They were supposed to be the duo no one could stop. Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo — two elite guards, one backcourt. Notre Dame was built around them. But just as things were taking off, it all fell apart. For months, they looked like the best 1-2 punch in the country. Together, they ran the ACC and had the Irish dreaming big. Then came the silence.
Miles shocked everyone by entering the transfer portal. Days later, Hidalgo posted a letter on Players’ Tribune piece titled “Created a Monster.” It was full of gratitude. She made sure to highlight the people who stood by her, especially her coach.“To get out of my head and show gratitude for Coach Ivey, my team, our fans, people who granted me grace as I learned in public, and this culture we have going on at Notre Dame.” And yet, that long list of people she thanked didn’t include Olivia.
Unmoved. @PlayersTribune https://t.co/Riuw0vJgE2
— Hannah Hidalgo (@HannahHidalgo) April 5, 2025
That’s what fans couldn’t ignore. Even more confusing? Just days earlier, Hidalgo was hyping Miles up in postgame interviews, talking about how important she was to the team. Saying things like: “Having Liv on the floor opens so much. She collapses defenses. She finds shooters. She’s crucial for us.”
But lately, it’s all been more distant. A few days earlier, Miles reposted a TikTok that said: “Treating people right is better than posting Bible verses you don’t even practice.” She added a caption of her own. It read: “Can’t treat people bad then hide behind religion.” That post landed differently because Hidalgo has never been shy about her faith. On the Sports Spectrum podcast, she said: “Christ is my everything… the reason I do everything. I wouldn’t be able to do anything without Him.”
No one was named. But everyone noticed. Miles and Hidalgo were both named semifinalists for National Player of the Year — the only teammates on that list. They were supposed to be chasing a title together. Because statistically? These two were tearing it up.
Hidalgo averaged 23.8 points, 3.7 steals, and hit over 46% from deep, making her one of the most electrifying guards in the country. She ranked fourth nationally in both scoring and steals per game. Miles, after her ACL comeback, returned to top form. She posted 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game, with elite playmaking and tempo control. She led the ACC in assists, hit 40.6% from three (third-best in the conference), and notched three triple-doubles — the most by any player in the NCAA this season.
It should’ve been a storybook run. Two POY candidates. One of the best coaches in the game. But here we are. Speculations linger, so does disappointment with the season’s unexpected end, but Hannah isn’t losing sleep over it. Her 1752-word Players’ Tribune note has made it clear.
Notre Dame remains a family for Hannah Hidalgo
“For me, that’s Notre Dame. That’s my extended family.” That’s how Hannah Hidalgo sees it. Sure, folks warned her before she committed. Said she was taking a risk. “Notre Dame? That’s a football school.” But Hannah didn’t blink. She looked at Coach Ivey, saw the banners, the WNBA legends, and felt the energy around the women’s basketball team.
“Maybe it was my stubborn little sister energy,” she said. “But I was like, ‘This is a basketball school. We’re about to do something really special.’” And they did. In just her first year, she put up 35 consecutive double-figure games, became a face of the program, and helped the team to Sweet Sixteen in both years. But there’s more to the sophomore guard, and she isn’t giving up on exploring. “I’m excited now for an offseason to get better,” she said. “More than anything, I am excited to do it again at Notre Dame.”
Niele Ivey may be left without Olivia Miles, Sonia Citron, and Kylee Watson, but she has Hidalgo, home and ready.
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