Notre Dame associate head coach Niele Ivey has been hired as an assistant coach by the Memphis Grizzlies.

According to Notre Dame Women's Basketball, Ivey is the ninth active female assistant coach in the NBA:

Ivey issued a statement via Twitter, thanking Fighting Irish head coach Muffet McGraw for providing her with an opportunity:

Ivey joins a new-look Memphis coaching staff led by first-year head coach Taylor Jenkins. Jenkins was hired in June after J.B. Bickerstaff was fired following a 48-97 performance in less than two full years on the job.

The franchise is in the midst of a two-year playoff drought. It took former Murray State star Ja Morant with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft in June.

Ivey had been a member of McGraw's coaching staff at Notre Dame since May 2007. The Fighting Irish earned 12 consecutive NCAA tournament berths during Ivey's tenure in South Bend, winning one national championship (2018) and finishing as runners-up five times.

McGraw offered Ivey no shortage of praise in her Notre Dame profile:

"Niele is really a rising star, a rock star if you will, in the coaching profession. She does so many things for us, from recruiting to working with our guards, and every year she continues to grow and develop as a coach. She’s gotten more involved in adding new wrinkles to our offense and defense, and expanding her knowledge by going out and talking to other coaches about different aspects of the game."

Not only did Ivey spend more than a decade as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, but she also suited up for the Fighting Irish. She played for them from 1996 to 2001, leading them to their first national championship in 2001.

Whether as a player (two) or a coach (seven), Ivey has been a part of all of the program's nine Final Four appearances.