SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Olivia Miles made the cut. Again.
On Monday, the Basketball Hall of Fame and WBCA announced five finalists for the 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award, which is presented to the nation’s top point guard. Miles is on the list for the second straight season.
Miles leads Notre Dame in rebounds (7.2), assists (6.9) and steals (2.1). She is the only player in the ACC to rank in the conference’s top 10 in points, rebounds and assists; and she leads the conference in assists per game. There have been six single-game performances with 12+ assists in the ACC this year. Miles is responsible for three of those, while no other player has posted more than one. Her 14 assistants against Merrimack are the most in any ACC game this season.
The 5-10 point guard from New Jersey has been a rebounding machine this year. Miles is averaging 6.8 defensive boards each time she takes the floor, which is ninth in the nation among guards.
On the national level, Miles is the only player in the nation averaging at least 14 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals per game. She most recently made national news after hitting an overtime game-winning buzzer beater against Louisville on Feb. 16. It was her first game-winning shot since high school.
In addition to Miles, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Colorado State’s McKenna Hofschild, UConn’s Nika Muhl and Seton Hall’s Lauren Park-Lane are finalists for the 2023 award. Clark won last season. Skylar Diggins is the only other Notre Dame player to earn the laurels, doing so in both 2012 and 2013.
The full release from the Basketball Hall of Fame can be found here. Notre Dame will be back in action on Friday, as the Irish head to Greensboro for the 2023 Ally ACC Tournament.