On Sunday, the fate of the WNBA’s lottery teams was decided by a few ping-pong balls as the Dallas Wings emerged victorious, securing the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. Much like last year, this draft class features a highlight No. 1 prospect and several other players with the potential to change franchises.

Here are the best-case scenarios for each of the four lottery teams:

No. 1 Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers (UConn)

This one is all but certain at this point. Dallas emerged as the winners of the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes, which means the redshirt senior guard from UConn likely will be paired with All-Stars Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally.

Bueckers’ great off-ball play means she’ll fit well next to the two stars. The bigger question will be how effectively Ogunbowale and Sabally scale back their games to help Bueckers, but as it looks, this should be an exciting trio to build around. The biggest question for new general manager Curt Miller will be how to fix the defense. The Wings were historically bad on that end of the floor, largely due to the atrocious mobility of Dallas’ bigs. Bueckers is the best player in this draft so there’s no need to worry about addressing that in the first round. Pick the talent now, address the other needs in free agency later. Dallas’ rebuild is off to a fantastic start.

No. 2 Los Angeles Sparks: Kiki Iriafen (USC), Olivia Miles (Notre Dame)

The Sparks are in an interesting position at No. 2. Despite having the highest odds at landing the No. 2 pick, they landed at No. 2, which puts a huge wrench in their offseason plans. USC senior forward Kiki Iriafen is potentially the next best player available, but the Sparks already have plenty of frontcourt depth between Cameron Brink, Dearica Hamby and Azurá Stevens.

Their biggest need is at guard, which Bueckers would have fixed, but with her almost certainly going to Dallas, the Sparks could consider drafting Notre Dame senior guard Olivia Miles here, which wouldn’t be a bad pick. She’s the best passer in this draft and is a good defender. Shooting is the biggest question mark with her game, but to start this season she is shooting 47 percent from 3 on five attempts per game. It’s likely that number regresses, but if she shows sustained improvement as a shooter, that could prompt Los Angeles to draft her at No. 2.

Iriafen would add frontcourt versatility to an already-talented Sparks core. She has a great mid-post game, as well as a promising face-up game, although shooting is also a big question mark with her. Iriafen and Brink played three years together at Stanford and produced great results, which is enough to know that a Brink-Iriafen frontcourt would translate well.

No. 3 Chicago Sky: Sonia Citron (Notre Dame), Te-Hina Paopao (South Carolina), Olivia Miles (Notre Dame)

The Sky got the short end of the stick in this year’s draft because of their pick swap with Dallas; however, at No. 3, there are still several players to choose from that could address their biggest need: shooting.

Chicago shot the fewest 3s in the association last year by far, and not surrounding the frontcourt of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso with shooting would be setting them up for failure. Notre Dame senior guard Sonia Citron is probably the ideal fit for this specific need. She has size at 6-foot-1 and solid shooting indicators, being a 36 percent 3-point shooter for her college career. South Carolina senior guard Te-Hina Paopao is a better shooter—40 percent from 3 on five attempts per game for her career—but her lack of size at 5-foot-9 might limit her offensive responsibilities in Chicago.

The biggest question mark will be what the franchise does with Chennedy Carter. Carter will be an unrestricted free agent this winter and in head coach Tyler Marsh’s introductory press conference, he referred to Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese as the franchise cornerstones, thus leaving Carter’s status in the air. If the team decides to go away from Carter, selecting Miles with the third-overall pick would be the obvious choice. She is the best point guard in this draft and would be perfect to replace Carter, although she doesn’t address Chicago’s shooting issues.

No. 4 Washington Mystics: Olivia Miles (Notre Dame), Azzi Fudd (UConn)

Washington is in a very interesting situation because they still have plenty of talent to make a playoff run, presuming health. Sabotaging their chances at winning the lottery and getting Bueckers by winning too many games down the stretch of last season was extremely questionable, and is likely what led to general manager Mike and head coach Eric Thibault both getting fired. Nonetheless, with the No. 4 and No. 6 pick in this draft, Washington has plenty of solid options to choose from.

Given the needs of the Sky and Sparks, it is doubtful that Miles falls to fourth, but if she does, she would be perfect for Washington, which needs a point guard with more size and defense. Shooting will also be a need for Washington, which is why senior guard Azzi Fudd would be a great selection here. She is a career 39 percent 3-point shooter on six attempts per game and is a very good point-of-attack defender.

