Hannah Hidalgo Takes Us Around Notre Dame Campus, Talks Her 16-Steal Record and Defensive Mentality

Walking around?

I'm like a normal person here.

When I was younger I had a lot of doubt.

It was like all odds were against me, like just being the smallest person on the floor, having that little chip on my shoulder, I said that, that jersey, that jersey dog, it was like the only way I could play is by bringing defense because nobody else was really bringing that.

After that I found my niche playing defense and getting stopped, so I just stuck with it.

It's a hoopty, gotta start it up.

I spoke with Jeremiah Love a few months ago.

Uh, I don't know if you saw the clip.

It kind of made its rounds on the internet.

He said, he said you have more.

On campus than him, I don't really think that I got any aura for real.

I'll say Hannah.

Hannah got some aura.

Like I see Hannah, I'd be like, Oh, there go Hannah and Dago.

She's pretty nice.

Can you explain why he feels he's got more horror?

Honestly, I have no idea.

I don't know.

I don't feel it.

That's dope that he said it.

I love said it because football is so.

Here at Notre Dame, so for like the star running back to say, that was dope.

What's life like for you on the Notre Dame campus?

You said you don't feel it.

It's quite literally mad chill.

Like I can literally walk this whole campus and like not get stopped, not if it's a football weekend, I will get stopped more often, but like walking around, I'm like a normal person here.

Upcoming season you guys lost a lot of players, a lot of starters.

How does, what's your mindset like knowing that there's a whole new crop coming in?

It's your last chance at it, and you got, you know, you got to pull the chemistry together and things, you know, very hopeful.

We have a lot of freshmen, so like we, like we can mold them into like what we need them to be and they.

Work so hard they're in the gym constantly after, after 6 a.m. lifts they're shooting after practice, before practice they're shooting, so they really have a drive, um, and so it's really hopeful, uh, we have a young squad, we have a lot of talent, um, so I think it'll be really exciting.

123.

Been in the Sweet 16 2 years, made the Elite Eight Elite Eight.

Baby, where's your mindset at for this next year?

Like the national championship, that's, that's been the goal since I came here.

Like that was my goal when I was picking a school to be able to go to the national championships.

So we finally got over that Sweet 16 hump.

Now it's time to get over the Elite Eight, and because of my senior year we gotta, we gotta go all the way.

Final Four isn't enough.

What does your offseason look like?

What have you been working on?

Honestly, it was a lot of traveling.

It was a lot of getting in the gym, of course, as always, but, uh, this year I did a lot of traveling.

I went to Hawaii, uh, for a little vacation with my teammates and my best friend and a lot of NIL stuff.

I was in New York for the slam Classic for the little record park thing, so a lot of traveling.

What do you feel like you need to add to your game going into your senior year?

I would say range.

Like I need to be able to like, not like Caitlin Clark, but like I need to go somewhere around there.

Pulling up, yeah, coming right out of the half court.

Uh, no, not that's, yeah, that's Caitlin Clark.

That's a different level, but, but somewhere maybe a couple of dribbles off at half court, you know.

You, um, finally got your DPOI.

What's that?

Defensive Player of the Year.

Oh yeah.

You're looking to defend the crown?

Oh, absolutely, but not even like thinking about it, like just being who I am and playing how I play, like it should be a no brainer that I should be getting it because I should be still doing what I did last year but even better this year.

You're, you're a little bit removed from it now.

I'm wondering.

How have you processed that 16 steal game?

I didn't even know that it was whatever the record, whatever it was, um, when it happened until Ashton after the game, she came and was like, you know, you just broke the record for whatever steals in a in a single game.

I was like, I didn't know I had that many, that many steals 4 points.

What's going through your mind when you're guarding somebody?

Man, I don't even know.

I don't have a thought in my mind, but like.

How can I make this person turn the ball over?

How can I either get a steal or make them as uncomfortable as possible?

I said this before, but like I wanna, when I'm playing, when I'm guarding somebody, I wanna make it like the worst day of their life when I'm guarding them.

Like I don't want them to even be able to feel comfortable bringing the ball up or wanna bring the ball up, and I feel like that every game.

Where does that come from?

Being the smallest one on the floor, having that little chip on my shoulder that said that that jersey, that jersey dog, you know, do you remember like a specific time where you said.

