Molly Miller’s second season at Arizona State opens Monday night with a real test of the new-look Sun Devils, and the early storyline is easy to spot: this team has been retooled around pace, depth and energy.
That was the formula in year one, when Miller took a program that had been drifting and pushed it all the way to the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Devils won 24 games, setting the ASU women’s basketball mark for most wins by a first-year head coach. Miller said the foundation came from the group buying in.
"I was really proud of the commitment to one another," ASU head women's basketball coach Molly Miller said. "The buy-in, and that really set the tone for the year. And the byproduct of that was winning."
Now the question is what year two looks like, starting with Jackson State in the home opener in Tempe.
A big part of the offseason buzz centered on ASU’s transfer haul. The Sun Devils landed the No. 4 transfer class in the country, adding much-needed help in the backcourt with Tennessee guard Ruby Whitehorn, Central Michigan guard Madi Morson and Michigan State guard Rashunda "Spider" Jones.
Whitehorn said the fit has already been clear.
"Coach Molly wants to play fast, and she wants us to get out and run and be athletic. And I think she personally loves my rebounding, and that's a part of my game that I love too," Whitehorn said.
"If I'm not offensively scoring off of plays, I can just go get the rebound and get a putback or something like that. I think that is what drives my game is when I can affect the game in different areas, not just scoring.
And I think that's what gets my motor running to get me to score."
The Sun Devils also bring back two familiar pieces in F McKinna Brackens and F Heloisa Carrera, and Brackens arrives with momentum of her own. She was second on the team in scoring last season at 14.4 points per game, while also grabbing 6.4 rebounds. Over the summer, the Texas native played for Team USA in the 3x3 FIBA World Cup in China and came home with a gold medal.
Brackens said her focus now is on taking on more responsibility.
"As a leader, I'm continuing to build my confidence, working on things that I wanted to do better last year, and just stepping up as a more vocal leader in practice. Because yes, I was here last year.
I know what she (Miller) expects, and just being able to be an extension of her out there." Brackens said.
Jackson State comes in with its own reset underway. Margaret Richards took over after Tomekia Reed left for Charlotte, and Reed’s run in Jackson included three NCAA Tournament trips in her final four seasons. Richards had a solid first year, going 16-15 and 13-5 in conference play in 2024-2025, but the next season went the other direction at 12-19.
She moved quickly to reshape the roster, bringing in 15 newcomers for 2026-2027. Among the key additions are junior forwards Ne'vaeh Buntley from Daemen University and Joi Johnson from Fairleigh Dickinson, plus senior guard Shamya Reid from Alabama State.
The matchup should be a good early gauge for both teams because the styles line up around tempo and pressure. Miller wants her team to run, and Richards brings a group that likes to pressure the ball.
Jackson State also has a slight size edge, with freshman center Madison Eddings giving the Tigers some interior presence. How ASU center Martina Fantini handles that size, and how the Sun Devils defend the paint, will be worth watching.
Monday’s game tips at 5:00 p.m. AZ Time, or 7:00 p.m.
EST, at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe. It will air on ESPN+, and fans can also hear it on KAZG 1440 AM with Jeff Munn on play-by-play and former Sun Devil head coach Maura McHugh alongside him.
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