NCAAW: Olivia Miles among most talented guards in 2025 WNBA Draft class

It’s been quite a journey for Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Olivia Miles.

Not long ago, Miles was seen as a can’t-miss WNBA Draft prospect: an elite playmaker and prolific stat sheet stuffer who, in her first two collegiate seasons at Notre Dame, already had fans and scouts alike thinking about just how early she’d be drafted when she was eligible to turn pro. A draft lottery (top-4 pick) selection, regardless of which WNBA team would be making the pick, seemed inevitable.

Miles suffered an ACL injury near the end of her sophomore season, however, and has been working her way back ever since. She missed the entirety of the 2023-24 NCAAW season while rehabbing, and now returns to a Notre Dame program that features another extremely talented lead guard in Hannah Hidalgo.

Simply put, Miles will not only be expected to prove to WNBA coaches and executives that she’s back to full strength, but also that she can continue to excel playing next to Hidalgo. There’s no question that the two form one of the most gifted backcourts in the country—in theory—but this will be the first season the previously ball-dominant guards will be asked to work together.

Irish head coach Niele Ivey doesn’t anticipate that being an issue, calling the pair “interchangeable,” and early-season results have been impressive, to say the least. Through three games, Notre Dame is winning by an average of 44.7 points per game, while both of the team’s star guards are playing at a high level. The Irish have already established themselves as a fast-paced team that enjoys sharing the basketball, fueled by the high-octane play of their talented backcourt. Miles, in particular, has much to gain from a successful season; she can declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft if she wants, and if that happens, there’s plenty that will make her an appealing WNBA prospect.

Honors and statistics

A product of Blair Academy in New Jersey, Miles committed to the Irish as the No. 8-ranked player (No. 2-ranked point guard) in the 2021 recruiting class, according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz. She was also an early enrollee at Notre Dame, playing her first-ever collegiate game just days after turning 18 years old.

As a freshman, Miles immediately demonstrated what had made her such a prized recruit. Starting as Notre Dame’s point guard, Miles posted averages of 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists (No. 2 in Division I) per game, earning All-ACC First Team and Associated Press All-American honors. She also joined Marina Mabrey as the only freshmen in Notre Dame history to record a triple-double, doing it twice against Valparaiso and Massachusetts.

Miles was even more productive as a sophomore, averaging 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, and she also added a team-leading 2.1 steals. Though Miles’ 2022-23 season was cut short due to injury, she was still named to the All-ACC First Team and Associated Press All-America Second Team and finished as a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman and Dawn Staley Awards.

Miles’ passing sets her apart from other NCAA guards

Without even accounting for who Miles is playing with, she has one strength that will undoubtedly translate to the next level: her passing ability.

There are many great passers in the 2025 WNBA Draft class, but none of them can create opportunities for others quite like Miles. Her presence is both commanding and intimidating; she sees the floor in a unique way (Ivey says Miles has “probably the best vision [she’s] seen on anyone”), delivering risky, no-look passes that seem routine, and regularly creating plays that confound even the most disciplined of defenses.

In short, to call Miles a value-added passer would undersell her talents. She plays in a way that has drawn comparisons to some all-time greats: The Next’s Hunter Cruse says that the WNBA Draft hasn’t seen a passer of Miles’ caliber since Chelsea Gray graduated from Duke in 2014, while Mark Schindler of They’ve Got Now goes even further back, likening the flair Miles plays with to that of the legendary Ticha Penicheiro. Both players have been described as having a knack for “passing teammates open.”

There’s more to Miles’ game than just passing, though. It takes a well-rounded player to record a triple-double in college, and Miles registered her fourth in her first game back from injury.

Highlights: Miles opens her junior season with a triple-double

Where Miles truly excels is in the open court. At 5-foot-10, she has good size for a lead guard, and she’s at her best when she’s rebounding the ball and pushing the tempo for the Irish. Miles will almost always look for her teammates first on the fast break, but she’s more than capable of taking it herself, too, with enough burst to get to the hoop and the strength to finish through contact. And because of Miles’ ability to think several steps ahead, choosing to either pass or score at the last possible millisecond, defenders often can’t even contest her shot until it’s too late.

At the end of the day, however, Miles is a past-first player whose abilities with the basketball bring out the best in her teammates. Those abilities, when combined with her physical gifts, will make her a highly-coveted player among WNBA teams searching for a true floor general. And while Miles still has another year of collegiate eligibility, if she decides to enter the 2025 WNBA Draft, she’ll likely be one of the first players to hear their name called on the big day.

Watch her play

As is typical of Notre Dame, the Irish have a strong non-conference schedule, which is this season highlighted by games against No. 3 USC (Nov. 23; NBC) and No. 4 Texas (Dec. 5; ESPN). The Irish will also renew their rivalry with No. 2 UConn on Dec. 12 (ESPN), which will feature a tremendous matchup at point guard between Miles and Paige Bueckers.

After that, conference play will begin. Notre Dame will be playing several ACC games that are slated for national TV: Feb. 2 vs. No. 18 Louisville (ESPN2), Feb. 6 vs. No. 24 Stanford (ESPN), Feb. 17 vs. No. 16 Duke (ESPN), Feb. 23 vs. No. 13 NC State (ESPN) and then March 2 vs. Louisville again (ESPN).

All statistics, team records and rankings for the 2024-25 NCAA season are current through Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024.