Some of the gifted gamers in ladies’s school 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 — is not going to return to South Bend and won’t enter the WNBA Draft this yr. As an alternative, she’ll return to school for an additional 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 manner this yr. Along with averaging 15.4 factors, 5.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per sport, she elevated her 3-point taking pictures proportion by almost 18 factors from her sophomore season, pulling down 40.6 p.c of her pictures from deep this season. The native of New Jersey was the one participant within the nation this season to common not less than 15 factors, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per sport whereas taking pictures north of 40 p.c from behind the arc.
Merely put, Miles stays probably the most gifted gamers within the nation, and she or he’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 best match, can Miles lastly attain a Remaining 4?
These should not sourced predictions. We’re simply spitballing right here.
TCU
Certainly 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 status 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 steerage. If Miles desires to take her sport to the following stage and put together for the professionals, a season with the Horned Frogs — who’ve already added Kentucky publish Clara Silva within the portal — could possibly be the perfect match.
North Carolina
Earlier than Miles dedicated to Notre Dame as a highschool recruit, she almost signed with Princeton, who on the time was coached by Courtney Banghart. “I’d have gone there if she didn’t depart,” Miles advised ESPN 2020. By then, Banghart had changed Sylvia Hatchell in Chapel Hill and has had a whole lot 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, may 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 ladies’s school 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 feels like an entire lot of enjoyable and a recipe for an additional run to the Remaining 4 for UConn, proper?
Maryland
Miles is a fiery and aggressive participant, which could make her character a match for the kind of gamers who’ve thrived below Brenda Frese. The longtime Maryland coach has advanced with ladies’s school basketball and has confirmed that she will be able to construct groups via the portal, including seven transfers final offseason and shortly making them gel collectively right into a squad that made the Candy 16 this season. Pairing Miles with Bri McDaniel would give Maryland probably the greatest backcourts within the nation, on-paper, and Frese will nearly actually put different nice gamers round them.
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights weren’t good this yr, going 13-20. Nevertheless, it’s price 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 want to return residence and play in her residence state, she may assist the Scarlet Knights return to the NCAA Match for the primary time in 5 seasons.
