Notre Dame's generational talent rebounds with Olivia Miles' triumphant return

It’s been a very interesting offseason for the Notre Dame women’s basketball team. And we haven’t even gotten to the summer yet. 

Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey guided her team to the Sweet 16 this past winter nad is well aware that expectations for the 2024-25 season are much higher. There are in fact, plenty of analysts who believe that the Irish are real contenders for a National Title. 

However, while there’s been a ton of excitement, there’s also been quite a bit of talk about the possible breakup of the roster. Ivey has even made it clear there was some tampering going on in an attempt to try and get star guard Hannah Hidalgo to transfer out. 

Hidalgo stuck around. So did Olivia Miles. And the Notre Dame Fighting Irish do indeed look like the team to beat. And while Hidalgo has been getting a ton of the headlines the last few weeks, Ivey went out of her way earlier this week to make sure people remember what a special player Miles is and will be next season.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish women’s basketball team has the kind of talent to win big

“She’s hungry,” Ivey told the ACC Network about Miles, who is coming back from an injury that ended her season last year before it began. “When you have the game taken away from you, the appreciation of playing again is an intangible thing she has in her heart. She has so much fire in her heart to be back on the court. I’m really excited for everyone to see the work she’s put in.”

Miles averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists as a sophomore. Hidalgo averaged 22.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 4.6 steals as a freshman.

The two players are going to be one heck of a combo in 2024-25. It’s no wonder the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are excited for what comes next.