Olivia Miles’ impact runs deeper than wins and losses, despite Sweet 16 loss to TCU

Miles, who was still nursing a swollen and sprained left ankle following Notre Dame’s 76-55 second-round victory against No. 6 seed Michigan on Sunday, jogged from one side of the court back to the other with her ankle covered in black tape. As the Fighting Irish sat 40 minutes away from the Elite Eight sweepstakes, Miles carried a focused demeanor that showed she didn’t want her final game to be played in Birmingham.

The last time Notre Dame (28-6) appeared in the Elite Eight was 2019, the same year the Fighting Irish finished as runners-up to eventual champion Baylor and a year after the program secured its second national championship under longtime head coach Muffet McGraw. Miles, who was still delivering electrifying performances at Blair Academy when Notre Dame went on its last title run, dreamed of hoisting the championship trophy — with some of her most tenured teammates like Maddy Westbeld and Sonia Citron — and helping Fighting Irish head coach Niele Ivey move one step closer to adding a national title banner inside Purcell Pavilion this season.

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But on Saturday, the magical ending that Miles dreamed of — a campaign that meant a lot more to her after missing all of the 2023-24 season due to a devastating knee injury — came to a halt when the Horned Frogs defeated the Fighting Irish 71-62 in the second rendition between the two teams. 

“We’ve [Miles and her teammates] grown so much through this entire season,” said Miles, who finished with 10 points, two rebounds and three assists in a little over 23 minutes in Saturday’s Sweet 16 loss. “We’re very proud of the work we’ve done, and ultimately we have had fun. That’s really what this is all about. You sign up as a kid [to play basketball] because it’s fun to throw a ball in a hoop and look where it’s gotten us to at this point.”

As Miles sat next to Westbeld and Citron in the postgame news conference, the veteran guard said she hoped her impact in the program was far greater than merely competing for a championship.

“When I think about legacy, I think more about the impact that I leave on people,” Miles added. “Winning is great. Obviously everyone wants to do it. … My goal coming to Notre Dame was to leave Notre Dame better than I found it and I think I did a pretty good job of that. … And these two [Citron and Westbeld] sitting by my side and Coach Ivey not only had a big impact on my life, I hoped that I had a big impact on their life.”

Despite the loss, Miles didn’t leave fans without making use of some signature moves from her arsenal. In the second quarter, after going scoreless in the opening frame, Miles hit a stunning stepback three pointer. Then, early in the third, Miles delivered one of her iconic no-look passes on an assist to Liatu King, allowing the fifth-year forward — who posted a double double of 17 points and 10 rebounds in the game — to finish the layup.

On the next possession, Miles came down and sprayed a three from the right wing before hitting a shimmy shake down the court to give the Irish one of their largest leads at the time with 7:06 to play in the third quarter.

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Still, TCU trailed by only one heading into the fourth quarter. Over the final 10 minutes, the Horned Frogs outscored the Fighting Irish 20-10 behind Hailey Van Lith’s prolific, 26-point performance, combined with a strong dose of interior dominance from fifth-year center Sedona Prince, who finished with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Despite Notre Dame’s struggles to score — shooting 26% from the floor and 25% from beyond arc for a team that entered the contest leading the nation in three-point percentage (39.3) — Miles said the team’s hurdles were not because of the Horned Frogs’ defense. She stated candidly that Notre Dame simply didn’t make field goals when they needed them.

“…. That’s [missing shots] going to happen at times,” Miles added. “In those moments, we have to rely on our defense and we tried to do that. I thought my team played extremely hard and fought to the end, so I’m very proud of them. … It’s just shots that we should make that are on us at the end of the day.”

When Notre Dame named Ivey the program’s next coach to succeed McGraw, Miles was one of the coach’s first recruits to the program. With this season complete, Miles’ future plans remain in the air. The two-time, second-team AP All-American still has one year of college eligibility remaining. She can return to Notre Dame, transfer or declare for this year’s WNBA draft on April 14.

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Her actions leading up to Saturday’s game — that include thanking fans for their support during her career after Notre Dame’s final home game as well as the Fighting Irish’s second-round tourney contest — suggest that team’s loss to TCU was her last time playing for the program.

However, on Saturday, Miles said she hasn’t fully made her decision right now.

“I truly do not know what I want to do,” Miles said. “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.”

If Miles played her final game for Notre Dame, choosing instead to start her WNBA career or begin a new collegiate chapter, she left it all on the hardwood. Ivey was candid about Miles’ impact on her program:

“She was a little sore today,” Ivey said. “Every day it feels differently for her. Last game against Michigan, she went off a lot of adrenaline. … [Miles] is resilient. … Sonia [Citron] and Liv are generational talents that I have had a chance to … develop and grow the last four or five years.”