Natalie Novosel

Natalie Novosel#21

OVERVIEW: Nicknamed "Nasty" by her high school teammates, Novosel is a multi-talented athletic wing who has made a significant impact for the Fighting Irish with her scoring, playmaking and defensive abilities. She worked her way up from a supporting role as a freshman and sophomore, to taking the main stage as a junior in 2010-11 when she emerged as arguably the nation's most improved player. A strong fit for Notre Dame's motion and transition offenses with her quickness, ballhandling and creative passing skills, Novosel also maintains a scorer's mentality with a mix of polished perimeter shooting skills and an unmatched knack for getting to the rim and drawing contact, leading to a record-setting number of foul shot attempts in 2010-11. Her size and agility also present a matchup challenge for defenders. On defense, her aggressiveness and court vision make her a major asset in traps and presses. A true student of the game who is always eager to improve and further develop her game, Novosel is known for her impressive work ethic, ultra-competitive desire and quiet confidence. She also offers exceptional team leadership, fostering a "never-say-die" attitude that has served her well with the ability to rise up time and again in clutch situations … poised to become the 29th player in school history to score 1,000 career points, standing just 22 points away as she enters the 2011-12 season.

JUNIOR SEASON (2010-11): State Farm Coaches All-America honorable mention selection … State Farm Coaches All-Region I Team … (read more)

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2009-10): Appeared in all 35 games, making the first four starts of her career ... averaged 5.0 points, 2.2 rebounds per game … (read more)

FRESHMAN SEASON (2008-09): Earned BIG EAST All-Freshman Team honors … played in all 31 games, averaging 6.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game ... (read more)

HIGH SCHOOL: Logged career averages of 14.0 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 3.7 spg., and 2.8 apg. at Lexington Catholic High School in Lexington, Ky. ... (read more)

PERSONAL DATA: Born Nov. 22, 1989, in Lexington, Ky. ... one of three children, all of whom have played college basketball ... (read more)

 

 

 

 


 


JUNIOR SEASON (2010-11): State Farm Coaches All-America honorable mention selection … State Farm Coaches All-Region I Team … BIG EAST Most Improved Player … first-team all-BIG EAST … WBCA Classic Most Valuable Player … tied school record by starting all 39 games … led team in scoring (15.1 ppg), more than tripling her scoring average from the previous season (588 points compared to 390 points in first two years combined) … scored in double figures 33 times, the second-highest total in school history … posted seven 20-point games (her career high had been 19 points entering the season) … set school record with 183 free throws made, while her 232 foul shots attempts were second-most in school history … placed among the top 10 on the program's single-season charts for total points (7th - 588) and minutes played (9th - 1,102) … also tops on team in three-point percentage (.413) and second in steals (1.9 spg) … dropped in 11 points and swiped career-high seven steals in season opener against New Hampshire … chalked up 13 points, including 6-of-8 FT in 15 minutes against Morehead State … enjoyed solid night against #15 UCLA with 19 points in career-high 39 minutes … hit two big shots in final 1:15 of regulation to give team four-point lead, as well as putback with 8.6 seconds left in first OT that nearly stood up as game-winner … in front of her hometown crowd, dropped 21 points and eight boards at #9/10 Kentucky ... added three assists and a pair of blocks … averaged a team-high 18.3 ppg while going 18-22 from the charity stripe during the WBCA Classic en route to being named tournament MVP ... back-to-back 20-point efforts against Wake Forest (23) and Butler (20) … stretched her streak of contests with 10+ points to eight games on the season after posting a 12-piece at #2/3 Baylor … tied for game-high honors with 16 points (6-12 FG) during home win over Purdue … contributed 11 points against Creighton … steadied the Irish against Valparaiso with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting with four swipes … made State Farm Holiday Hoops Classic All-Tournament Team after averaging 17.5 ppg. and shooting .667 from floor (10-15) in tourney … poured in career-high 27 points (8-11 FG, 2-2 3FG, 9-9 FT) in win over Gonzaga … dropped in 14 points (10 in second half) and snagged seven boards at Marquette … had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists in tight home loss to #2 Connecticut … hit acrobatic go-ahead basket in lane with 30.3 seconds left that was poised to be game-winner …. mimicked her UConn performance with five rebounds and five assists while also adding 12 points in the win over Louisville … netted 15 points (6-8 FT) at Pittsburgh … dropped in 19 points (2-2 3FG. 6-8 FG) and nabbed two steals vs. #16/17 Georgetown … made her presence known with 14 points and four steals against #RV/23 St. John's … knocked down 11 points (5-5 FT) and registered three boards, one block and two steals to limit Villanova … good for 13 points, seven boards and three steals in the win over #RV/25 Syracuse … finished strong at South Florida with game-high 19 points (12 in second half), and also grabbed career-high-tying eight rebounds … had solid performance in win over Seton Hall, posting game-high 16 points (6-8 FG) for career-high 10th consecutive double-digit scoring game … dropped in 18 points (5-10 FG) at #2 Connecticut .. netted game-high 22 points (7-13 FG, 8-8 FT) and snatched seven rebounds in victory at #19/18 West Virginia … added 11 points and three steals in home finale against Cincinnati … scored 17 points (11 in second half) while registering seven rebounds and two steals at #12/11 DePaul – assisted on Devereaux Peters' go-ahead layup with 30 seconds left, the third time Novosel factored into go-ahead basket in final 30 seconds (made jumpers vs. UCLA and Connecticut) … netted 17 points (8-8 FT), five rebounds and three steals in the BIG EAST final against #1 Connecticut … logged 20 points, four rebounds and four assists in NCAA first-round win at Utah (had 20 points combined in first four NCAA postseason games) … shared team-high scoring honors with 17 points in NCAA second-round victory over Temple; also made all three of her three-point attempts, tying school's NCAA tournament record … had 15 points and seven rebounds in NCAA Sweet 16 victory over #21/20 Oklahoma … made big impact in Elite Eight win over #4 Tennessee with 17 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals … helped steer Irish past #1 Connecticut in Final Four with 22 points, including clutch three-pointer with 7:38 left that capped critical second-half run … added 14 points as the Irish battled with Texas A&M in the title game.

