Notre Dame’s Ivey grateful for team’s approach in win after tough week with son’s NBA injury

By AARON BEARD The Associated Press

Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey directs the team against North Carolina during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Chris Seward]

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey said she was grateful for the lift her third-ranked team gave her in Sunday’s win at No. 17 North Carolina. That came after an emotional week that included her son suffering a serious leg injury during an NBA game. Ivey is the mother of Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey. He was hurt in a game Wednesday night and needed to have surgery. She said her players “ignited me as a person, and a mother” in the 76-66 road win against the Tar Heels. She says her team “really kept my spirits up.”