Given that the Mystics have Julie Vanloo, Brittney Sykes and Ariel Atkins under contract next year, Fudd would not be tasked with too many on-ball responsibilities, all while being in a competitive environment for a lottery team. If she lands in Washington, it’s very possible she could end up having one of the smoothest transitions for a rookie in this year’s draft. If the Mystics were somehow also able to land Miles at No. 4 and Fudd at No. 6, they might end up being winners in this lottery, despite how last season turned out.

Here are the latest announcements and developments from around women’s basketball:

Fab four headlines WBHOF Class of 2025

During halftime of Friday evening’s game between No. 2 UConn and No. 14 North Carolina, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 was revealed—and it’s a good one.

The quartet of Alanna Beard, Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles and Cappie Pondexter will be inducted on June 14 at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville. Alongside the players, coaches Lucille Kyvallos, former head coach at West Chester State College in Pennsylvania and Queens College in New York, and Mark Campbell, former head coach at Union University in Tennessee, will be inducted, as will Danielle Donehew, the executive director of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

The resumes of Beard, Bird, Fowles and Pondexter are well known, and too long to list in detail. But, here’s a quick reminder of why the foursome is headed into the Hall:

Alana Beard

Winner of multiple national player of the honors as a senior at Duke, Beard was a member of the 2016 WNBA champion Los Angeles Sparks. Across a 14-year WNBA career with the Washington Mystics and Sparks, she was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, nine-time All-Defensive honoree and four-time All-Star.

Sue Bird

A two-time national champion at UConn who received multiple national player of the year awards as a senior, Bird authored a 19-year WNBA career with the Seattle Storm, highlighted by four WNBA championships, 13 All-Star appearances and eight All-WNBA nominations.

Sylvia Fowles

A multi-time All-American at LSU, Fowles captured two WNBA titles and two WNBA Finals MVPs with the Minnesota Lynx. Her 15-year WNBA career, which began with the Chicago Sky, also featured four Defensive Player of the Year awards, 11 All-Defensive honors, eight All-WNBA selections and eight All-Star appearances.

Cappie Pondexter

After collecting multiple All-American honors at Rutgers, Pondexter began her 14-year WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury, winning two WNBA titles and a WNBA Finals MVP. The four-time All-WNBA, seven-time All-Star and one-time All-Defensive team member also played for the New York Liberty, Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks and Indiana Fever.

Storm staff under investigation

On Friday night, the Chicago Sun-Times’ Annie Constabile reported that the Seattle Storm coaching staff is under investigation for the alleged mistreatment of players. Noelle Quinn has served as the team’s head coach since 2021. Her assistants for the 2024 season were Perry Huang, who had been with Quinn since 2021 (and now is an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers’ G League team), Ebony Hoffman, a former WNBA player who has been on the staff since 2022, and Pokey Chatman, former head coach of the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever who also has been on staff since 2022. Chatman has been the organization’s associate general manager since 2023 as well.

Constabile writes:

A law firm hired by the team is looking into accusations of alleged harassment and bullying by the coaching staff tied to on-court performance during the 2024 season, a source said. The allegations stem from incidents that happened at practice and during games. An email from the law firm, obtained by the Sun-Times, showed the investigation has been active for at least two weeks.

According to Constabile, the experiences of multiple players led to the investigation. The WNBA has yet to return her request for comment, while the Storm declined to comment. The WNBPA only asserted that the union was aware of the investigation.

Circling Seattle Sports offered additional commentary on the relationship between the staff and players during the 2024 season. According to Christian Braswell:

Clear dysfunction and a feeling of distrust led to players-only meetings to discuss alleged mistreatment without Ogwumike—the WNBPA president—in attendance due to a fear of partiality to the coaching staff.

Braswell further reports:

As the season developed, it was clear that Diggins-Smith’s style of leadership wasn’t held in high regard by most except the coaching staff. According to multiple sources, Diggins-Smith led several outbursts laced with vulgarity during practices directed at teammates.

Unrivaled shares more details

Mark your calendars for Nov. 20. That’s when Unrivaled is set to reveal the rosters for its six clubs: Mist Basketball Club, Laces Basketball Club, Lunar Owls Basketball Club, Vinyl Basketball Club, Rose Basketball Club and Phantom Basketball Club. Tickets also will go on sale on Nov. 20.

On Friday, we learned the six coaches who will lead the 3×3 clubs: Phil Handy, Adam Harrington, Nola Henry, DJ Sackmann, Andrew Wade and Teresa Weatherspoon.

