Olivia Miles Notre Dame attributed to her knee injury to become a better 3-point shooter

Olivia Miles says he sees a basketball game as art.

A separately learned wizard wizard with a wicked handle, Virgin Mary Point Guard said she had learned all her highlighted dribling movements itself, experimented in games, practices and hours, tested her skills and shifted its potential. In the first few seasons they play in the fighting Irish, it attracted the attention of all: Miles’s combination of fearlessness, creativity and accuracy when it comes to playing games for themselves and others. She did not dep ancient her helped her to lead Notre Dame in scoring as a newcomer and Sophomor, and her vision placed her among the six best nations in assistance to match in each of these seasons, where she also nodded ACC.

If there is a basketball game and the court is a canvas, then Miles’s Go-to Go-to, which created a nice picture during the competition, was at its speed at which her talent was easier to get to the edge easily.

“It is extremely flashy.” He has great skills in the field of ball handling. Her pace change is phenomenal, ”said Miles’ Backcourt Mate Hannah Hidalgo. “And I think the most impressive thing is – we all know it’s her passing ability.” I mean how he can see what no one else sees. It is able to get the ball through certain tight spaces and is extremely impressive. ”

But after an unfortunate injury in the regular final of the season of her pan -American campaign Sophomor, Miles’s collective career was stopped. Her true ACL required surgery to repair it and hold it on a bench for all what would be her natural junior season, where she would probably fight for the ACC ACC player and the second European American honor. Watched from the siding when her teammates caught ACC tournament name and advanced to Sweet 16.

Instead of simply trying to get back to the player, Miles somehow improved. She is still an exceptional passers -by and captured the speed and dexterity that allows her to cut the defense and get to the edge almost every time she wants, but added a new wrinkle to her game.

Previously, Miles could approach the canvas of the game with sharp pencils and colored crayons. Now, after this brutal knee injury, it also brings a brush of the color that it uses to illustrate tens of rainbow rainbow with a high arc from the back behind the arch and the basket.

Simply put, Miles turned into one of the best 3-point shooters in the country. And now doesn’t just look like a great ACC player but one capable of noting notre dame back to the national championship and someone who is likely to have a long career in Wnba.

As a newcomer and Sophomor Miles, he shot 27 and 22.8 percent of 3-point land. In the Scouting SCOUTING, the opposite coaches would tell their players not to care for the closure of the 5-foot-10 guards from Phillipsburg, New Jersey, because it could not take these shots with the taxation of consistency. Fast moving forward to this season and Miles shoot 44 percent of the depth-goodness of 55. Best to the national and fifth best in ACC when it knocks 2.4 3-customers per game.

According to to ESPNNo player who played last season has improved his 3-point shooting percentage more than the 2022-23 season since the season 2022-23.

“Is an elite.” She played at a high level, ”said Irish head coach Niele IVEY from Miles.

Mitchell Northam, SB Nation

The way Miles says it didn’t lock herself in the gym to turn into a better 3-point shooter. It was her injury, and how she forced her to look at the game with another lens that gave her a different perspective and changed her approach as he tried deep shots.

“I feel like I didn’t work on anything.” It was really, just truthfully, my trust, ”Miles said. “I felt like, before I was injured, I thought too much when I shot the ball, I was afraid the teams were going under me, I was just in my head.” I feel it is difficult to explain, but you are looking at things so differently. Not everything matters. If you miss 3, it doesn’t matter. ”

Miles’s shot is sharper and her memory is worse. He doesn’t think of those shots that they don’t find the bottom of the network. It does not precipitate balls that bounce off the rear plate or ricochet from the edge. Just moves to the next game.

“You know, I got used to these bowls so much and it would make me more,” Miles said. “So now I have thinking, let it fly.” I have put on time and put the job and, you know, it shows up in court. ”

It’s really. For newly minted Team no. 1 in the country in the Top 25 survey this weekOn average, Miles reaches the best career of 16.7 points for the game together with 6.2 play assists, which ranks at the eighth national level. In pairing with colleagues ultra -talented guards in Hidalgo and Sonia Lemon, it could be easily done that Notre Dame has the best backcourt in the country. And with a stable of players who move in size, skill and versatility, the Irish can have the right combination of talent and depths that can bring them to the last four in Tampa in Florida.

