SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame might lose another scholarship player after Danielle Patterson announced her intention to transfer.
Patterson was one of six scholarship players coach Muffet McGraw figured to use in rebuilding her lineup after each member of the starting five from last season was among the first 19 picks of the WNBA draft. Patterson, a 6-foot-3 sophomore forward from New York, announced her intention to enter the NCAA transfer portal on her Twitter account.
"It has been a privilege to wear Notre Dame across my chest, but the time has come for me to say goodbye and move on," Patterson tweeted.
#GodSpeed 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/mV7xE7hFmm
— Danielle Patterson (@d_patterson33) April 23, 2019
McGraw was out of town and unavailable for comment, but a team spokesman confirmed Patterson had entered the NCAA transfer portal to look at her options, one of which could be to return to Notre Dame. Patterson last week was named the team's most improved player at an awards ceremony that celebrated a 35-4 season that ended with an 82-81 loss to Baylor in the NCAA championship game.
In two seasons, Patterson has averaged 11 minutes, 2.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.2 assists in 66 games. She scored three points in 27 minutes of four NCAA tournament games this season and did not play against Texas A&M and Baylor as the Irish came up short of repeating as national champions.
If Patterson transfers, McGraw would have only two returning players taller than 5-foot-11 -- 6-3 sophomore Mikayla Vaughn and 6-4 freshman Danielle Cosgrove. The Irish have five scholarship players returning in Vaughn, Cosgrove, 5-10 guards Katlyn Gilbert and Abby Prohaska, and 5-8 point guard Jordan Nixon.
Notre Dame has two top recruits arriving in June in 6-2 forward Samantha Brunelle and 5-10 guard Anaya Peoples, while 5-10 guard Destinee Walker of North Carolina has announced that she will be a grad transfer.