Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey confirms Olivia Miles will be back with Irish in 2024-25
It’s been the year of Hannah Hidalgo for Notre Dame women’s basketball. But it could have been — it was supposed to be — the year of Hidalgo and Olivia Miles.
Miles missed the entirety of her junior year rehabbing from the severe knee injury she suffered in the regular season finale of her sophomore season. In the meantime, Hidalgo reached heights even Miles, 2022-23’s ACC Player of the Year runner-up, did not achieve as a freshman. She was just named ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year this week.
Hidalgo’s unprecedented success led some to speculate if Miles would want to return to the court in a Fighting Irish uniform. Two ball-centric guards, one basketball. This isn’t the first time and place that conversation has occurred.
But it won’t transpire any longer in South Bend.
Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey put it to rest Wednesday, three days after she was asked in a postgame press conference if there was a place for Miles on the Irish roster in 2024-25 and beyond with Hidalgo coming into her own as the outward face of the program.
“I never want to speak on behalf of my players. That’s really big for me for them to have their own voice,” Ivey said Wednesday. “I spoke with Liv. She gave me permission to say this. She will be back. I can’t wait. I’m so excited.”
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Miles averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.9 assists as a sophomore before the injury. She played a full freshman season in 2021-22 and averaged 13.7 points, 7.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds in a year in which she posted a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament. She became the first freshman, men or women, to have one in the big dance. She has three in her career, a Notre Dame record.
Hidalgo is averaging 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 4.9 steals per game in her first taste of college ball, meanwhile. She goes into conference tournament week third nationally in scoring and No. 1 by a long shot in steals. She has 141. The next closest Division I player has 117.
They’re different players, but they’re both electric. And they’re both going to be wearing a Notre Dame uniform next season. There might only be one basketball, but there is only one Miles. And there is only one Hidalgo.
They call the same place home.
“Her comeback is going to be a movie,” Ivey said of Miles. “It’s going to be incredible for everyone to see what she’s doing and how she’s going to be. Everybody needs to get their tickets right now.”