Notre Dame leads the nation in a 3-point shooting at a 42 % clip, the fifth is in defensive evaluation and fifth in rebounding.

“Oh, God, their team is much better than last year,” said coach in North Carolina Courtney Banghart about Irish.

Mitchell Northam, SB Nation

Almost any metric is Banghart’s Tar Heels one of the best defense teams in the country this season. North Carolina is a total of 23-4, 11-3 in ACC and ninth in the last AP Top 25 survey. In accordance with the 25 best at national level in the field goal defense (35.6) and points (55.7) allowed to the game. According to HerhoTatsUNC is 10. In defensive evaluation (75.6), 11. In points of the opponent per 100 possessions (78.3), 11. In the point permitted to the game (0.68), 10. In points allowed for scores ( 0.87) and 11. Place in percentage shot allowed (40.3). In short, if Tar Heels have a real identity this season, defense is.

And yet, when Miles leads the road, Notre Dame lit them up and gained 10 points in Chapel Hill’s Carmichael Arena on 5 January. season and best against the main conference opponent. In this game, Miles knocked five out of the 13 3-customers Notre Dame, making what was career for her then. A few weeks later, she broke the fact that in February 13, she knocked eight shots from the deep reach on February 13, Pitt, where the Irish won the road by 31 points for 28 from miles.

“When you are injured, you get a lot of chances to work on stationary things.” Shooting for her is what she had time and her body allowed her to do, ”Banghart said about Miles. “A large dimension comes to her game. It will certainly help her move after the concept of the board. ”

In the loss of her team on Notre Dame Banghart saw a little silver lining.

“It’s a great team we played against, and they had to play great to defeat us, and that’s our goal,” Banghart said. “If the second team has to shoot 62 percent at 13 made of 3 s to beat us, you know, then we look forward to the next time, right?”

But it says how good this Notre Dame team is. The Irish turned the ball more than 20 times and still won comfortably. Even one of the best defensive teams in the country that played on his home floor could not contain a combination of miles and hidalgo and keep the game within the edge of one -digit digits. And the 3-point shooting of Miles was a big reason why. Tar Heels simply didn’t have an answer for her.

“Not only do they dribble and shoot.” They get their 3 s, because you have to handle the ball screen, and if you can’t handle the ball, you give up layout, ”Banghart said. “Every shooter wants to see the ball go to the basket, so you really want to take the layout and force them.”

Mitchell Northam, SB Nation

Tar Heels should be taken into consolation in that they are not the only ones who lit miles and Notre Dame this year. Yes, the Irish lost two games in November on the Kayman Islands Tuc And Utah, while the rotation of the regulars and players of all Maddy Westbeld and Liza Karlen conferences were pushed by injuries. But in the continental United States this season, the Irish are unproven. And when they were completely healthy, they looked unrivaled.

Consider that the smallest margin of the Notre Dame victory this season is nine points – which means that his other 22 wins came twice the numbers. And consider Notre Dame this season is the only team with victories over other Texas, USC and UCONN. Throwing in the win over ACC drives North Karolína and Duke-and that two of these five victories against top teams were real road games-and could be done that Notre Dame has the strongest biography in the country.

And while Hidalgo was excellent, the first team of the first team of all-American spot, when the third in the nation is in scoring and stealing, Miles deserves a large share of the loan for helping to change Notre Dame to turn into a team that looks very capable Capturing the second direct tournament of ACC Koruna and return to the national semifinals for the first time since 2019.

“For anyone who knows ACL (injuries), your four will turn off completely. It’s hard … The rehabilitation process was very strict. You really can’t skip any levels. I could hardly run at full speed, ”Miles said. “Now I feel better than I ever felt.”

During this season for Notre Dame, it is not difficult to find Miles laughing, waste talking or smiles on the pitch. In this victory against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, when she threw passes, and exhausted 3 indicators over Indya Nivar and Lexi Donarski, giggling, hitting the chest with hidalgo and throwing three fingers over her face to celebrate.

“It’s all about my injury.” That was the hardest thing I’ve ever passed, ”Miles said. “I’m just on the pitch, I have no choice, I just smile and play with pleasure, especially with the guards I can play with.” Hannah is also the best in the country and Sonia. I only play with such great players who also play with pleasure, so it’s hard. ”

It is easy to smile for people who also watch miles. It is played on an incredibly high level, it does a lot of fun and does not take one moment for granted.