August 14, 2024
Locked On Women’s Basketball: Olivia Miles is back and ready to resume chasing Notre Dame history
By The Next
Miles talks coming back from injury, what to expect from Notre Dame in 2024-25
On today’s episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles joins host Howard Megdal to talk about her return to basketball after suffering a season-ending knee injury in February 2023. Now, as Miles prepares to return to the court for the 2024-25 season, she reflects on her basketball journey up to this point.
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They discussed her signature acrobatic finishes around the rim, and how she prepares for those maneuvers.
“I’ve always loved to drive and score,” Miles said. “I think it’s the highest percentage shot you can do, and the numbers tell you that. So I’m just … physically more gifted than a lot of the people who guard me, so it’s a little easier for me to get around them, but obviously I do work on a little bit of skill and I try new things in practice, and I train different moves to make it easier for me. When you meet those 6’5, 6’6, girls at the rim, and it gets a little tougher to to finish over them.”
Miles also spoke about how that ability translates to her rebounding: “I think it came from just my ability to run the floor quickly and push and transition. Instead of waiting for an outlet from a big, I thought it’d be easier to just go and grab the rebound and do it myself. Not that my bigs aren’t capable, they’re they’re amazing and really, really good at what they do. But I just love getting the rebound. … I put myself in a position where I believe best that the ball is going to fall in my hands and you kind of got to be a little athletic and jump up there and and rip it out. But like I said, I feel like it stems just from my ability and wanting to run the floor as quickly as possible, and just getting the ball in my hands in the fastest way that I can.”
They also talked about what to expect from the Notre Dame offense as they look to combine Olivia Miles’ skill-set with All-American Hannah Hidalgo‘s in the upcoming season. That is… “If we can even get in the half court, because [Hidalgo]’s just going to steal the ball and score it every time,” Miles joked.
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“But it’s going to be incredible. It’s going to be a lot of play making, a lot of assists, a lot of the ball flying around everywhere,” Miles continued. “We have so many All-American [players] and All-American potential on our team. Just going to be a lot of great basketball players sharing the ball and making a lot of shots. It’s going to be, it’s going to be incredible. I can’t even really explain it to you. You just kind of have to come to practice one time and see it, but it’s going to be fun. And it’s, like I said, it’s going to be a lot of the ball movement, swinging around, because obviously I like to pass and and Hannah’s obviously a good play maker as well. So it’s going to be fun with the two of us just bouncing off of each other, and then with [Sonia Citron], [Maddy Westbeld] and the fifth person, whoever [head coach Niele Ivey] decides.”
Tune in to hear more from Olivia Miles about her basketball journey, her goals for the upcoming season, and more about her game. Make sure to subscribe to the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast to keep learning about the WNBA, women’s college basketball, basketball history and much more!