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2010-11): Appeared in all 35 games, making the first four starts of her career ... averaged 5.0 points, 2.2 rebounds per game ... ranked fourth on team in steals (career-high 47; 1.34 spg.) ... had one "5-5-5" game ... made first career start in season opener vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, tallying 10 points, career-high six assists and four steals ... tossed in eight points and tied career high with five steals in win over Iona ... chalked up eight points off the bench in 14 minutes in win over No. 20/17 Oklahoma at Paradise Jam ... played season-high 32 minutes vs. Eastern Michigan, tying career best with eight rebounds, while adding seven points and five assists (her first career "5-5-5" game) ... returned to double digits in scoring column vs. IPFW (10 points), while adding six rebounds and four assists ... notched season-high 12 points, along with four assists and three steals against Valparaiso ... had eight points (career-high 6-6 FT) and four steals against Charlotte ... added eight points and three steals at UCF ... had productive BIG EAST opener vs. Villanova with six points and two steals ... matched season high with 12 points (5-7 FG, 1-1 3FG) against South Florida, including seven in 19-3 second-half run ... made impact at defensive end of court at Louisville, fueling 16-4 run to end first half with three points and a steal ... important contributor in win over No. 16/11 West Virginia with eight points (3-4 FG), including four in game-changing 16-3 second-half run ... ignited Notre Dame attack against Providence with season-high-tying 12 points (4-7 FG), game-high five assists and four rebounds in 20 minutes ... provided spark off bench vs. Pittsburgh with six points (3-4 FG) and three assists ... made most of her minutes in win over DePaul with eight points (4-6 FG) and three assists ... solid contributor in 15 minutes at Seton Hall with six points (2-3 FG) and four rebounds ... tied career high with six assists and added four steals in BIG EAST second-round win over Louisville ... turned in perfect shooting day in NCAA first-round win over Cleveland State, finishing with seven points (2-2 FG, 1-1 3FG, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and three assists ... provided tough defense off the bench that helped fuel rally from early 10-point deficit in NCAA second-round victory over Vermont; finished with six points and three rebounds in 13 minutes ... had four points (4-4 FT) in NCAA Sweet 16 game against Oklahoma, including two free throws, one rebound and one assist during 10-1 second-half run that gave Irish the lead.