And while curiosity stills abounds when it comes to how Unrivaled will allot its 36 players and six coaches among the six clubs, we do know that Clare Duwelius will be a part of that process. Duwelius was named the first executive vice president and general manager of Unrivaled.

She comes to the 3×3 professional league after more than a decade working for the Minnesota Lynx, beginning as the organization’s basketball operations coordinator in 2014 before rising to general manager in 2022, a position she held through the 2024 season.

On adding Duewlius to the Unrivaled team, Commissioner Micky Lawler said:

We are thrilled to welcome Clare Duwelius as a critical piece of our league. Her track record and proven excellency speak for themselves, and she brings years of unparalleled experienced from a storied and successful franchise.

There was no stopping Iowa senior big Addison O’Grady.

She finished with a career-high 27 points, along with 10 rebounds, as the Hawkeyes fought tooth and nail to defeat Drake, 86-73, and earn a 4-0 start to the season. O’Grady’s coming out moment played out before an overwhelmingly pro-Hawkeye crowd at the visiting Knapp Center in Des Moines. In attendance were a couple of familiar faces: Des Moines native Caitlin Clark and former head coach Lisa Bluder.

O’Grady scored 16 of the team’s first 18 points as the Hawkeyes were in a back-and-forth battle with the Bulldogs, trailing 25-21 at the end of the first quarter. It was a contest between inside and outside dominance, with the Hawkeyes winning inside the paint and the Bulldogs beyond the arc. Iowa outscored Drake 46-10 on points in the paint, while Drake shot 13-for-40 from 3 compared to the Hawkeyes’ 7-for-20.

The turning point for the Hawkeyes came in the waning minutes of the second quarter. They went on a 10-0 run to lead 45-35 at the half. By this time, other players began to contribute. During the second half, the Hawkeyes held onto the lead throughout, even as Drake cut the margin from 14 to five in the third quarter. Drake senior guard Katie Dinnebier led all scorers with 40 points, including seven 3-pointers.

The Hawkeyes’ group of newcomers and returners, most of whom didn’t get much attention during the national mania of the last three years, are surprising some who expected they would immediately struggle. But the team remains an ongoing work in progress, meshing this mixture of freshness and experience. As O’Grady put it after the game:

I think we’ve been working since June, so it’s been a while. I think we’ve had a lot of time to get to know each other and played a lot of games, played some exhibition games, three, four games now. So I think now we’re really clicking and it’s really fun to see all the freshmen step up and they don’t play like freshmen at all. They play really confidently and they’re just all so good fit into the system.

Head coach Jan Jensen, returning to her alma mater for the first time as a head coach, didn’t want to put too much pressure on O’Grady to do what previous centers Megan Gustafson and Monika Czinano did against Drake. Yet after the game, she shared praise for the senior big:

I think when you look back at this series, Drake plays this five-out, I call it small ball, it’s really good. Back in our Gustafson years and Czinano years, when we have won it, we go down to the wire usually when we are here… if you could stay pretty efficient with how you score you can counter all of their small ball action. So we were hopeful that Addi was going to have a game, but I try not to put that pressure and expectation because this is the first time she’s really wearing that role, wearing the go to [role]. I was really pleased. I think the biggest compliment I could give her is that I’m starting to have Czinano and Gustafson expectations. I was kind of cranky with a couple of the things she did out there and that means that the expectations are growing, but I only know they’re growing because I know she can do it.

The Hawkeyes also benefited from other notable performances, including:

• Lucy Olsen: 18 points (7-for-15), four rebounds, six assists
• Hannah Steulke: 16 points (5-for-9), seven rebounds, four assists
• Teagan Mallegni: 13 points (3-for-7), three rebounds.
• Taylor McCabe: 9 points (3-for-3), six rebounds
• Syd Affolter: one point, five rebounds, six assists

Iowa (4-0) will play on the road against Kansas (4-0) on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. ET.

The second week of the 2024-25 NCAAW season did not disappoint, with a milestone-making win for UConn head coach Geno Auriemma highlighting the week’s action:

Geno ties Tara at 1,216

On Friday evening, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma won the 1,216th game of his 40-year career, as the No. 2-ranked Huskies defeated No. 14 North Carolina, 69-58, in Charlotte.

The win ties him with former Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer for the most wins in NCAA Division I basketball history. The record can become all Auriemma’s on Wednesday, Nov. 20 when UConn hosts Fairleigh Dickinson in Gampel Pavilion (7 p.m. ET, SNY).

