LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Amidst the chaos of the 2023 Ally ACC Tournament, Olivia Miles has been named to the 2022-23 John R. Wooden Award National Ballot. The list is composed of 15 finalists from across the country, including four ACC players, and is given to the most outstanding basketball player in the United States.
Miles leads Notre Dame with 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.1 steals per contest. She is the second leading scorer (14.3). The dynamic passer leads the ACC in the assist category and is the only player in the league in the top 10 in points, rebounds and assists.
After suffering a knee injury at Louisville on Sunday, Miles is out for the immediate future and is still being evaluated by doctors. She did not play against NC State on Friday, and she will be cheering and “coaching” from the bench on Saturday.
All balloted players have been certified by their university to meet or exceed the qualifications for the Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden when the Award was established. The qualifications include: candidates must exhibit strength of character, both on and off the court; candidates must be full-time students in an accredited NCAA college or university; candidates must be making progress toward graduation and have a cumulative 2.00 grade point average since enrolling in their school; candidates must contribute to team effort; candidates must excel in both offense and defense; and candidates should be considered on their performance over the course of the entire season.
Voting will take place from March 14th to March 21st, and voters take into consideration a player’s entire season of play, as well as the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The finalists for the 2023 Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s will be announced on March 29th.
Last year’s Wooden Award recipient, South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, made the cut again. Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, who was a 2021-22 Wooden Award All American, is also on the list.
Notre Dame competes for a spot in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday, as the Irish face Louisville for the third time since Feb. 16. They’ve won both of those matchups after losing the previous six meetings.