Probably the most gifted gamers in girls’s faculty basketball entered the switch portal earlier this week.
Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles — a three-time All-American and three-time finalist for the Nancy Lieberman award — won’t return to South Bend and won’t enter the WNBA Draft this 12 months. As a substitute, she’ll return to varsity for one more season, however not for the Combating Irish.
Miles, who turned 22 in January, missed all of final season whereas recovering from knee surgical procedure, however bounced again in a giant method this 12 months. Along with averaging 15.4 factors, 5.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per recreation, she elevated her 3-point capturing proportion by practically 18 factors from her sophomore season, flattening 40.6 p.c of her photographs from deep this season. The native of New Jersey was the one participant within the nation this season to common at the very least 15 factors, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per recreation whereas capturing north of 40 p.c from behind the arc.
Merely put, Miles stays one of the vital gifted gamers within the nation, and he or she’s the highest participant accessible within the portal. Regardless of all of her expertise, Notre Dame by no means superior previous the Candy 16 together with her on the roster.
So, let’s have some enjoyable and speculate.
The place may Miles slot in greatest for the 2025-26 season? And with the suitable match, can Miles lastly attain a Last 4?
These aren’t sourced predictions. We’re simply spitballing right here.
TCU
Considered one of Miles’ finalists as a highschool recruit was Oregon. Again then, Mark Campbell was an assistant for the Geese and had began to garner a popularity for growing guards into professionals with Sabrina Ionescu. At TCU this previous season, Hailey Van Lith had the perfect statistical season of her profession with Campbell’s steering. If Miles needs to take her recreation to the subsequent degree and put together for the professionals, a season with the Horned Frogs — who’ve already added Kentucky put up Clara Silva within the portal — may very well be the perfect match.
North Carolina
Earlier than Miles dedicated to Notre Dame as a highschool recruit, she practically signed with Princeton, who on the time was coached by Courtney Banghart. “I’d have gone there if she didn’t depart,” Miles instructed ESPN 2020. By then, Banghart had changed Sylvia Hatchell in Chapel Hill and has had a variety of success teaching the Tar Heels — guiding them to 5 consecutive NCAA Tournaments and a second Candy 16 look this season. Pairing Miles up within the backcourt with Reniya Kelly and Lanie Grant, and with a younger frontcourt in Blanca Thomas and Cierra Toomey, and with a veteran wing in Indya Nivar, might assist North Carolina proceed its success and take a step or two additional within the NCAA Match.
UConn
There’s a deep rivalry between Notre Dame and UConn in girls’s faculty basketball. So, hypothetically, if Miles joined the Huskies, it will in all probability be unwise for her to step foot in Purcell Pavilion once more. However enjoying with Azzi Fudd and Sarah Robust seems like a complete lot of enjoyable and a recipe for one more run to the Last 4 for UConn, proper?
Maryland
Miles is a fiery and aggressive participant, which could make her persona a match for the kind of gamers who’ve thrived beneath Brenda Frese. The longtime Maryland coach has developed with girls’s faculty basketball and has confirmed that she will construct groups by means of the portal, including seven transfers final offseason and rapidly making them gel collectively right into a squad that made the Candy 16 this season. Pairing Miles with Bri McDaniel would give Maryland top-of-the-line backcourts within the nation, on-paper, and Frese will nearly definitely put different nice gamers round them.
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights weren’t good this 12 months, going 13-20. Nonetheless, it’s value noting that Miles is a local of New Jersey and Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington was an assistant at Notre Dame throughout her first two seasons in South Bend. If Miles has any need to return house and play in her house state, she might assist the Scarlet Knights return to the NCAA Match for the primary time in 5 seasons.