One of the most talented players in women’s college basketball entered the transfer portal earlier this week.
Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles — a three-time All-American and three-time finalist for the Nancy Lieberman award — will not return to South Bend and will not enter the WNBA Draft this year. Instead, she’ll return to college for another season, but not for the Fighting Irish.
Miles, who turned 22 in January, missed all of last season while recovering from knee surgery, but bounced back in a big way this year. In addition to averaging 15.4 points, 5.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game, she increased her 3-point shooting percentage by nearly 18 points from her sophomore season, knocking down 40.6 percent of her shots from deep this season. The native of New Jersey was the only player in the country this season to average at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists per game while shooting north of 40 percent from behind the arc.
Simply put, Miles remains one of the most talented players in the country, and she’s the top player available in the portal. Despite all of her talent, Notre Dame never advanced past the Sweet 16 with her on the roster.
So, let’s have some fun and speculate.
Where might Miles fit in best for the 2025-26 season? And with the right fit, can Miles finally reach a Final Four?
These are not sourced predictions. We’re just spitballing here.
TCU
One of Miles’ finalists as a high school recruit was Oregon. Back then, Mark Campbell was an assistant for the Ducks and had started to garner a reputation for developing guards into professionals with Sabrina Ionescu. At TCU this past season, Hailey Van Lith had the best statistical season of her career with Campbell’s guidance. If Miles wants to take her game to the next level and prepare for the pros, a season with the Horned Frogs — who have already added Kentucky post Clara Silva in the portal — could be the best match.
North Carolina
Before Miles committed to Notre Dame as a high school recruit, she nearly signed with Princeton, who at the time was coached by Courtney Banghart. “I would have gone there if she didn’t leave,” Miles told ESPN 2020. By then, Banghart had replaced Sylvia Hatchell in Chapel Hill and has had a lot of success coaching the Tar Heels — guiding them to five consecutive NCAA Tournaments and a second Sweet 16 appearance this season. Pairing Miles up in the backcourt with Reniya Kelly and Lanie Grant, and with a young frontcourt in Blanca Thomas and Cierra Toomey, and with a veteran wing in Indya Nivar, could help North Carolina continue its success and take a step or two further in the NCAA Tournament.
UConn
There’s a deep rivalry between Notre Dame and UConn in women’s college basketball. So, hypothetically, if Miles joined the Huskies, it would probably be unwise for her to step foot in Purcell Pavilion again. But playing with Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong sounds like a whole lot of fun and a recipe for another run to the Final Four for UConn, right?
Maryland
Miles is a fiery and competitive player, which might make her personality a match for the type of players who have thrived under Brenda Frese. The longtime Maryland coach has evolved with women’s college basketball and has proven that she can build teams through the portal, adding seven transfers last offseason and quickly making them gel together into a squad that made the Sweet 16 this season. Pairing Miles with Bri McDaniel would give Maryland one of the best backcourts in the country, on-paper, and Frese will almost certainly put other great players around them.
Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights were not good this year, going 13-20. However, it’s worth noting that Miles is a native of New Jersey and Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington was an assistant at Notre Dame during her first two seasons in South Bend. If Miles has any desire to return home and play in her home state, she could help the Scarlet Knights return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five seasons.
