Andraya Carter, Chiney Ogwumike react to Olivia Miles forgoing WNBA Draft to enter transfer portal

Olivia Miles‘ unprecedented decision to forgo the 2025 WNBA Draft and instead opt to enter the NCAA transfer portal shocked the basketball world on Monday. The decision was made with Miles expected to be the No. 2 pick in next month’s draft.

At halftime of the Elite Eight matchup between UConn and USC, ESPN’s Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike gave their instant reactions to the former Notre Dame star deciding to not only return to college for one more year but to do it elsewhere than South Bend. Their co-host, Elle Duncan, called the move “shocking.” Carter also chimed in.

“With NIL in place, there are opportunities to make money elsewhere. And if you want to explore some of those options — she could have a lot of options,” Carter said.

Being one of the top WNBA prospects, as well as one of the more productive guards in the country with a 15.4 points per game average, not to mention 5.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Miles does a bit of everything and has done so for the Fighting Irish for the past four seasons.

She was never able to advance past the Sweet 16 while she was with Notre Dame. That includes a heartbreaking 71-62 loss to TCU on Saturday, which many expected to be her final game with the Irish.

Miles scored 10 points during the loss to the Horned Frogs. This came after she scored a combined 10 points in the first two matchups in the NCAA Tournament. However, no one expected the next jersey she’d be wearing would be that of another college team.

“Before you go to the next level, you want to finish your career in college on a high note,” Ogwumike said. “It was a rough game versus TCU, 3 for 10. So maybe she’s looking to extend her opportunities at another school.”

Duncan made a strong point about Miles’ decision. Just because she’s in the portal doesn’t mean that she’s leaving Notre Dame. It’s not uncommon for a player to weigh all options before making their final decision, and she wouldn’t be the first player to return to their school after entering the portal.

Still, the decision is a shocking one given the fact that Miles was set to be playing in the WNBA here in just a couple of months. That won’t be the case anymore, and she’ll use her final year of collegiate eligibility to utilize NIL and look to contend for a national championship. Whether that will be in South Bend or not remains to be seen.