I'm gonna make defense my thing.

I feel like when I was younger, like it was like all odds were against me.

Like I had a lot of doubt just being the smallest person on the floor, it was like the only way I could play is by bringing defense because nobody else was really bringing that.

So after that, like I realized I found my niche and I was playing defense and getting stopped, so I, I just stuck with it.

You have a pretty iconic game day look with your hair.

Talk about how you came into that.

You know, I had to really find it because I was switching my hairstyle up like every game, and one time I had walked into the gym and I had the, I had my fro like my typical fro, and it was like.

My coach, uh, Carlos was like, Yeah, I remember that fro.

Like that fro music you about to kill.

Like I remember coming in the 8, like a game I was watching you play.

You had the fro and you went crazy, and I feel like after that it was like, well, it's simple, it's easy, and I'm kind of known for it, so might as well keep it.

So you're gonna see a lot more of the this year.

Oh, absolutely.

That's all you'll see.

I normally have braids and stuff during the summer, but after summer it's time to work, the fro come out.

I heard you say that at the end of the season that's the first thing you're gonna do, get your hair done.

Yes, that is.

Every time after, after every season, the first thing I do is get my hair done every time.

No brainer.

Ashton, B pack.

I know we're buying time.

Oh, OK.

I was like, well, you're not late.

You guys are y'all late.

My teacher, she's on one.

You obviously know campus very well.

You're, you're leaving soon, so I wanna ask, what are the, give me two of the chillest spots on campus.

Oh my gosh, this girl has a bird suit on.

Um, My two favorite spots though are Ross, which is our practice gym, and, um, probably DB, which is like where like everybody goes after class.

That's where the Chick fil A , that's really where the Chick fil A is when everybody goes there to get Chick fil A, especially all the student athletes just go there and chill.

That's the, that's the spot on campus to get food.

That's a really, that's the spot on campus.

What's your Chick fil A order?

Um, my Chick fil A order typically like a chicken sandwich, fries, and Chick fil A sauce.

If it's no Chick fil A sauce, I can't eat it.

So I know you're a film, uh, a film major.

What, what made you want to pursue film?

Honestly, I feel like.

I love the game so much and like knowing after basketball I probably want to stay inside the basketball world.

I feel like the next best thing outside of playing and coaching would be like broadcasting.

I think I know the game well.

I can talk about the game well and so I just feel like this will really prepare me for that.

I've heard you say coaching a lot of times.

Yes, coaching is 2nd.

That's 2.

Do you feel like a coach now?

Absolutely.

And I, everybody always like point guards are like the extension of the coach on the floor.

Like when you're on the floor, you are the coach.

You're calling the plays.

You're gathering the team.

You're making sure everybody's right.

Like really what a coach does, and that's what I do when I'm on the floor.

I just, uh, directed a doc on Teresa Weatherspoon, and you give me a lot of teas.

Really, has anyone ever said that to you?

No, nobody's ever told me that, but I actually, I met her, um, of course when I was at Unrival, and she's just, she came in with this energy that was just so contagious and like energetic, and I'm like I was talking to her like, man, are you like this every day, like all the time?

She was like she's just so grateful to God for like.

Being able to be in her position that she has to come in with that energy all the time and I was like inspired.

Well, who, who would you say are some of the players.

Who you strive to be like growing up I got a lot of, I got a lot of sky and I got a lot of AI.

I wanna say I try to be like those players.

I might like.

Model my game slightly after theirs and in some ways, um, but I try and be a little different like on my own flavor.

So the last thing I wanna ask you, um, obviously you get on the court, you got your game face, even during the photo shoot I see you're like locked in just having that jersey on puts you in a different mode.

But then off the court I see you doing the TikToks and everything.

What do you really like off the court when you're not being.

Competitive.

I like to bring the energy .

I like to dance, um, I just like to bring up, put a smile on people's faces and everybody that I'm around, saying hi to everyone, speaking, um, and try to make everybody's day better.

So I feel like that's like confident, outgoing, it's kind of what I try to be, especially around my people.

All right, front of the class or back of the class, where are you gonna be sitting?

Oh no, my media person staring at me, um, the front.

The front of the glass.

All right, we'll get to it.

We don't wanna hold you.

Thank you so much.

Let's have a great day today.