Olivia Miles’ decision for another college season is paying off in many ways for the guard and TCU

By Canadian Press on March 23, 2026.

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Olivia Miles understands why people thought she was making a dumb decision returning for another college season when she was a projected lottery pick in last year’s WNBA draft.

“I can’t blame them,” Miles said. “To leave what I left on the table seemed stupid and seemed like, what is she doing?”

Well, that extra year is paying off in many ways for the playmaking point guard who transferred to TCU from Notre Dame to wrap up her college career. The 5-foot-10 guard is certainly ready to be a pro now.

Miles just hopes for a few more games with the Horned Frogs (31-5), who are in their second Sweet 16 in a row after never going that deep in the women’s NCAA Tournament before that. She is averaging a career-best 19.4 points a game with six more triple-doubles and will enter the WNBA at the start of a seven-year landmark labor deal that will significantly increase the salary for league players.

“That means the new people coming into the league have a good foundation to start off on,” said Miles, who turned 23 in January.

More than money

Staying in school wasn’t all about the money for Miles, though it was certainly financially beneficial in the era of name, image and likeness deals. Consider that Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, the WNBA’s last two No. 1 overall picks, both had base salaries of just over $78,000 last season. The new CBA will have a minimum salary this year of $270,000 to $300,000, though a high draft pick will likely make more than that.

“I knew deep in my heart I needed one more year to be ready physically, mentally, whatever that may have been. This year has paid off for me in ways that I can’t even describe in that regard,” Miles said. “I’ve grown in my leadership, I’ve grown in my game obviously. I’m having a career year across the board. But also I’ve grown in just trusting myself and knowing that I can play at a high level, and I didn’t quite think I was there last year, or ready enough to be a pro at that moment, but now I feel ready.”

Her season as a Frog

Miles was the centerpiece addition when third-year TCU coach Mark Campbell again rebuilt his roster through the transfer portal, and had to replace Hailey Van Lith after the point guard’s lone season with the Frogs ended in the Elite Eight.

TCU won another Big 12 regular-season title and like Van Lith, Miles was picked by league coaches as the newcomer and player of the year. Along with her 19.4 points while shooting 48% from the field, Miles has 7.0 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. All of those averages are higher than her 101-game totals at Notre Dame from 2020-25, a span when she missed the end of the 2022-23 season and all of 2023-24 because of a torn ACL in her right knee. The Fighting Irish finished each of the past four seasons with losses in the Sweet 16, last year to the Frogs.

Asked what Miles has developed most in her season with TCU, Campbell said it is confidence in her scoring and shooting ability.

“I think she knows she has the green light and the freedom and the belief of her teammates, and trust of the coaches to be able to go out and be Olivia. And then off the court, just her leadership and growth,” Campbell said. “We go as Olivia goes, and there’s a lot of pressure that comes with that. I mean, our whole system is based on her and her ability to be a playmaker for us, and so she doesn’t get a night off. She’s got to bring it every single game. And she’s done that.”

Doubled her triple-doubles

Miles’ six triple-doubles this season set Big 12 single-season and career marks, and matched her six at Notre Dame. She had four in a five-game stretch in December.

In TCU’s first-round win over UC San Diego, Miles had 12 points, a career-high 16 rebounds and a single-game school record 14 assists while becoming only the third player with two triple-doubles in women’s NCAA tournament games — and first with 14 rebounds and 14 assists in March Madness. Her other tournament triple-double came with Notre Dame in 2022, with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a first-round game against Massachusetts.

Miles was then resilient in a 62-59 overtime win over Washington in the second round. While frustrated throughout, and distraught when a potential winning shot didn’t go in at the end of regulation, she still finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Through it all this season, Miles said she has rediscovered her joy and love for the game.

“I went through a major injury a few years back and the only thing that makes me happy in the game is if I’m healthy and if I have fun,” she said. “Whatever comes out in the box score comes out, but at the end of the day, this game’s about joy and love and the impact you have on people.”

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Stephen Hawkins, The Associated Press