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Madison Cable Becomes Heart & Soul Of No. 2 Notre Dame

Production can be measured by tangibles and intangibles.

Not many in Hall of Fame head coach Muffet McGraw’s 29 seasons at Notre Dame combined the two better than fifth-year senior Madison Cable.

Described as “the heart and soul” of the 31-1 Fighting Irish campaign by McGraw, Cable led the team in minutes per game (30.7), three-pointers made (69), three-point percentage (47.6, which was third nationally) and steals (59), and was second in scoring (13.7 points per game) and total rebounds (180). Then in the Saturday’s 95-61 first-round romp over North Carolina A&T in the NCAA Tournament, she converted 7 of 11 from the field for 15 points and added a team-high seven rebounds.

Beyond the box score numbers, she also has taken 46 charges in her career (deemed a possible school record by many in the basketball office), dove on the floor countless times for loose balls and paced the team in deflections — not just on the floor, but also in the media room.

Nothing makes Cable more unsettled than talking about herself. When featured on Notre Dame’s video scoreboard as the “Player of the Game” versus Boston College in her final regular-season contest on the Irish home court after shooting 8 of 12 from the floor, Cable only rolled her eyes, almost mortified by the adulation.

“There are always other people, it’s not just one person,” Cable summarized. “That is why I like to deflect anything that comes to me.”

She couldn’t deflect being named first-team All-ACC with sophomore post player Brianna Turner and junior point guard Lindsay Allen, and ACC Tournament MVP while helping Notre Dame to the title. This from someone who in her first three seasons — after a medical redshirt season as a freshman — was primarily a complementary player off the bench. She had nine starts in her career, and her best scoring average was 6.2 points per game last year.

It’s difficult to fathom that last March it was actually debatable — at least outside the basketball office — whether Cable would be needed for a fifth year in 2015-16.

Not only was All-American Jewell Loyd supposedly returning for her senior year, but also three McDonald’s All-America freshmen in Marina Mabrey, Arike Ogunbowale and Ali Patberg were enrolling.

Where were the minutes going to come from for Cable along the perimeter?

Then Loyd blindsided the program by turning pro, and Patberg suffered a season-ending injury in October. Prior to the ACC Tournament March 2-6, McGraw mused, “Where would we be without Madison Cable?”

The 2015-16 Irish did not have a megastar like a Ruth Riley, Skylar Diggins, Kayla McBride or Loyd — although Turner is getting closer and might be a year away. Cable is understated, not flashy but effective. It’s not a dominant unit that overwhelms, but it is a tough minded and blue-collar crew that gets the job done methodically and intelligently as one — which mirrors who Cable is.

“She is the most competitive person — her and Skylar are like 1-A and 1-B on the competitive charts,” McGraw reflected. “She is so ultra-competitive that she brings it out in everybody. I think [senior] Hannah [Huffman] also had added that toughness and competitive fire — which has made it easier for Lindsay, who’s a quiet leader.

“Maddie takes charges on our guy practice players, which everyone isn’t willing to do. She makes big shot after big shot. Every time we absolutely had to make a basket, she was the one. She had just a phenomenal year. We would not be where we are without her.”

Where an objection is raised is when Cable is described mainly in terms of her effort and toughness. Her athletic skills get overshadowed, even her Shooter’s Holy Grail “180 cumulative percentage.” Entering the NCAA Tournament, she was at 181.6: 50.2 percent from the field, 47.6 beyond the arc and 83.8 from the foul line.

“Maddie is our greatest offensive threat because she can hit threes and she can drive to the basket,” Turner said. “When people are guarding her, they don’t know what to do.

“And she’s a great rebounder, too. On defense, if we’re in a triangle-and-two, it’s Maddie who is always going to be guarding someone. She takes no plays off, and that’s such a key to our team success.”

“When you look at Maddie, you see her diving for loose balls, and taking charges and just getting beat up, it makes you want to play harder,” McGraw summarized. “Everyone tries to raise their level of intensity to match what Maddie is doing.”

That is how a culture of winning is created, beyond just stat sheets. McGraw said the graduating trio of Cable, Huffman and Michaela Mabrey cultivated that attitude to its max.

“What we are going to miss from them is so much more than statistics because of the way they lead and the toughness that they bring,” McGraw said. “... They have a sense of urgency. They understand what it takes to be at the level we want to be at.

“Statistically they’ve done great things, but all three have added so much more in terms of our culture.”

In recent years, it’s almost stunning when a Notre Dame women’s basketball recruit isn’t one of the nation’s top 25 prospects. Incoming record-setting state scorers Erin Boley (Kentucky) and Jackie Young (Indiana) will add to that prominence.

However, effectiveness to team enhancement will be measured in great part by Cable’s unselfish legacy. She has only one regret.

“I’m not going to be looking forward to leaving,” Cable said.

The rest of the operation shares that sentiment.

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