One of Niele Ivey’s first acts after succeeding Muffet McGraw last spring was landing two prized recruits: Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron. Notre Dame will see what it has in Miles soon, one of the top point guards in the country. That’s because she’s enrolling at the university early. After completing a quarantine and COVID-19 protocols, she can begin practicing with the team Jan. 25 and will play in her first game as early as Jan. 31 against Syracuse.
Miles, a Phillipsburg, New Jersey, native who won a state championship with Blair Academy last season, joins an Irish team in which three of the four leading scorers are guards. She’ll also find herself in a happy atmosphere as the Irish have won four of their past five games to improve to 5-3 in the ACC and fifth in the conference. The Irish can better their positions further over the next week with wins against struggling programs in Virginia Tech and North Carolina. Those are must-win games because that Syracuse game in which Miles could make her collegiate debut kicks off a trio a contests that also consists of top-ranked Louisville and undefeated NC State.