0-4).

“There’s so many different styles we’re going to be facing,” McGraw said of the eight-team field after a rigorous practice Tuesday. “It’s going to be good for us. We’re not going to have a lot of preparation time, so it’ll be good to see how much we can pick up from the film.”

While the Irish have participated in many Thanksgiving weekend events over the years, this is just the second time they’ll be playing on the actual holiday. The other instance came in 2009, when No. 5 ND beat No. 23 San Diego State 84-79 in the first round on its way to winning the Paradise Jam at the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“I think that part will definitely be different,” Turner said of playing on the holiday, “but I think we’re up for the challenge. We’re prepared, we’re ready.”

“It really isn’t any different,” McGraw said of playing on the holiday. “We’ll play Thursday, then have a Thanksgiving dinner afterwards and get ready for Friday’s game. There’s not really a time to celebrate, but it’s great to be with the team. It’s our family away from home.”

Two point guards out?

Not only does senior point guard Marina Mabrey remain “questionable” to play in Vancouver, according to McGraw, after missing the first three games of the season with a quadriceps injury, but Nixon — Mabrey’s replacement in the starting lineup — “hasn’t been feeling well” this week, according to the coach.

“Hopefully, she’ll be ready to go,” McGraw said of Nixon, who missed a second straight practice Tuesday after scoring six points, making three steals and dishing three assists in 24 minutes during Saturday’s 101-77 win at No. 15 DePaul.

“We definitely have a lot of power in the post,” McGraw said about the possibility of Nixon and Mabrey both being sidelined, “(but) whether we can play three posts together, that’s kind of a question we have to figure out.”

Whatever combinations the coach chooses, backups could see increased action over the three games in three days.

“We definitely need to play the bench more,” McGraw said. “I’m really happy with (freshman guard) Katlyn Gilbert this week. I think she’s showing us that she’s ready to play now. Abby, of course, has been playing well. I think we’re getting a little more help from the bench.”

Sophomore forward Danielle Patterson popped off that bench for career highs of 14 points and three blocked shots in 22 minutes during the win over DePaul.

“Defensively, she’s playing better than she did last year,” McGraw said of Patterson. “She’s more aware, playing with more confidence. She’s been a good shooter. We’re getting the free-throw (area) jumper from her. The high-low’s something we’re really working on, so now that we have Bri inside and Jess (Shepard) inside, we need someone to get them the ball, and she’s proven she can do that.”

Prohaska excelled on defense Saturday, including making a game-high four steals to go with four points and four assists in 26 minutes.

“Practicing with these kinds of players,” Prohaska said of being around star guards like Arike Ogunbowale and Jackie Young, “your defense gets better. I think I’m getting better there. I definitely need to work on my offense, but I have some great role models to follow there, so I’m looking forward to learning from them and picking their brains while they’re still here.”