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Olivia Miles Eager To Make Notre Dame Debut

Prior to the start of the 2020-21 season, first-year Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach Niele Ivey predicted that 6-3 freshman forward Maddy Westbeld would make instant major impact.

She even went so far as to use Westbeld’s name in the same sentence with luminaries Skylar Diggins and Arike Ogunbowale as physically and mentally the most “college ready” to play in all her years as a Fighting Irish player/national champion (1996-01), and then as an assistant coach/national champion (2007-19) at Notre Dame.


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Ivey has proven prophetict, with Westbeld leading the 8-6 Fighting Irish (6-4 in ACC) in scoring (15.4 points per game) and rebounding (7.6), while also ranking second in assists (40), steals (21) and blocked shots (12).

In point guard Olivia Miles — who celebrated her 18th birthday on Friday (Jan. 29) — Ivey has not been reticent about having similar, if not greater, expectations.

Ranked by Hoopgurlz as the nation’s No. 8 overall prospect in the 2021 class (and No. 2 point guard), Miles opted to enroll at Notre Dame this January while her senior year of high school at prominent New Jersey boarding school Blair Academy has been postponed/delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Miles arrived on campus two weeks ago, and after a full week of quarantine, was cleared to begin practice this past Monday. Although Ivey is reluctant to say whether Miles will play this Sunday at Syracuse (8-3 overall, 5-3 in ACC) — “we’ll see,” she replied several times — her effusive praise of Miles hinted that action at some point will be inevitable.

“She’s a program changer,” Ivey said. “When you see her, when she steps on the floor, she has that ‘it’ factor. She’s a very special player. I think she has the same tools as Skylar in knowing how to get people the ball when they need to get the ball.

“But Skylar was more of a scoring point guard. Olivia I think is a true point guard. She can score, but she actually enjoys dishing, she likes to get her teammates shots before she likes to give herself shots.

“Their competitive drive is very similar. She’s her own person. I can’t compare her to anybody because I don’t think we’ve ever seen a point guard [at Notre Dame) that can do the things she can do, to be honest. She’s got a flash in her game, she’s great in transition, and she’s got vision that we’ve probably never seen in this program.”

A superb student, the 5-10 Miles will don jersey No. 25 and her trademark prescription goggles because of her aversion to contact lenses.

Second semester classes that begin next Wednesday (Feb. 3) will include typical freshman prerequisite courses for Miles, plus Calculus and psychology, while she plans to major in either science or business administration.

Ivey first saw Miles play in the eighth grade and recruited her since her freshman season in high school. A confident, strong speaker, Miles said she always has had an affinity toward Notre Dame and a unique connection with Ivey. The day that Ivey was hired last spring to succeed Basketball Hall of Fame member and mentor Muffet McGraw, Ivey spoke with Miles, and she committed on the spot.

Her connection with Ivey goes beyond the basketball court. Miles’ parents are both engineers, with father Yakubu in the software industry and mother Maria a chemical engineer at Eli Lilly. Miles has also been on podcasts with issues centering on social justice.

“Niele and I have been talking about this for a while, about ways we can spread awareness and do anything we can to make people more aware,” Miles said. “It made so much sense to put myself in this spot where I can be mentored and teach and learn from such an amazing player and coach.

“…When I’m more comfortable around my team and I start to know more people, we can start working together to make a change and use all of our platforms to spread this awareness.”

From an early age, Miles learned from her parents on how to think as an adult.

“They were always on me about No. 1 staying humble and No. 2 being aware of your brand, yourself and your image and your name — and it carries everything along with you,” Miles said. “I’ve always been raised and taught to respect myself, respect others and think first before posting something [on social media] that thousands of people can see.

“And especially with a younger audience of young girls playing basketball, it would just be a bad look to post something and have them think of you like that or follow in those footsteps. They’re always on the side talking to me about watching what I’m doing and being cognizant of really just posting something that will help instead of hurt someone.”

Until engaging in practice this week, Miles said she has not played competitive basketball since last summer, and mostly has received individual training several times a week, while also going through a previous two-week quarantine. She didn’t think about enrolling early until she saw Blair Academy teammate Dominique Darius do the same at UCLA in December.

“It was a tough decision, but the right decision,” said Miles of taking the steps to enroll at Notre Dame early. She would not forfeit a year of eligibility by playing this year, either.

Soccer was actually her first love and a sport she still misses playing, but there is enough to absorb now with her new teammates and attempting to assimilate into an offense that is seeking a true point guard.

“There’s been a lot of information being thrown at me but I feel like I’ve been receptive,” Miles said. “…It’s been good but it’s definitely been tough.”

She said Ivey hasn’t guaranteed any playing time, but just getting a head start in her college career is a bonus.

“Just learning and growing, and see where it takes me,” said Miles of her early objectives. “Hoping I’m going to get good minutes. Take in this experience, learn from it, grow, and use it as mentoring, making connections and hit the ground running for the first official year.”

When Miles signed with the Irish last November, Ivey stated that an innate “swag” will come with her.

“Playing all these years I’ve really realized that literally all you have to do is have confidence in yourself,” Miles said. “You can shoot a thousand shots, you can work hard in the gym — and you can get on the court and just freeze. It can happen to everybody. But you just have to be confident in that work you put in and confident in yourself.

“I just try to play my way and not anyone else’s way, and I think that’s what drives me and motivates me.”

Her first priority on the court is to enhance and elevate the level of play of her teammates as a facilitator.

“I love making a connection with another person and seeing others put the ball in the hoop, and then getting that momentum, and getting that happiness and excitement, and wanting to make another play,” Miles said.

“And I love attacking the rim and drawing someone [in] and kicking out for a three. Those are the type of plays that just get the team going. I love that about being a point guard. I love directing, having control and leading the team, and knowing that I’m doing something to help us win.”

Roster Updates


• Back with the squad this semester and also practicing is 6-4 junior forward Danielle Cosgrove, who took a leave of absence from school last semester for what she said were mental health reasons.

Including former walk-on and senior guard Nicole Benz, the Irish have now the maximum 15-woman roster on scholarship.

• Junior guard Katlyn Gilbert is projected to be out at least until mid-February while recovering from foot surgery.

• Freshman center Natalija Marshall, who had ACL surgery the previous winter remains “day to day” while gradually getting cleared for more workout drills.

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