Molly Miller’s second season at Arizona State is taking shape around a simple idea: no one player has to do everything.
That approach helped fuel a first year that changed the tone in Tempe. The Sun Devils went 13-0 in nonconference play and finished 24-11 overall, a 14-win jump from the season before. Now, with new faces joining the mix and veterans settling deeper into their roles, Miller is aiming higher.
"They're competitive and they want to have fun working hard," Miller said. "When you have that, the byproduct is going to be chemistry on the court."
"Right now what we have is some momentum, but we've also set our floor," Miller said. "We just want to get better every single year."
One of the biggest reasons ASU believes that growth can continue is senior forward McKinna Brackens. She was named to the All-Big 12 third team for the 2025-26 season after putting up 14.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2 assists per game. Brackens also earned a spot on the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award Watchlist.
Her offseason included another major stage: in September, Brackens was selected for the USA 3x3 U23 national team and played in the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup in Wuhan, China. Across six games, she scored 22 points and averaged 3.7 points per game. Brackens said the international format demands a different kind of pace.
"It's a lot faster-paced," Brackens said. "In five-on-five you can make a shot and celebrate or do something, run back down, get on defense.
But in three-on-three as soon as you're shooting, you have to find your man. It's just so much faster."
ASU’s roster overhaul also brought in high-profile transfers who should make an immediate impact. Senior guard Ruby Whitehorn arrived from Tennessee after averaging 11.6 points, 4 rebounds and 1.7 assists. That production landed her on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Preseason Watch List, which honors the top shooting guard each season.
"I'm here to represent ASU to the best of my ability," Whitehorn said. "Help take this school with my teammates to a next level."
Another major addition is junior guard Madison Morson, who transferred in from Central Michigan. She was the Mid-American Conference freshman of the year in 2024-25 and player of the year last season, following a year in which she averaged 20.1 points, 4 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
The Sun Devils’ incoming class includes guard Averie Lower, a four-star prospect out of Clear Creek Amana High School with a 94 grade on ESPN. She started for three varsity seasons, scored 1,236 career points and shot 44% from 3-point range as a senior. Growing up in Iowa, she followed Caitlin Clark closely and says that influenced her shot.
"I'm from Iowa and I got to watch her play throughout college and the WNBA," Lower said. "I try to model my shot a little bit after hers."
Lower is one of three freshmen, and she said the veterans have already helped her adjust.
"They have definitely taken me under their wing," Lower said. "They're always telling me little pieces of feedback that I can take with me, and I value that a lot."
ASU’s returning core and incoming talent have already drawn notice. Brackens was included on the Big 12 preseason all-conference team earlier this month, and on Wednesday the Sun Devils were picked fifth in the Big 12 media poll.
The schedule brings some familiar edges, too. ASU will play one more nonconference game than it did a year ago, and five of those opponents are teams it faced last season.
The sixth straight Brian January Classic is also on the docket, set for Nov. 28-29.
Last year, the Sun Devils beat McNeese State and San Francisco in the event, and this year they’ll face CSU Bakersfield and Wake Forest.
There’s also the Arizona chapter, and it has recently gone ASU’s way. The Sun Devils beat the Wildcats in all three meetings last season and finished the sweep with a 54-51 win in the Big 12 Tournament, led by Heloisa Carrera’s 16 points.
"The game will always be circled," Miller said. "But we don't hype it up in a way that we alter our routine."
ASU entered last season’s NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed, making March Madness for the first time since 2019. The Sun Devils lost a tight one to Virginia, 57-55, but the return of Brackens and Carrera, plus the additions of Whitehorn, Morson and Lower, gives Miller a deeper roster and a clearer path to pushing further this time around.