ATLANTA, Ga. — You can now include a fourth national watch list under the name Olivia Miles for the 2022-23 NCAA basketball season.
On Wednesday, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association named 16 players to its Wade Trophy Watch List, including Notre Dame’s standout sophomore guard.
The Wade Trophy — now in its 46th year — is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women’s basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001.
Miles, who was a member of the 2021-22 All-ACC First Team and earned the preseason recognition this year as well, is off to a fast start this season. She leads the Irish in points (16.0), assists (6.7) and steals (2.8) per game, and she currently ranks 11th nationally in the assists category. Miles had a career-high six steals in Notre Dame’s season opener against Northern Illinois showing she can get it done on both ends of the floor.
In addition to the Wade Watch List, Miles is on three other notable lists: Nancy Lieberman (nation’s best point guard) and both the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award (nation’s most outstanding female college basketball player).
Stanford and Iowa lead all NCAA Division I institutions with two players each on this year’s Wade Watch List. The Big Ten leads all conferences with four players on the list, followed by the ACC and Big East with three players each. South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, who won the most recent award, headlines the group.
The Wade Watch list is composed of players selected by the WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Selection Committee. The committee will review the list midseason to determine if additional players will be added based on their play during the first half of the 2022-23 season.
Complete 2022-23 Preseason Wade Watch list:
| Name | Institution | Position | Height | Current Year |
| Grace Berger | Indiana | G | 6-0 | 5th Yr. |
| Aliyah Boston | South Carolina | F | 6-5 | Sr. |
| Cameron Brink | Stanford | F | 6-4 | Jr. |
| Caitlin Clark | Iowa | G | 6-0 | Jr. |
| Monika Czinano | Iowa | F/C | 6-3 | 5th Yr. |
| Azzi Fudd | Connecticut | G | 5-11 | So. |
| Rori Harmon | Texas | G | 5-6 | So. |
| Ashley Joens | Iowa State | G/F | 6-1 | Sr. |
| Haley Jones | Stanford | G | 6-1 | Sr. |
| Elizabeth Kitley | Virginia Tech | C | 6-6 | Sr. |
| Olivia Miles | Notre Dame | G | 5-10 | So. |
| Aneesah Morrow | DePaul | F | 6-1 | So. |
| Angel Reese | LSU | F | 6-3 | So. |
| Jacy Sheldon | Ohio State | G | 5-10 | Sr. |
| Maddy Siegrist | Villanova | F | 6-1 | Sr. |
| Hailey Van Lith | Louisville | G | 5-7 | Jr. |
About the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, the WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.