Basketball Twitter started buzzing when Dwyane Wade—the ‘Flash’ himself—dropped jaws with his praise for a 19-year-old phenom from Notre Dame. Her name? Hannah Hidalgo. And basketball fans everywhere are saying the same thing: She’s the future. Her raging talent has brought praise from across the basketball fandom at just the age of 19. Let’s see what the iconic Dwayne Wade had to say about her and who her fans are now comparing her.

“Hannah is like 5’6″ and she is a dog. Averages like seven rebounds a game. And when we talk about when we say dog and hoop, that means something,” said Dwayne Wade in a recent podcast. No wonder the Heat legend has a great eye for someone who has a quick first step like Hidalgo. Notre Dame’s ‘dog’ manages to penetrate defenses to facilitate maximum opportunities for her teammates. Hidalgo is a versatile offensive machine with sharp three-point shooting and for Notre Dame, “that means something”.

A fan even went on to compare her to the legendary Ivan Iverson on X. “Lil Iverson lol let’s gooooo!” Said the fan. Calling Hannah ‘lil Iverson’ is a big deal, as fans might be anticipating her career to be as glorious as Iverson. He too was a Rookie of the Year back in 1994-95 with the Georgetown Hoyas. Popularly called ‘The Answer,’ he was indeed the answer to all of Philadelphia’s struggles. He later went on to become one of the best sportsmen that basketball has ever seen. If Hidalgo too, answers all the challenges that are ahead, we might be looking at a great upcoming WNBA star.

The Notre Dame point guard has been averaging about 26 points a game. Her sophomore career has been going great for Notre Dame with back-to-back wins. She recently finished her seventh-straight 20-plus-point game against North Carolina.

The 19-year-old guard reacted to Wade’s appreciation with two emojis on X. Folded hands as a sign of respect and a raising hands emoji to show her gratitude.

The Notre Dame point guard is unstoppable as we can see her amazing stats and this might be just the beginning for the upcoming star. Let’s see what else fans say about this Notre Dame sensation.

Fans are glad that Hidalgo finally has the attention she deserves

“Hannah Hidalgo wasn’t getting the same media attention as Paige Bueckers and Juju Watkins at the beginning of the season but she absolutely deserves the coverage. She is the national player of the year front runner. Electric!” Said a fan on X who was glad that Hidalgo is finally getting her well-deserved praise. As an official player in the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit and the 2023 FIBA U19 Women’s World Cup, Hidalgo has become one of the biggest female sports sensations along with the likes of Paige Bueckers.

Hidalgo’s amazing 24 points with five 3-pointers against UNC on Sunday showered her with love from fans. A fan didn’t hesitate from saying, “She absolutely does it all. She was doing it all as a freshman too but she’s turning it up this year for sure. Anybody think she could break the all-time steals record?”. A befitting compliment to Hidalgo for her ability to disrupt the offense while penetrating the defense like a do-it-all champ.

Her defensive prowess is highlighted by her ability to generate steals, often disrupting opponents’ offensive flow. Hidalgo’s anticipation and quick hands make her a formidable perimeter defender.

“Absolutely love watching her play.”, said a fan on X. The 2024 ACC Rookie of the Year has indeed been a great addition to Notre Dame.

“@HannahHidalgo is making her name known in women’s hoops.” Commented another fan. It has started to look like we are in the golden era of women’s hoops with rising stars like Hidalgo. The gap between the two genders in the same sport is getting closer every day thanks to the likes of Caitlin Clark and more upcoming female hoopers.

As Notre Dame prepares to host Wake Forest, all eyes are on Hidalgo. Will the ‘Lil Iverson’ magic continue? If her recent performances are any indication, Thursday night might just be another chapter in her legendary ascent.