FRESHMAN SEASON (2008-09): Earned BIG EAST All-Freshman Team honors … played in all 31 games, averaging 6.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game ... second on team with 45 steals (1.5 spg.), while .493 field goal percentage was tops among everyday players ... in BIG EAST play, ranked 10th in league with 1.8 steals per game ... made college debut in State Farm Tip-Off Classic at No. 24/22 LSU, playing 17 minutes and notching two points and two rebounds ... tallied six points and season-high four assists vs. Evansville ... tossed in seven points at Boston College ... added seven points (5-6 FT) and four rebounds against Georgia Southern ...led the way to victory at Eastern Michigan with game-high 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes ... shared game-high scoring honors against Loyola-Chicago with 13 points, while adding three assists and three steals ...posted second consecutive double-figure scoring game at Charlotte, coming off bench to notch 12 points and four steals ... registered first perfect shooting game of her career in BIG EAST debut at Seton Hall, dodging foul trouble to score eight points (3-3 FG, 2-2 FT) in 17 minutes ... chalked up 18 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes at DePaul ... collected 12 points against Georgetown ... credited with 10 points, four rebounds and four steals at Marquette ... paced Irish against Rutgers with season-best 19 points ...tallied eight points and four rebounds at No. 22/24 Pittsburgh ...sparkled off the bench against No. 10/12 Louisville with 17 points, season-high-tying four assists and four steals; scored nine points during 12-2 second-half run that put Irish in position to win down the stretch ... notched six points and season-high five steals at Providence ... had nearly perfect shooting day in BIG EAST tournament debut vs. St. John's, scoring 15 points (6-7 FG, 3-3 FT) in second-round win.

HIGH SCHOOL: Logged career averages of 14.0 ppg., 6.8 rpg., 3.7 spg., and 2.8 apg. at Lexington Catholic High School in Lexington, Ky. ... helped pace Knights to outstanding 130-11 (.922) record during her final four years on the LCHS varsity (began playing on varsity as eighth-grader) for coaches Greg Todd and Jeff Hans ... led team to state championships in 2005 and 2006 ... ranked 32nd in nation by All-Star Girls Report ... ranked 43rd in nation/four-star player (13th among guards) by ESPN Hoopgurlz ... ranked 47th in nation by Blue Star Basketball ... ranked 71st in nation (11th among off-guards) by Dan Olson Collegiate Girls Basketball Report ... two-time Street & Smith's preseason honorable mention All-American ... one of top three vote-getters for 2008 Kentucky Miss Basketball ... three-time all-state selection (unanimous first team pick in 2008; top vote-getter in balloting by Lexington Herald-Leader) ... four-time all-city pick ... MVP of 2006 Kentucky 11th Region Tournament, 2006 Fifth Third Bank Kentucky Holiday Classic and 2007 Lexington Catholic Holiday Classic ... averaged 19.9 ppg. and 9.1 rpg. as a senior, sparking team to 29-5 record and berth in regional title game for fourth consecutive season ... selected to try out for 2008 Kentucky All-Star Team, but opted to forgo selection in order to allow minor knee injury to heal completely and prepare for summer classes at Notre Dame ... as junior in 2006-07, averaged 17.9 ppg., 8.5 rpg., 4.4 apg., 3.8 spg., .583 FG% (13th in state), .787 FT% (20th in state) while team compiled 30-4 record before being upset in regional title game ... as sophomore in 2005-06, averaged 12.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and helped team to 35-1 record with No. 3 ranking in USA Today Super 25 poll (highest ever for a Kentucky school) ... team posted 36-1 record in 2004-05 and was ranked as high as sixth in USA Today Super 25 poll ... ranks fourth in school history for career points (2,103) and one of five players in LCHS history with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds (1,021 boards) in career ... also holds school record with 561 steals ... also played for high-powered Tennessee Flight Silver AAU squad that won a pair of titles in summer of 2007 – prestigious End of the Trail tournament in Oregon City, Ore., (Novosel canned two free throws with six seconds left to seal semifinal win), and Midwest Showdown in Mason, Ohio ... AAU squad also tied for third at Boo Williams Invitational.

PERSONAL DATA: Born Nov. 22, 1989, in Lexington, Ky. ... one of three children, all of whom have played college basketball -- older sister, Shannon played at University of Evansville from 2005-09, while twin brother, Nathan is a junior at Division III University of Rochester (N.Y.) ... last name pronounced KNOW-vuh-sell ... parents are Jaine and Nick Novosel ... first Notre Dame women's basketball player ever to come from state of Kentucky ... hails from same high school as former Fighting Irish men's basketball standout David Graves (1999-2002) ... enrolled in College of Arts and Letters as a double major in anthropology and pre-professional studies ... some former Fighting Irish players who wore No. 21 include the Notre Dame all-time scoring leader Beth Morgan and two-time All-America forward (and South Bend native) Jacqueline Batteast.