Reflecting on a record-breaking season and an Elite Eight run, the top draft pick reveals why moving to Fort Worth became the defining catalyst for her professional career.
After three years at Notre Dame, Olivia Miles transferred to TCU for the 2025-26 season. She left less than a year later with a Big 12 championship, an Elite Eight appearance and her name scattered throughout TCU's record book.
Then the Minnesota Lynx selected her No. 2 overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Miles is now months removed from her time as a Horned Frog, and she's still keeping tabs on her former program.
"I'll definitely be in touch. Hopefully, I can get to a game or two. I miss TCU," Miles told On3's Brian Jones. "I owe a lot to them."
But she had plenty more to say about her decision to leave Notre Dame for TCU.
"They've given me such a great opportunity to showcase myself one last year before I went pro, and it was one of the best decisions I made for myself on all facets," she said.
And the numbers do back her up. Miles averaged 19.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.6 assists across 38 games, setting TCU single-season records with 744 points and 252 assists.
She was named Big 12 Player of the Year, earned AP All-America honors and helped the Horned Frogs finish 32-6.
TCU had never advanced beyond the second round of the NCAA Tournament before Miles arrived. With her running the show, though, the Horned Frogs made it all the way to the Elite Eight.
Of course, Miles didn't need to transfer to TCU to prove she was one of the best guards in the country. Her resume at Notre Dame already did that.
She became the first freshman in NCAA Tournament history to record a triple-double and earned All-America recognition during her time with the Fighting Irish.
What Miles hadn't done was win a conference championship or play in an Elite Eight, but she checked both boxes in Fort Worth while producing the highest-scoring season of her collegiate career before becoming the second player selected in April's WNBA Draft.
Now she'll be watching to see what TCU does without her.
"I'll be rooting for them this year, keeping up with their social accounts and where they're traveling to and stuff like that, and see if I can catch a game for sure," Miles told On3.
Replacing Miles won't be simple for Mark Campbell. After all, TCU is losing its leader in points and assists from a team that won 32 games, along with a player who accounted for more points in one season than any Horned Frog before her.
But Miles will still be following along.
Her stay in Fort Worth was brief. Based on what she accomplished there — and what she's saying now — it was also worth it.
