May 20, 2026 4:18 PM
Niele Ivey secures a generational talent as Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year Even chooses Notre Dame over UConn and UCLA, bringing elite transition scoring and defensive dominance to the Irish.
Notre Dame women's basketball has kicked off its 2027 recruiting class in impressive fashion, landing a commitment from five-star forward Eve Long. The 6-3 forward from Olathe, Kan./South is the first player to commit to head coach Niele Ivey in the 2027 class.
Long is one of the nation's best players, ranking as a consensus Top 10 national recruit. She is ranked as the No. 5 player in the country and the No. 1 forward in the land according to ESPN. She is also ranked as the No. 7 overall player in the land according to 247Sports and the No. 8 overall player nationally according to Rivals/On3. She is also ranked as the No. 1 power forward by Rivals/On3.
The Olathe south star had a monster junior season, scoring 32.7 points per game while averaging 9.8 rebounds per game, 2.3 steals per game and 1.4 rebounds per game. That dominant performance earned her the Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year honors. Long was also a member of the FIBA U16 AmeriCup team and also played on the USA Women's U16 National team.
Long is an outstanding all-around player that adds great value to the Irish roster. She is a legit post scorer thanks to her length, athleticism and feel for the game. Long also has the ability to step out and knock down jumpers all the way out beyond the arc. Long is an excellent transition player that runs the floor extremely well. Her end-to-end speed is outstanding and she's a great finisher in transition. You'll also see Long leading the fast break thanks to her impressive handle for a 6-3 forward. She uses her length, athleticism and instincts to also dominate on the defensive end, where she constantly gets in passing lanes and to block shots. Her 2.3 steals per game average shows evidence of this.
"Eve Long is on another level. Her production is insane," said Shawnee Mission head coach Doug Archer in Long's Gatorade Player of the Year release. "She is extremely hard to stop when she has the ball in her hands because of her size and skill level. She can single-handedly win games."
Landing Long is a vitally important start to the 2027 class. Notre Dame landed an elite 2026 recruiting class, bringing in McDonald's All-Americans Jacy Abii and Jenica Lewis, who rank as the No. 13 and No. 17 players in the country according to Rivals/On3. They landed land forward Amari Byles (No. 19), guard Bella Ragone (No. 24) and post Isabella Sangha (No. 77). Sangha will also play volleyball at Notre Dame. Another big time class was needed after Notre Dame landed just one high school recruit in the 2024 and 2025 classes. Long gives the Irish an elite start to building that 2027 class.
According to the Gatorade Player of the Year release, Long is also has a 3.83 grape point average, showing she also thrives in the classroom.
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