Does Notre Dame G Olivia Miles Forgoing Draft Impact Storm’s Plans?
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Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles surveys the court during a game against North Carolina on Jan. 5. Miles, projected to go No. 2 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft to the Seattle Storm, has opted to stay in college. [/caption]
Although she hadn’t declared, Notre Dame point guard Olivia Miles was nearly the consensus No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
That was until Monday evening when Miles threw the women’s basketball world a curveball — deciding to use her final year of eligibility in 2026 and entering the transfer portal despite being just two days removed from a nine-point Sweet 16 loss to TCU.
The announcement, reported by ESPN Senior NBA insider Shams Charania, was equally surprising on both ends. Miles would have been a coveted professional prospect later this month following the Fighting Irish’s fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance. Perhaps the team’s inability to get past that stage fueled the decision.
Miles, 22, had arguably the best season of her four-year college career in 2024–25, averaging 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 33 minutes per game. She also shot 48.3% from the field. But in this year’s tournament, Miles struggled.
In Notre Dame’s three-game postseason run, Miles played just 25 minutes per game and averaged 6.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 0.7 steals. Miles converted just 25% of her shot attempts as well. She was, however, playing through a sprained ankle sustained in the first round of the tournament.
So, how does Miles forgoing the WNBA Draft affect the Seattle Storm?
Miles was projected to land with the Storm by 10 of 16 reputable WNBA mock drafts published between Nov. 18 and March 28. In his report, Charania tabbed Miles as the “projected No. 2 pick” in the draft. Seattle owns the second selection on Monday, April 14.
If Miles was the Storm’s target, they’re likely in a full pivot since the announcement. Of course, they also probably had a contingency plan in case Miles didn’t declare for the draft. But it’s still disappointing the franchise may not get its pick of a potential future face of the franchise.
Miles would have been an excellent fit with Skylar Diggins-Smith only under contract through this season. Diggins-Smith, 34, is also entering her 11th season and is on the back end of her career even if she does remain with the Storm beyond 2025.
Seattle doesn’t have any other pure point guards on the roster. Miles would have been able to back up Diggins-Smith this season with hopes of maturing into a starter over the coming years.
There has been some contention over whether the Storm would target a post player in the draft instead of Miles. While that’s a possibility, it’s a less pressing need for the team, which has a balanced fusion of up-and-coming talent as well as veterans. Still, this could force the Storm to take a longer look at USC’s Kiki Iriafen or France’s Dominique Malonga if they weren’t already.
The Storm have other top guard options if they still want to go that route. UConn’s Paige Bueckers is almost surely set to be the No. 1 pick, but Seattle could go with one of Miles’ backcourt mates at Notre Dame: Sonia Citron.
Citron, 21, was the third member of the Fighting Irish’s elite guard trio alongside Miles and sophomore Hannah Hidalgo. She averaged 14.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals this season in 34 minutes. Citron elevated nearly all her averages in the postseason as well.
It might be a reach at No. 2 overall, but Seattle could also find some way to land TCU guard Hailey Van Lith — born and raised in Wenatchee, WA, and attended Cashmere High School. Van Lith helped lead the Horned Frogs to an Elite Eight appearance with explosive averages of 18 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1 steal in four NCAA tournament games.
Van Lith erupted for 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in TCU’s 71-62 win over Notre Dame in the Sweet 16 — knocking out Miles and Citron. The Storm may want to trade down a few picks to select Van Lith, unless they believe she played her way to being a top 5 selection.
Seattle still has plenty of options available, and Van Lith may be the best fit long-term if they want a guard. Otherwise, it’s hard to go wrong with Iriafen or Malonga as a top post prospect.
Miles may have been the best guard available, but she’s off the board. The Storm have at least a slightly tougher decision now on what to do with their highest draft selection since 2016 (No. 1 overall, Jewell Loyd).
