SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — After her 2021-22 performance earned her a spot as a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, Notre Dame sophomore point guard Olivia Miles is once again on the award’s radar. On Monday, Miles was named to the preseason watch list for the 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award, which recognizes the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball.
“The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is honored to celebrate both men and women at all levels of the game,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The players being recognized today on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List have worked extremely hard to master their skills and have become outstanding examples of why the future is so bright for our game. We look forward to evaluating this year’s top point guards with Nancy Lieberman, a Hall of Famer who helped pave the way for today’s female athletes.”
Miles is one of four returning starters for the Niele Ivey-led Irish, and she is looking to build upon a record-breaking freshman campaign. The Phillipsburg, N.J., native led Notre Dame with 13.7 points, 7.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game last year. She posted eight games with double-digit assists last season, while no other ACC player had more than one contest with 10+. Miles scored in double figures 30 times.
Further, Miles was the first ever freshman — men’s or women’s — to record a triple double in the NCAA Tournament; in a first-round win over UMass, she notched 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. In all, she was just the second ever Irish freshman to accomplish the feat, joining Marina Mabrey.
Miles’ postseason awards list was expansive. She was the sole freshman on the All-ACC First Team, AP All-American honorable mention and earned the No. 2 spot on ESPN’s freshmen rankings.
Twenty players were named to the watch list on Monday. Ten finalists will be named in late January, and the list will be shortened to five players in late February. A winner will be selected in March. Any player can play their way onto the list.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting Friday, October 21.
In total, five ACC players made the first cut: Miles, Chrislyn Carr (Louisville), Haley Cavinder (Miami), Deja Kelly (North Carolina), Dyaisha Fair (Syracuse). Former Notre Dame star Skylar Diggins won the award in both 2012 and 2013. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark was the 2022 recipient.
About Nancy Lieberman:
Playing hoops on the rough-and-tumble Harlem courts, Brooklyn-bred Nancy Lieberman learned to play a physical, aggressive style of basketball unlike other women of her time. As a 5’10” point guard, Lieberman was taller than many of the guards of her era, and her ability to drive to the hoop, dish out assists, and grab hard-fought rebounds served her well during her stellar career. She compiled over 2,400 points, 1,100 rebounds and 961 assists as she led the Lady Monarchs to a 125-15 record, 1 WNIT Title and back to back National Championships in 1979 and 1980 (102-6 her last 3 years).
Before her illustrious career began at ODU, Nancy made the 1975 USA Pan Am team that won the Gold Medal in Mexico City she was a HS Jr at Far Rockaway HS at the time. 1976 as a member of the USA’s first Women’s Olympic which won the Silver Medal. Team Lieberman made history by being the youngest Olympian in basketball ever, male or female (which still stand today) Lieberman led Old Dominion University to back-to-back AIAW national championships in 1979 and 1980. She was twice named as the Wade Trophy winner — a basketball first as the nation’s top female athlete during those two seasons, 3-time All-American. Lieberman was the two-time winner of the Broderick Cup as well., Lieberman played professionally in the first women’s pro league in the WBL 1980-81 and in 1984 in the WABA. Earning WBL MVP honors with the Dallas Diamonds in 1981, she led the team to the 1984 WABA championship and was league MVP.
In 1986, she signed to be the first women to play in a men’s professional league in the USBL with the Springfield Fame, and in 1987 with the Long Island Knights. She joined the 1987 Harlem Globetrotter world tour with the Washington Generals. 1997 Lieberman made history in the inaugural season of the WNBA, playing for the Phoenix Mercury at the age of 39 and in 2008 playing for the Detroit Shock at age 50! Her coaching career started in 1998 as the Head Coach/GM for the Detroit Shock taking the Shock to the playoffs in year 2. In 2011, she was the first women Head Coach hired in the NBA D-League for the Dallas Mavericks affiliate the Texas Legends and led them to the playoffs. In 2015, she became only the second women hired as an Assistant Coach in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings. She was named a recipient of the 2017 Mannie Jackson Basketball’s Human Spirit Award for her on-going philanthropic work across the country through her Nancy Lieberman Charities, changing the lives of underserved youth across the country. In 2018 Nancy Lieberman became the 1st Female Head Coach in a Men’s Professional League with the BIG3 League for team Power. Nancy lead team Power to a 2018 Championship victory and was selected Coach of the Year, becoming the first female in history to be awarded Coach of the Year. Follow Nancy on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @Nancylieberman and go to nancyliebermancharities.org for more information.