The kick-off to the 2025 WNBA preseason has been more hype than ever before. The league made a big deal out of the first-ever televised preseason game, which brought out some of women's basketball's most notable faces to South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame women's basketball head coaches Muffet McGraw and Niele Ivey, along with WNBA legend Tamika Catchings, were among the major names who turned up to support.

The high-profile event set up a college homecoming for three prominent Fighting Irish greats in the W as they made their way back to Notre Dame's Purcell Pavilion to face off as pros. Las Vegas Aces standouts Jewell Loyd and Jackie Young went head-to-head with Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale in what turned into a 112-78 blowout win for the Aces.

The two most recent Fighting Irish coaches were in attendance to cheer on their former student-athletes. Young described postgame how it felt to return to the arena where her career took off in front of mentors who helped her. “It's special playing here. I never thought I would play here again on this court,” she began.

“It's pretty cool just being able to play in front of Coach McGraw, Coach Ivey, have my friends and family in the stands, and some of the fans that were here when I played at Notre Dame,” the Notre Dame alum concluded.

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McGraw is considered one of the most successful coaches in women's basketball history, leading the Fighting Irish to two national championships and nine Final Fours in her 33-year tenure. She remained courtside until 2020, retiring with an 848-252 record at Notre Dame.

Ivey stepped in as McGraw's successor in 2020, poetically taking the torch from her own former coach after her days as a player and member of the Fighting Irish's first-ever championship-winning squad in 2001. She was also mentored by McGraw, gaining coaching experience as an assistant on her staff for 12 years.

Catchings, meanwhile, is an Indiana Fever and Tennessee legend. As one of the most decorated players in basketball history, she's on a short list of 11 women who've been crowned a champion in the NCAA and WNBA and have also won a gold medal in both the Olympics and World Cup.

The WNBA preseason continues with a matchup between the Fever and Washington Mystics on May 3.