How a knee injury made Olivia Miles a better 3-point shooter and turned Notre Dame into a contender

Olivia Miles says she sees basketball games as art.

Self-taught hoop wizard with evil handles, Notre Dame The point guard learned to herself the dribbling moves worthy of all the highlights, and to experiment with games, practice, outside of business hours, test her skills and promote her potential I said that. That's why she caught everyone's attention in her first few seasons of performing for Fighting Ireland. When it comes to playing for herself and others, it's a combination of fearlessness, creativity and precision. Her elusiveness helped Notre Dame lead in scoring as a freshman and sophomore, and her vision was national with game-by-game assistance in each season when she won a nod for all ACCs I placed her in the top six of.

If the basketball game is art and the court is canvas, Miles' go-to instrument for creating beautiful photos in the course of the contest is her passing ability and her to easily reach the rim. The tricks continued closely.

“She's very flashy. She has great ball handling skills. Her pace changes are phenomenal,” said Hannah Hidalgo, Miles' backcourt buddy. “And the most impressive thing is, we all know that it's her ability to pass, meaning the way she can see things no one else sees. She You can get the ball through certain tight spaces, and that's very impressive.”

However, Miles' college career was suspended after an unfortunate injury in the regular season finale of her National Sophomore campaign. Her right ACL required surgery to repair her to the bench and store her on the bench for everything that was her natural junior season. She watched from the sidelines when her teammates won the ACC Tournament title and advanced to Sweet 16.

Instead of trying to get back to her former player before tearing her knees, Miles somehow got even better. She is still an exceptional passerby, and although she has regained the speed and agility to carve out defenses and reach the rims whenever she wishes, she also adds new wrinkles to her game. I did.

Previously, Miles may have been closer to a gaming canvas with sharp pencils and colorful crayons. Now, after that brutal knee injury, she also brings a paintbrush that she uses to describe dozens of arcing rainbows into the basket from behind the arc.

Simply put, Miles has transformed himself into one of the best 3-point shooters in the country. And now she doesn't look like a great ACC player, she can guide someone who can bring Notre Dame back to the National Championship and perhaps someone with a long career WNBA.

As a freshman and sophomore, Miles shot 27% and 22.8% from three-point land, respectively. In the scouting report, the opposing coach tells players not to worry about closing at a 5-foot-10 guard from Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Fast forward to this season, Miles shoots 44% from the Deep. She knocks down 2.4 3 pointers per game, so the 55th best and the 5th best in the ACC is enough.

According to Go to ESPNplayers who played last season have not improved their shooting rate by 3 points over the Jump Miles from the 2022-23 season until the present.

“She's elite. She plays at a high level,” Ireland head coach Niele Ivy said of the mile.

The way Miles says it, she didn't lock herself up in the gym to transform into a better three-point shooter. It was her injury and that was how it forced her to see the game through another lens, which changed her approach when it came to giving her a different perspective and trying deep shots. .

“I feel like I'm really not working on anything,” Miles said. “I felt like I was thinking too much when I shot the ball before I got hurt. I was worried about going under me. I find it difficult to explain, but getting injured, you look at things very different. Everything is not important. If you missed 3 ,it doesn't matter.”

Miles' shots are sharp, and her memory is even worse. She doesn't think about shots that can't find the bottom of the net. She doesn't look back at the ball bouncing off the backboard or bounces off the rim. She moves on to the next play.

“You know, I was so obsessed with those mistakes that I miss more,” Miles said. “So now I have that mindset, just skip it. I spent the time and put in work, and you know, it's showing up in court.”

That's certainly true. This week's Top 25 AP poll, for the first team in the country, the miles averaged 16.7 points per game per game, with 6.2 assists per game. is ranked 8th in the nation. Combined with fellow super-talented security guards from Hidalgo and Sonia Citron, it can be easily argued that Notre Dame has the best backcourt in the country. Also, with a stable post player in range of size, skill and versatility, the Irish may have the right combination of talent and depth that can be taken to the Final Four in Tampa, Florida. yeah.

Notre Dame leads the nation with 3-point shooting with 42% clips, with fifth in defensive ratings and fifth in rebounds.

