Notre Dame heads into March Madness with Haitian-Canadian Olympian Cass Prosper

As the regular season came to a close, Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish women’s basketball team celebrated a hard-fought victory over No. 25 Louisville, securing their place in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. The team, co-champions of the ACC regular season, now turns its focus to March Madness, with Haitian-Canadian Olympian Cassandre “Cass” Prosper playing a key role along with some of her teammates in their postseason ambitions.

Their journey hasn’t been without obstacles. After a double-overtime loss to NC State and a tough defeat against Florida State, Notre Dame bounced back with a statement win in their final home game. Now, all eyes are on their upcoming tournament game on March 7.

A redemption win for Notre Dame

On Sunday, March 2, Notre Dame faced off against Louisville at Purcell Pavilion. The game, featured on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” had high stakes, as the Fighting Irish looked to secure a top seed in the ACC Tournament.

Louisville freshman point guard Tajianna Roberts opened the game with a three-pointer, but Notre Dame quickly responded. By halftime, Notre Dame led 36-28, and in the third quarter, graduating point guard Olivia Miles’ buzzer-beater three-pointer sent the crowd into a frenzy. When the final whistle blew, Notre Dame secured a 72-59 victory, earning a double bye into the quarterfinals.

“We had too many good looks that we turned down,” Louisville head coach Jeff Walz said in a virtual postgame press conference.

For Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey, the win was a necessary bounce-back.

“[I’m] grateful for this win, but also just the way we won. I thought defensively we were solid today,” Ivey told reporters after the game.

“There was a ton of energy defensively, and I thought that was the difference in the game right from the beginning.”

Ivey also highlighted the contributions of Notre Dame student-athletes Hannah Hidalgo, Liza Karlen, and Kate Koval in the victory.

Cass Prosper and Notre Dame

Despite suffering an injury last season, Prosper, a 6’2″ guard from Montreal, has returned stronger, bringing defensive versatility and offensive power to the team.

“She’s been fantastic!” Ivey told The Haitian Times. “I thought she had a fantastic game today. She’s another unselfish player, I think her ceiling is so high! She’s healthier, knows her role, and gives us such a spark offensively and defensively.”

For Prosper, the season has been a journey of growth.

“The process of coming back from an injury is harder than the injury itself because you have to really be patient with yourself,” she said. “I came back, then went right into the Olympics, which kind of was a blessing for me because I had to get back in shape.”

Prosper represented Canada at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics in women’s basketball, gaining invaluable experience on the international stage. That experience, combined with her resilience, has made her a leader on the team.

Proud of her Haitian roots

Prosper is making her mark in college basketball, but her Haitian heritage remains core to her identity.

“My grandma on my mom’s side is from Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. My dad was born in Haiti until about his teenage years, then he moved to the States and later to Canada,” Prosper said.

Growing up in Montreal, a city with a strong Haitian presence, Prosper felt connected to her culture.

“There are so many Haitians in Montreal, especially because it’s French-speaking and so many Haitians are more familiar with French thanks to Creole,” she said.

Although she moved around Canada while growing up, Prosper credits her parents for ensuring she always felt a sense of belonging.

“I never felt like a minority because of my parents making sure we were around other Black people,” she said.

With a family basketball legacy and Haitian and Canadian roots, her family’s influence has shaped her journey on the court.

Looking ahead to the ACC Tournament and March Madness

Despite a strong regular season, the Fighting Irish faced some setbacks, including a heartbreaking loss to NC State in double overtime on Feb. 23. The defeat cost them a higher seed, but Prosper remains optimistic.

“It was a great battle! It went into double OT; I think the game could have shifted our side a couple of times,” she told The Haitian Times. “But at the end of the day, we fought really hard, it was just kind of a last-minute thing where like at the end we just ran out of juice. ”

Now, Notre Dame shifts its focus to the ACC Tournament, where they will compete for an automatic bid to the NCAA Women’s March Madness Tournament.

“We’re not really worried about the rankings,” Prosper said. “We’re just worried about learning from that game.”

Notre Dame’s quarterfinal matchup will take place at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C., on March 7. The ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament began on March 5 and is being broadcast on ACC Network, ESPN, and ESPN2. Fans can also stream the games live on Sling or listen to the play-by-play on SiriusXM Channel 193.

With March Madness on the horizon, Prosper and her teammates are ready to make a deep run, determined to prove they belong among the nation’s elite.

The post Notre Dame heads into March Madness with Haitian-Canadian Olympian Cass Prosper appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Notre Dame heads into March Madness with Haitian-Canadian Olympian Cass Prosper was first posted on March 7, 2025 at 10:29 am.