(Photo: Caden Leonard/WCSN)
TEMPE – Arizona State women’s basketball head coach Molly Miller brought the team together at center court in the final stages of Wednesday’s practice to arrange a fast-paced, 20-minute five-on-five session.
Miller interrupted the first rep after only five seconds to make the team more vocal.
Miller’s team relies on energy, which was a key contributor in the 2025-26 season when the Sun Devils reached the NCAA Tournament. That energy comes from the top, which is Miller and her staff of elite coaches.
“I say I don’t have assistants; I have head coaches,” Miller said. “They could all run their own programs.”
In a 15-minute session with four breakout groups, every coach quarterbacked a unit working on different shots. Even with different groups working on separate skills, the theme was consistent: be vocal and supportive.
Along with other returners, third-year forward Heloisa Carrera made giving high fives a priority. Every time teammates walked past each other, they acknowledged and encouraged one another.
“Sometimes we say that our bad practices are when we don’t have energy,” Carrera said. “So every time we come on the floor, our first goal is to have a lot of energy, talk to each other and be supportive”
In year one, Miller attracted a ton of eyes who had previously looked past the program. That’s thanks to today’s landscape of teams being able to improve quickly with a few changes, including impressive transfer portal navigation.
This year’s squad features five returners, who are joined by five transfers and three freshmen. Miller took advantage of the portal, which she admits is crucial to success.
“I’ve been playing chess with a lot more pieces,” Miller said. “We have a lot more threats out there.”
One of those threats is third-year guard Madison Morson, who won Mid-American Conference Player of the Year in 2026 at Central Michigan. Another is fourth-year guard Ruby Whitehorn from Tennessee.
Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell dismissed Whitehorn from the team in early November of 2025. Caldwell decided this because of Whitehorn’s inability to meet the team’s high standards. She has been given another chance at ASU, and Miller is excited about it.
“When a player like Ruby Whitehorn commits to your program, other players want to play with her,” Miller said.
Both of these high-level transfers should contribute to the need for offensive improvement. Miller expressed that both additions can score the ball at a high level, while buying into what the program is trying to accomplish.
Eight Big 12 teams heard their name called during the 2026 Selection Sunday show. Miller said the conference is wide open this year, allowing for a push that many players, including fourth-year forward McKinna Brackens, have their sights on.
“I feel like we can compete for a Big 12 championship,” Brackens said.
To do so, winning will have to become even more common than it was in the 2025-2026 season, which is far from easy.
“Sustained winning is a lot tougher than even losing because you’ve got to find, right now, what works,” Miller said.
So to put her best foot forward, Miller made additions that are having an immediate impact in their first year of college. That group includes first-year guard Averie Lower, who Miller believes in every time she shoots.
With the previous success and new roster, ASU has become a school that respected prospects have their eyes on. Miller’s staff is actively recruiting, so there are times when some coaches are on the road while others stay back for team activities.
The depth and common thinking of the coaching staff allows for anyone to be absent and still be confident in what will get done in Tempe. Those perks stemmed from the 2025-2026 group who set the new standard and allowed the recruiting trail to look a bit different.
“We can be picky in our needs. We can be picky in the type of character kids that we bring in here,” Miller said.
While the question of what future teams will look like is unanswered, this year’s team is locked in. The Sun Devils will play 14 non-conference games beginning on Nov. 2 when Jackson State comes to Tempe. Twelve of those games are on ASU’s home floor, which wasn’t planned, but the Sun Devils are not complaining.
“Every year is going to just look a little bit differently based on our needs and everyone else’s needs,” Miller said. “So it kind of just worked out in our favor.”
The Sun Devils went 15-2 in non-conference play in their most recent campaign. Every result impacts the NET rankings, allowing ASU to reach the tournament despite finishing 10th in the Big 12. Therefore, scheduling is crucial to make a run at the big dance.
“We’ve got to make sure every game we play, it makes sense for our program at the end of the day,” Miller said.
With only 26 days until the first tip-off, practice becomes more intentional, and the players become more excited. Many eyes turned to ASU’s program after an incredible season under a head coach who now ranks third in win percentage among any active, qualified Division I head coach.
“I’m really excited,” Carrera said. “Just waiting for the day to play with them and see what we are capable of because I know we can do a lot of stuff and go to the highest level that we can.”
As the season approaches, expectations and pressure start to naturally set in. Miller is focused on the day-by-day process rather than the big picture. Her players adopt the same mindset, but also reveal what their minds are set on.
“We don’t just want to make the tournament,” Brackens said. “We want to win some games in the tournament, make the Sweet 16, all those things. I feel like we have the group to do so.”
Brackens also mentioned that her personal goal is to average a double-double, which is steep but attainable for somebody who represented the United States in international three-on-three play.
Of course, every team has the same sights. Everybody wants to play in March and make a run at hoisting the trophy, but the daily process is how teams get there.
Miller said she wouldn’t be working as hard as she is if she didn’t have those same aspirations. Many people set goals by writing them down or telling a family member. Miller doesn’t like that approach.
“If you’re obsessed with the work you put in and the intent every day and how you approach every minute, then those goals? They’re just going to become reality,” Miller said.
In less than a month, the world will see how Miller’s daily process has impacted her new team. The formerly overlooked Sun Devils now have a target on their backs, and they want the faithful fans and students to support the new journey.
“Come see what we’re about,” Brackens said.
ASU added pieces that give Miller options, while continuing their emphasis on culture and energy. Her staff of well-respected coaches is there for every player to seek help from, and the core five returners are searching for even more success than just making the tournament.
“We set our floor, so you go up from here,” Miller said.