“Oh, well, their team is way better than last year,” North Carolina coach Courtney Vangart said of Ireland.

Mitchell Northam, SB Nation

By almost every metric, Banghart's Tar Heels is one of the nation's top defensive teams this season. North Carolina was 23-4 overall and 11-3 in the ACC, ranking 9th in the latest AP Top 25 polls. They are ranked nationally within the top 25 in field goal percentage defense (35.6) and points (55.7) allowed per game. According to HerhoopstatsUNC ranks 10th in defensive rating (75.6), opponent points per 100 owners (78.3), points allowed per play (0.68), points per scoring (0.87), and 10th in He was allowed to rank 11th with a valid field goal shooting rate (40.3). In short, if the Tar Heels have a true identity this season, the defense is that.

Still, leading the Miles, Notre Dame scored 10 points at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill on January 5th. The Irish shot 61.9% from behind the arc. Best against season and major meeting opponents. Miles knocked down five of Notre Dame's 13 3-pointers in that game, setting the best he had at the time. She shattered the mark a few weeks later by knocking down eight shots from deep range on 13th February pit's thrashing.

“When you get injured, you get a lot of opportunity to tackle something still. For her, shooting for her is something she had time, and her body goes to her I made it possible,” Vangart said of Miles. “It added a big dimension to her game. It certainly would help her move the draft board up.”

With the team's defeat to Notre Dame, Vangart was able to see a slightly silver lining.

“It was a great team we played against and they had to play great to beat us, and that's our goal,” Vangart said. “If the other teams have to shoot 62% on 13, if they score a 3 to beat us, then we're looking forward to the next episode, right?”

But that shows just how good this Notre Dame team is. The Irish had turned the ball over 20 times and still won comfortably. Even one of the nation's top defensive teams played on the home floor, unable to contain the mile-hidalgo combination and keep the game within single-digit margins. And Miles' three-point shooting was a big reason. The Tar Heels simply had no answer for her.

“They don't just dribble and shoot it. They get a 3 because they need to handle the ball screen. If they don't handle the ball screen, they're giving up layups,” says Banghart. says. “Shooting games want to see the ball in the basket, so they want to take the layup and force it.”

Mitchell Northam, SB Nation

The Tar Heels should take some comfort in the fact that they are not the only ones torched by Miles and Notre Dame this year. Yes, the Irish lost two games in the Cayman Islands in November TCU And Utah, rotation regulars and all meeting post players Maddie Westveld and Liza Carlen were sidelined with injuries. However, the Irish are undefeated this season in the US. And when they were completely healthy, they looked invincible.

Consider that Notre Dame's minimum margin for victory this season is 9 points. That is, the other 22 wins were brought about by double digit numbers. And Notre Dame is the only team of the season, with fellow candidates Texas, USC and uconn. The fact that North Carolina and Duke's victory over ACC power, and two of the five wins over top tier teams are true road games, claiming Notre Dame has the strongest resume in the country You can do it.

And while Hidalgo is excellent, he is the first team All-American spot rock as he is third in both scoring and steel, but Miles is sure to turn Notre Dame into a highly capable team. It deserves most of the credits to support, capturing the second straight ACC tournament crown and returning to the national semifinals for the first time since 2019.

“For those who know ACL (injuries), the quad is completely closed. It's difficult… The rehabilitation process was very strict. You can't actually skip any level, Miles said. “Now I feel better than I ever felt.”

It's not difficult to see them laughing, talking about trash, or laughing on the court throughout this season at Notre Dame. In her victory over North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she throws a 3-pointer over Indianiver and Lexie Donaldski and drains a 3-pointer, and she laughs, slams her chest with a Hidalgo and celebrates her three fingers. I threw three fingers.

“It's all my trust in my injuries. It was the most difficult thing I've ever experienced,” Miles said. “Just being on the court, I have no choice but to play with smiles and joy. Hannah is the best in the country. I only play with great players who play with joy, so it's not difficult to do so.”

It's easy for anyone watching Miles to smile. She plays at an incredibly high level, and she does something so much fun doing that, and doesn't take the obvious moments.