The 2024-25 college basketball season unfolded with many unexpected surprises. One of them being an in-house addition to Notre Dame’s women’s basketball roster– Bella Tehrani, a dual-sport athlete in basketball and volleyball.

For three years, she played for the volleyball team, before a few injuries stirred her ship towards basketball. The Fighting Irish made her debut in a 97-54 win against Loyola Maryland on 22nd December and looks to fetch herself a notable spot on the roster. So, let’s explore the 6’3 forward with a unique skillset.

Meet Bella Tehrani

It was at the age of 16 that Bella Tehrani enrolled at Notre Dame. Having played basketball till 2019, the young talent decided to pick volleyball that year, having been passionate about it for years. Tehrani also reveals to have had training in beach volleyball and visits the sport often to expand her skills. But it is basketball and volleyball has had real success in.

In 2018, she was a member of Team Ontario U15 Summer Games Regional Basketball Gold. A year later, she competed with the 2019 U14 Regional Volleyball Team and U14 Provincial Basketball Team. This was the first time Tehrani was playing two sports at the same time and it was rather helpful she reveals. “My basketball background has allowed me to translate those court skills to volleyball allowing me to have fast footwork and explosive movements,” she says.

Well, in the same year, she played with the St. Thomas More Senior Girls Basket Team and won gold in the HWCDSB Championships, Ontario Provincial Championships, and GHAC Championships.

Then in 2020, she played with the Team Ontario U18 Provincial Volleyball Team and U16/U17 High Performance Basketball. Thereafter she was selected to be a part of the National Excellence Program (NEP) 2021 for Volleyball Canada.

Besides, she was also the member of Team Canada’s U18 Team at FIVB U18 World Championship which was held in Durango in Mexico. “Regardless of the score, I will fight for every point and encourage my team at every opportunity,” reads her recruiting profile.

So how did she turn out to be a better fit for Notre Dame’s women’s basketball over volleyball?

Coach Niele Ivey saw a hooping spark in Tehrani

To level up her roster, Coach Ivey put her friendship with her colleague and Notre Dame’s volleyball head coach Salima Rockwell to a better use and asked if Tehrani will play both sports. Knowing that Tehrani is good friends with the junior guard KK Bransford, Ivey was confident to get a positive response.

“So she’s been at my house a couple times for team meals. So I know Bella. Perfect fit. Size-wise, we needed another body, being a forward position,” Ivey reasoned.

Although, Tehrani was listed as a middle blocker for the program’s volleyball team, she didn’t see any action on the floor for the first two years in college. However, being a native Canadian, Tehrani did performed for Team Canada on multiple occassions.

Having enrolled at an early age of 16, Tehrani is blended with the program’s wherabouts. “She knows Notre Dame. She aligns with our culture. So I thought it was a perfect fit,” said Coach Ivey. In her college basketball debut, she played around 4 minutes at the end of the game, however, her confidence kept her quick on her feet.

It’s a fresh start for Tehrani as a junior and given her trailblazing display in international competitions, it is safe to say that she won’t be taking much time to emerge as one of the rising stars this season.