Commenting on the achievement after Friday’s game, Auriemma said:

I’m more of how do I put [the players] in position so they can feel like I feel, like I’ve been very fortunate to get a lot of things come my way. And they came hoping to get some of those things. So I just keep the focus on that all the time. And whatever happens on my end happens.

Redshirt senior star Paige Bueckers, who dropped a season-high 29 points in the win, said of her head coach:

It’s the reason you came to UConn, to play under him. So it’s been a dream come true, and we’re super proud of him. I know he doesn’t talk about himself too much, just a little bit.

To be a part of this, it’s amazing, and it speaks to the longevity of what he’s built here at UConn—the history, the players, the success, the national championships. So it means everything to play for UConn and play for him.

JuJu’s making moves

On Friday, USC sophomore superstar JuJu Watkins crossed the 1,000-point plateau just 38 games into her college career, finishing with 22 points in the No. 3-ranked Trojans’ win over Santa Clara, 81-50. Watkins is tied for the fourth-fastest player to achieve the milestone, matching the scoring pace of Delaware’s Elena Delle Donne, among others.

On her accomplishment, Watkins said, “I’m not taking anything for granted. Very blessed to be in this position. This is great, something to build off and continue to work on,” while USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb added:

When you break a record at USC, it hits a little different because the people you break the record from are so great. JuJu belongs in that conversation, and we’re all comfortable in saying it. It was the great Cheryl Miller who was next.

On Friday, Watkins also became the first NCAA athlete to receive her own Funko Pop figure. Said Cynthia Williams, CEO of Funkko:

After seeing the incredible surge of enthusiasm for women’s college basketball this past year, we knew we had to create something that truly captured the passion of its fans. JuJu Watkins has played a pivotal role in elevating the sport, and we’re thrilled to honor her impact with our inaugural NCAA Pop! collectible.

Getting buckets, boards and more

Here are some of the most impressive individual performances from the past week of NCAAW action:

• Creighton prevailed over Drake on Monday 80-72, with grad guard Lauren Jensen powering the Blue Jays. A perfect 6-for-6 from 2-point range, she also made six 3s, totaling 32 points. She added 10 boards for the double-double, along with a trio of steals and a pair of assists.

• Oklahoma State guard Anna Gret Asi drained seven triples on Monday night, scoring 33 points in the Cowgirls’ 87-57 win over Texas Southern.

• On Tuesday, senior wing Aneesah Morrow delivered a 20-20 game for LSU, scoring 21 points and grabbing 20 rebounds as the Tigers thrashed Charleston Southern, 117-44. On Friday, junior guard Flau’jae Johnson saved LSU from an upset, with her 25 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals helping the Tigers overcome a double-digit deficit to Murray State for the 74-60 win.

• In her second game as a Buckeye, junior guard Chance Gray ignited the nets for Ohio State, stroking a program record-tying nine 3-pointers in the 94-53 victory over Charlotte on Tuesday.

• Loyola Marymount snuck out a 71-67 overtime win at South Dakota on Wednesday behind a 33-point and 10-rebound effort from sophomore forward Maya Hernandez. She did all her damage from inside the arc, going 15-for-21 from the field as she played all 40 minutes.

• Last week, sophomore guard Crislyn Rose balled out for Arkansas State. On Wednesday, it was senior guard Kennedie Montue. In just 23 minutes from off the bench, she went 7-for-9 from behind the arc. Her 26 points were accompanied by nine boards and three steals. The Red Wolves, who made a program-record 20 3s as a team, smoked Mississippi Valley State, 114-54.

• While Hannah Hidalgo, Olivia Miles and Liatu King are showing out for the Fighting Irish, so is freshman forward Kate Koval. On Wednesday, in the third game of her college career, she grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked six shots, while also scoring 14 points for her first career double-double. Notre Dame defeated James Madison 92-46. On Sunday, however, it was Hannah Hidalgo’s turn. The Notre Dame sophomore guard was on a heater, scoring 29 points. The effort included a 5-for-6 display from downtown, spurring the Fighting Irish’s program-record 15 made 3-pointers. In Hidalgo fashion, she also had five steals, as well as five assists. Notre Dame took care of Lafayette with ease, 91-55. Olivia Miles, who Eric Nemchock recently profiled as a 2025 WNBA Draft prospect, also excelled on Sunday afternoon, stuffing the box score with 20 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

• Harvard senior guard Harmoni Turner can’t be stopped. After an inside-the-arc masterclass helped the Crimson upset Indiana in week one, she did her damage from deep to take Harvard past Boston College on Thursday, 78-70. Turner went 7-for-11 from 3 as she scored a program-record 41 points. She also grabbed 10 rebounds for the double-double. On Sunday, the Turner train kept rolling, as she dropped 38 points in Harvard’s 83-41 win over Maine. In this one, Turner was a perfect 11-for-11 from the line, while grabbing six steals as well.

