It has been six years since Olivia Miles played for the U.S. in international competition. As a member of USA Basketball’s AmeriCup Team, she will again represent her country in Chile, a familiar spot for her. In 2019, New Jersey-born Miles competed in Chile as a member of the USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team.
“It’s an honor to play for your country,” said Miles, who made the team after an intense tryout. “You have to take every opportunity you can. If you do make the team or you don’t make the team, you learn either way. It’s a great gauge of where you’re at and what you can get better at.”
She returns to international play after an acclaimed college career at Notre Dame, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and amassed multiple basketball honors. With one year of eligibility remaining, she opted not to declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft and instead will play at TCU. She believes the USA Basketball experience will bring new elements to her game.
“You can’t get experience any other way than playing,” said Miles. “Also, learning how to lead better. I’ve been kind of coming into my own as I’ve gotten older learning how to lead a group of girls. We have a few younger girls on the team. I’m excited to mentor and guide them.”
Other members of the team include Madison Booker of University of Texas, Audi Crooks of University of Iowa, Flau’jae Johnson of LSU (also passed on the 2025 WNBA Draft) and Miles’ former Notre Dame teammate Hannah Hidalgo. Miles understands that her role on a USA Basketball team may be different than her usual role.
“Being on the team means the world to me,” said Miles. “I could[n’t] care less if I step on the court for 30 minutes, two minutes or no minutes as long as I’m a part of something and I’m making an impact in some way.
“Let’s say you’re playing 30 minutes a game in college but you come here and don’t get that many minutes; you get to see different sides of the sport, different experiences that other athletes have, and you can be more appreciative of the time that you do get on the court,” she added. “We all get a gold medal at the end of the day if we do win it.”