Notre Dame Women's Basketball Lands First Transfer Portal Player of 2026

The Notre Dame women's basketball team landed its first player out of the transfer portal in forward Anaya Hardy.

Mar 28, 2026; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward Anaya Hardy (9) shoots a free throw during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The transfer portal opened two weeks ago, but before Friday night, Notre Dame hadn't lost or gained anyone. That changed over the weekend when the Fighting Irish signed Louisville transfer Anaya Hardy.

couldn’t be more excited for what @AnayaHardy2 is bringing to our Irish family! ☘️#GoIrish // @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/LkrVtVU550

— Notre Dame Women's Basketball (@ndwbb) April 17, 2026

About Anaya Hardy

Hardy spent each of the last two seasons at Louisville and was a key starter for a Cardinals team that made it all the way to the Sweet 16. As a sophomore this winter, Hardy played in 35 games (27 starts), averaged 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, and shot just under 67% (66.6%) from the field.

Hardy has two more years of eligibility and is expected to be in the mix for a starting spot.

Losing Cass Proper stung for Notre Dame, but adding Anaya Hardy can help soften the blow

Anaya moves fluidly at 6’3” and can blossom into a promising big for the Fighting Irish if he can continue developing like she did in her sophomore season pic.twitter.com/iji6XDXHkU https://t.co/Z4c2S1Y9b9

— Point Made Joshua (@pointmadejosh) April 18, 2026

How Will ND Utilize Hardy?

Hardy has experience as both a starter and a reserve, but my gut tells me she'll start right away. After all, ND lost four of its five starters -- Cassandre Prosper (WNBA Draft), Vanessa De Jesus (graduation), Iyana Moore (graduation), and Malaya Cowles (graduation) -- from this past season, so it's quite clear ND needs reinforcements.

And Hardy is exactly the type of reinforcement the Irish need. She can guard multiple positions and can hold her own in the post on both ends of the floor. Expect her to get most of her buckets off offensive rebounds, but don't be surprised if ND uses her in the pick-and-roll with Hannah Hidalgo.

Is Notre Dame Done Adding via the Portal?

Regardless of the sport, Notre Dame predominantly doesn't land a ton of players via the transfer portal. However, I do expect the Irish to add at least one more player via the portal, if not two, before Tuesday's deadline.

Iowa State transfer Audi Crooks has to be atop Notre Dame's priority list, but with the transfer portal closing in days, it doesn't seem too promising that the former Cyclone center calls South Bend her new home.

The Irish could also use a shooter to go aside Hidalgo on the perimeter, so don't be surprised if ND targets a shooting guard via the portal, too.

Roster Update

If Notre Dame is going to get back to the Elite Eight, it's going to have to get done with a lot of new faces. The Irish lost Prosper to the WNBA Draft and four others -- De Jesus, Moore, Cowles, and Gisela Sanchez -- to graduation, plus KK Bransford to the portal. So, as I said earlier, there are some open spots.

Notre Dame has five freshmen coming in, but who knows how many of them are capable of playing right away.

We'll know a lot more about next year's team come Tuesday after the portal closes, but one thing we do know is that there's going to be a lot of new faces suiting up for the Irish come November.

Season Opener

Notre Dame opens the season on November 1st in Rome, Italy, against Villanova. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. (ET) and will be televised on FS1.