• Florida State senior forward Makayla Timpson delivered another loud performance, with a 38-point and 15-rebound, plus three-assist, three-steal and three-block, domination in the Seminoles’ 101-68 win over Samford on Thursday. Timpson leads the nation in total rebounds and rebounds per game.

• The nation’s scoring leader? That honor belongs to Rutgers’ senior wing Destiny Adams, who is averaging 27 points per game. On Friday, she torched Iona with 28 points, leading the Scarlet Knights to the 81-53 win. She also grabbed 11 boards to earn the double-double.

• West Virginia senior guard JJ Quinerly was terrific in her team’s Friday win over Texas A&M, 83-62. She went 4-for-5 from 3-point range, swishing her way to 27 points. Quinerly’s stat line also featured four assists, three rebounds and two steals.

• Tennessee advanced to 4-0 on Saturday behind a big afternoon from Talaysia Cooper. The sophomore guard dropped 33 points and grabbed nine boards as the high-flying, shot-happy Lady Vols hung 109 points on Liberty, winning 109-93.

• On Saturday, Haley Cavinder offered a reminder of why her return to college basketball matters. The graduate guard, who, along with her twin sister Hanna, came out of a one-year retirement to again suit up for Miami, led the Hurricanes to victory in the all-Florida showdown against the Gators. Captained by Cavinder’s 31 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, Miami prevailed over Florida 83-73.

• On Sunday, Lipscomb junior guard Ainhoa Cea messed around and got a triple-double, with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in Bison’s 71-53 win over Morehead State.

• Did we witness the Jadyn Donovan breakout game? The sophomore wing scored a career-high 23 points and tied her career best with 15 rebounds. Her double-double helped the Blue Devils escape South Dakota State with a 75-71 win on Sunday. Donovan also tallied four assists and four steals.

Buckeyes bring back Smith, Sheldon

On Monday, Ohio State announced that Katie Smith is returning to her alma mater as an assistant coach after 11 seasons on the WNBA sidelines.

Jacy Sheldon also is heading back to Columbus, with the No. 5 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings set to serve as the program’s director of player development.

On adding both Smith and Sheldon to his staff, Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff said:

I’m extremely excited to add both Jacy and Katie to the staff. As former Buckeyes they both possess a passion for this program that will be instrumental in helping us continue to compete at the highest level of women’s college basketball. Together they will have a big presence in the community as we proceed with growing our already incredible fan base.

A look ahead

A history-making moment likely will define the first part of the coming week, with Geno Auriemma getting win No. 1,217 when UConn meets Fairleigh Dickinson. After that, some more competitive contests dot the calendar, highlighted by a pair of battles between national championship contenders in LA on Saturday and Sunday.

Wednesday, Nov. 20

Fairleigh Dickinson vs. UConn (7 p.m. ET, SNY)

Auburn vs. Oregon (9 p.m. ET)

Saturday, Nov. 23

Notre Dame vs. USC (4 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

Sunday, Nov. 24

South Carolina vs. UCLA (4 p.m. ET, FS1)

It’s been quite a journey for Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Olivia Miles.

Not long ago, Miles was seen as a can’t-miss WNBA Draft prospect: an elite playmaker and prolific stat sheet stuffer who, in her first two collegiate seasons at Notre Dame, already had fans and scouts alike thinking about just how early she’d be drafted when she was eligible to turn pro. A draft lottery (top-4 pick) selection, regardless of which WNBA team would be making the pick, seemed inevitable.

Miles suffered an ACL injury near the end of her sophomore season, however, and has been working her way back ever since. She missed the entirety of the 2023-24 NCAAW season while rehabbing, and now returns to a Notre Dame program that features another extremely talented lead guard in Hannah Hidalgo.

Simply put, Miles will not only be expected to prove to WNBA coaches and executives that she’s back to full strength, but also that she can continue to excel playing next to Hidalgo. There’s no question that the two form one of the most gifted backcourts in the country—in theory—but this will be the first season the previously ball-dominant guards will be asked to work together.

