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After the stunning offseason departure of Olivia Miles to TCU and the loss of multiple seniors to graduation and other contributors to the transfer portal, Notre Dame women's basketball is in rebuilding mode with only three scholarship players returning from last season -- Hannah Hidalgo, Cassandra Prosper and KK Bransford.  

While junior star Hidalgo is still expected to be the leader of the team, Bransford and Prosper are both expected to fill significantly expanded roles this season. Luckily for the Irish, they both seem up for the task. 

This will be a particularly interesting season for Bransford, a senior guard who sat out the entire 2024-25 campaign while recovering from a lower leg injury. She averaged 8.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game her sophomore year.

"I didn't play last year, so I have to catch up with some things and get kind of back in the groove of it," Bransford told CBS Sports. "But also, in other ways, I feel like it was really beneficial because I was able to sit on the sideline and I saw a lot on the sideline. I also think I've got the love for the game a lot more ... because of sitting out. I didn't realize how much it is a privilege to play basketball."

Hidalgo is already warning that Bransford will surprise a lot of people.

"I've been texting KK and telling her how excited I am that she's back finally and to play with her," Hidalgo said. "KK is just such a smart player. She's able to play with anybody, she's able to do the dirty work. Whatever you need her to do, she's going to do it without any argument, without any pushback, and I think she's just such a smart player. 

"But KK has improved her game so much… to see how much she's grown, how much her skill set has grown, I'm really excited for her. It's gonna be exciting. A lot of fans are gonna be shocked."

At the ACC Tipoff this week, head coach Niele Ivey said Bransford is fully healthy and ready for more responsibility.

"I think her role is going to be massive," Ivey said. "She can play multiple positions, and she has that experience from her first two seasons and being a part of great teams and seeing the success that we've had. I know that she's going to be somebody that can really help, especially with the people that are just coming to the program. She's done a great job of really leading them."

Prosper, meanwhile, usually spends the summer with the Canadian national team, but this year she stayed on campus. Prosper also gets extra help from her brother, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, who recently signed a two-way contract with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. They spent two weeks training together in Los Angeles during the offseason.

As a junior, the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. However, her impact should be felt a lot more this coming season. 

"With our rebuilding, Cass is going to have a much bigger role," Hidalgo said. "Her consistency is something big. You know, she's more aggressive. She's asserting herself more into just attacking, getting to the rim, and (with) how athletic she is, she's able to extend all the way at the basket and nobody can block that. It'll be tough to guard her, especially anywhere in that paint area."

Prosper, who came off the bench in 30 of the 34 games she played in last season, is ready to step up.

"My expectation for my role is gonna be taking charge and putting the team on my back," Prosper said. "And just really leading by example on the court and off the court. Whatever that means, you know, scoring, defense, just being a great teammate."

Prosper described the Fighting Irish as the underdogs, but they are "feisty underdogs" that will peak at the right time. Bransford agrees.

"Since I've been in college, we've either won the league or the tournament of the ACC, so just continuing that," Bransford said. "And then making it past the Sweet 16, because all three of my years, we've only made it to the Sweet 16. Making it to the Elite Eight, getting over that hump, we've been so close every year, and just doing that, I know it'll mean a lot to Coach Ivey. We kind of play a little bit for her, so getting her into her first Elite Eight (is a goal) as well."