Notre Dame star Olivia Miles isn’t sure if she’s going to enter the WNBA draft or run it back for a fifth season with the Fighting Irish.
Miles’ decision weighs heavily on the Storm, who own the No. 2 pick and are projected to select the 5-foot-10 senior point guard, according to several mock drafts.
“I truly do not know what I want to do,” Miles told reporters after Notre Dame’s bitter 71-62 loss to TCU on Saturday in the NCAA women’s tournament Sweet 16. “I literally have no idea. I need to make a few calls and talk to some people.
“I’m very blessed because I’m in a great position. I could come back and have another year of college or I could play on a good team in the (WNBA). … Either way, I don’t think I’d lose out.”
The same can’t be said for the Storm.
After trading All-Star guard Jewell Loyd, ideally Seattle would fill the gaping hole in the starting lineup with a generational player like Connecticut Huskies star Paige Bueckers, who is the clear-cut No. 1 pick and likely headed to the Dallas Wings, who select first.
Miles has benefitted greatly from a breakout season and rose to the top of the draft board while separating herself from a handful of guards believed to be first-round prospects, including Notre Dame teammate Sonia Citron, Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore and TCU’s Hailey Van Lith, the Wenatchee, Wash., native.
“Miles’ ability to get her teammates the ball even in the tightest defense — while scoring plenty of her own points — would fit in well in Seattle,” Yahoo! Sports wrote in its latest mock draft.
In its latest mock draft, CBSSports.com said: “Her playmaking is terrific and she’s still shooting over 40% from 3-point range. The Storm need a guard for the future after trading Jewell Loyd, and Miles is the best choice.”
The 22-year-old Miles averaged 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.6 turnovers while shooting 48.8% from the field, 40.1% on three-pointers and 78.6% on free throws. She started all 34 games for Notre Dame, which finished 28-6.
Miles sprained her left ankle in a first-round NCAA tournament win over Stephen F. Austin, which largely explains why she averaged 6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in three tournament games.
“My ankle hurts a lot,” Miles said Saturday after tallying 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting, two rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes. “But I had to push through. Got to play with my girls. Got to finish up this season.”
Irish coach Nielle Ivey said: “She was a little sore today, every day it feels differently for her. Last game against Michigan she went off a lot of adrenaline, and today she was a little bit sore.”
Miles’ sore ankle, and a right knee injury that forced her to miss the 2023-24 season, could sway her decision.
“After a tough injury, I’d like to have that offseason,” she said. “At the same time, I’m thinking about that top pick. It’s hard to risk that.
“I trust in myself for whatever decision I make. Either decision would be good for me. I’m just trusting in myself. I’ll be confident in my decision that I make, for sure.”
WNBA draft prospects must renounce their remaining college eligibility 10 days before the draft, which is April 14. Players participating in the Final Four have 48 hours after their last game to declare for the draft.
No. 3 seed Notre Dame, which was considered a national championship contender, has lost in the Sweet 16 the past four years. Presumably, sophomore guard and player of the year candidate Hannah Hidalgo will be back for the Irish.
It’s uncertain if Miles will return for a sixth year, but she appears to be leaning toward opting to turn pro, which bodes well for the Storm.
“I love college. I think I’ve outgrown it,” said Miles, who has played 101 games for the Irish. “That kind of makes my decision tougher to stay.
“… Lottery pick is a lot to give up. I worked hard for that. I earned that. I truly believe I put myself in a great position for teams to look at me at that level. It’s hard to give that up.”