Irish head coach Niele Ivey doesn’t anticipate that being an issue, calling the pair “interchangeable,” and early-season results have been impressive, to say the least. Through three games, Notre Dame is winning by an average of 44.7 points per game, while both of the team’s star guards are playing at a high level. The Irish have already established themselves as a fast-paced team that enjoys sharing the basketball, fueled by the high-octane play of their talented backcourt. Miles, in particular, has much to gain from a successful season; she can declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft if she wants, and if that happens, there’s plenty that will make her an appealing WNBA prospect.

Honors and statistics

A product of Blair Academy in New Jersey, Miles committed to the Irish as the No. 8-ranked player (No. 2-ranked point guard) in the 2021 recruiting class, according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz. She was also an early enrollee at Notre Dame, playing her first-ever collegiate game just days after turning 18 years old.

As a freshman, Miles immediately demonstrated what had made her such a prized recruit. Starting as Notre Dame’s point guard, Miles posted averages of 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists (No. 2 in Division I) per game, earning All-ACC First Team and Associated Press All-American honors. She also joined Marina Mabrey as the only freshmen in Notre Dame history to record a triple-double, doing it twice against Valparaiso and Massachusetts.

Miles was even more productive as a sophomore, averaging 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game, and she also added a team-leading 2.1 steals. Though Miles’ 2022-23 season was cut short due to injury, she was still named to the All-ACC First Team and Associated Press All-America Second Team and finished as a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman and Dawn Staley Awards.

Miles’ passing sets her apart from other NCAA guards

Without even accounting for who Miles is playing with, she has one strength that will undoubtedly translate to the next level: her passing ability.

There are many great passers in the 2025 WNBA Draft class, but none of them can create opportunities for others quite like Miles. Her presence is both commanding and intimidating; she sees the floor in a unique way (Ivey says Miles has “probably the best vision [she’s] seen on anyone”), delivering risky, no-look passes that seem routine, and regularly creating plays that confound even the most disciplined of defenses.

In short, to call Miles a value-added passer would undersell her talents. She plays in a way that has drawn comparisons to some all-time greats: The Next’s Hunter Cruse says that the WNBA Draft hasn’t seen a passer of Miles’ caliber since Chelsea Gray graduated from Duke in 2014, while Mark Schindler of They’ve Got Now goes even further back, likening the flair Miles plays with to that of the legendary Ticha Penicheiro. Both players have been described as having a knack for “passing teammates open.”

There’s more to Miles’ game than just passing, though. It takes a well-rounded player to record a triple-double in college, and Miles registered her fourth in her first game back from injury.

Highlights: Miles opens her junior season with a triple-double

Where Miles truly excels is in the open court. At 5-foot-10, she has good size for a lead guard, and she’s at her best when she’s rebounding the ball and pushing the tempo for the Irish. Miles will almost always look for her teammates first on the fast break, but she’s more than capable of taking it herself, too, with enough burst to get to the hoop and the strength to finish through contact. And because of Miles’ ability to think several steps ahead, choosing to either pass or score at the last possible millisecond, defenders often can’t even contest her shot until it’s too late.

At the end of the day, however, Miles is a past-first player whose abilities with the basketball bring out the best in her teammates. Those abilities, when combined with her physical gifts, will make her a highly-coveted player among WNBA teams searching for a true floor general. And while Miles still has another year of collegiate eligibility, if she decides to enter the 2025 WNBA Draft, she’ll likely be one of the first players to hear their name called on the big day.

Watch her play

As is typical of Notre Dame, the Irish have a strong non-conference schedule, which is this season highlighted by games against No. 3 USC (Nov. 23; NBC) and No. 4 Texas (Dec. 5; ESPN). The Irish will also renew their rivalry with No. 2 UConn on Dec. 12 (ESPN), which will feature a tremendous matchup at point guard between Miles and Paige Bueckers.

After that, conference play will begin. Notre Dame will be playing several ACC games that are slated for national TV: Feb. 2 vs. No. 18 Louisville (ESPN2), Feb. 6 vs. No. 24 Stanford (ESPN), Feb. 17 vs. No. 16 Duke (ESPN), Feb. 23 vs. No. 13 NC State (ESPN) and then March 2 vs. Louisville again (ESPN).

All statistics, team records and rankings for the 2024-25 NCAA season are current through Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024.