Montini soph Holloway opts for Notre Dame

Whitney Holloway didn't plan to pick her college this early - until an offer came that she couldn't pass up.

Montini's sophomore point guard committed to Notre Dame on Friday, the third Broncos girls basketball player to join a Big East school in the last year.

Holloway was offered by coach Muffet McGraw in her second visit to South Bend two weeks ago.

"The vibe I felt there was amazing," Holloway said. "I didn't want to leave. I never planned on committing this early, but Notre Dame? It just blew me away."

Holloway, with two years remaining at Montini, is looking forward to playing fellow Broncos Michala Johnson (Connecticut) and Courtney Thomas (Marquette) in the years ahead.

"I'm excited to being playing with and against some of the best teams," Holloway said. "I always wanted to go big."

Holloway also considered Vanderbilt, Wisconsin and Cincinnati among others. But Notre Dame was always the "dream school" for a student carrying a 4.0 GPA at Montini.

"When she's 28 years old and basketball doesn't matter anymore," Montini coach Jason Nichols said, "she has a Notre Dame degree to fall back on. To me it's a no-brainer."

Holloway, already a two-time Daily Herald All-Area, averaged 12.2 points, 6.5 assists and 4.8 steals her sophomore season. With Johnson sidelined for the season with a knee injury, Holloway led Montini to a 28-5 record, a share of the Suburban Catholic Conference championship and to the Class 3A supersectional.

Holloway's stock rose even more with an impressive showing at the Nike Regional Skills Academy in Indianapolis the same weekend as her visit to South Bend. There she matched up against 41 other of the top prospects in the Midwest, drawing rave reviews on the ESPN HoopGurlz Web site.

Notre Dame is coming off a 22-9 season and under McGraw has advanced to the Sweet Sixteen seven times over the last 12 years, winning the 2001 national championship. Holloway figures to have a strong mentor in South Bend. Skylar Diggins of South Bend Washington, the No. 1 guard in the Class of 2009, is headed to Notre Dame this fall.

"When I made the phone call (to commit), they put Skylar on the phone," Holloway said. "I've seen her play. I'm excited to play with her."