Since the 2012-13 women’s college basketball season, there has been at least one member of the Mabrey family helping Notre Dame win games in some capacity.

And sometimes more than one.

That’s about to change on May 1, when the oldest of the three Mabrey sisters, Michaela, will step away from her current duties as Irish assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Niele Ivey.

Mabrey, hired by Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw in 2019 and retained and promoted by successor Ivey, made the announcement on Instagram on Wednesday evening. And the timing of the announcement was intentional on Mabrey’s part to quell rumors about why she was leaving.

Simply put, she’s ready to step away from coaching, period, and pursue something new. Sources in and around the program said there was no bad blood between Mabrey and any of the other members of the coaching staff.

The Irish had already posted the job opening and are looking to fill it soon.

“God has truly blessed me with the opportunity to coach at a place I love, alongside people I love, impacting players I love,” Mabrey wrote. “And I am forever grateful. I’m excited for what He has in store next

All in the family

The Mabrey sisters — Michaela, Marina and Dara — all hail from Belmar, N.J., and Manasquan High School.

Michaela Mabrey enrolled in 2012 and graduated in 2016 with a degree in Film, Television and Theatre. In between, the standout guard played on three Final Four teams, averaging 6.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists over her four-year career.

Known for her accurate and prolific 3-point shooting, Michaela was a starter for McGraw her final two seasons. And in that 2015-16 season, she overlapped on the roster with sister Marina. Marina went on to play on two Irish Final Four teams, including the 2018 national championship squad.

Marina graduated in 2019, with sister Dara transferring to Notre Dame from Virginia Tech as a junior for the 2020-21 season. But Michaela was hired ahead of the 2019-2020 season, keeping the Mabrey streak intact. 

Prior to coming back to Notre Dame, Michaela served as the coordinator of program and player development at Miami (Fla.) in 2016-17, then spent a season each at Miami (Ohio) and LSU.

Marina Mabrey has been playing professional basketball since the 2019-20 season, in the WNBA, internationally and also with the 3-on-3 pro league Unrivaled. On April 11, she signed a multi-year contract with the WNBA expansion Toronto Tempo.

Dara Mabrey signed a training camp contract with Toronto last Wednesday. Most recently, she played professionally in Australia.

 Notre Dame, meanwhile, is coming off a 25-11 season in which the Irish reached the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight for the first time since Marina Mabrey’s 2019 team made the title game. The Irish finished No. 9 in the final AP poll.

The Irish, led by three-time All-American Hannah Hidalgo, are set to open the 2026-27 season on Nov. 1 against Villanova in Rome, Italy.