Koval Named A 2023-24 Naismith Trophy Girls High School Player Of The Year Semifinalist

Just a few months before arriving in South Bend for her freshman season, standout post Kate Koval continues to add to her already lengthy list of high school accolades. On Tuesday, Koval was named a 2023-24 Naismith Trophy Girls High School Player of the Year semifinalist. The 10 players to make the cut were selected from a 50-person preseason list. Koval was also a semifinalist for the award last season. The 6-5 post who is the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2024 class per the ESPN HoopGurlz Rankings is originally from Ukraine but plays her high school basketball at Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.), one of the nation’s top high school programs. She was the 2022-23 Gatorade New York Girls Basketball Player of the Year after posting 15.1 points, 11.7 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game. Koval shot 60.7 percent from the floor. Koval was recently named a McDonald’s All American and was First Team All-Showcase at the HoopHall Classic in Springfield, Mass. She scored 32 points in her sole game, the most of any player at the mid-January event. Three former Notre Dame players have earned the Naismith high school honor: Michelle Marciniak (1991), Skylar Diggins (2009) and Jackie Young (2016). Along with Koval, current freshman Hannah Hidalgo was a semifinalist for the award last season. The winner of the award along with the Naismith All America Team will be announced in March.
Courtesy of: fightingirish.com