Grading Molly Miller's Debut Season at Arizona State

The first-year leader of the Sun Devils took the program to the NCAA tournament this season.

ASU Sun Devils head coach Molly Miller yells out to her team as they play the Coppin State Bald Eagles at Desert Financial Arena on Nov. 3, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The first year of the Molly Miller era for the Arizona State women's basketball program is now complete.

The Sun Devils' 57-55 loss at the hands of Virginia in the First Four certainly proved to be a heart-wrenching defeat, but it absolutely should not take away from the incredible job that Miller has done in the transition from mid-major basketball to power five competition.

Breaking Down Different Aspects of Job

Roster Building: A-

This could have been an A to start things off.

McKinna Brackens, Gabby Elliott, Marley Washenitz, and Last-Tear Poa comprised what would become the first roster core of the Miller era. Heloisa Carrera was an addition that paid off after moving on from Ole Miss. Miller showed much faith in guard Jyah LoVett that paid dividends as well. Martina Fantini is a promising international player that has potential to continue improving in the years to come, as is the case for 2025 recruit Amaya Williams.

ASU Sun Devils head coach Molly Miller yells out to her team from the sideline as they play the Kansas State Wildcats at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Feb. 1, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The main area that costs Miller a bit here is that there wasn't enough consistent shot creation on the perimeter to raise the ceiling of this specific team.

Coaching Staff: A

Miller's faith in the assistants that stuck with her at Grand Canyon largely made the move to Tempe on their own accord.

Mar 6, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona State head coach Molly Miller reacts to a play against West Virginia during the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images | Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images

The development of underclassmen on the roster and the obtuse on-court impact that was advanced by the seniors is a reflection on the support staff as much as it is on Miller - there's not much else to say other than that Miller has great judgement in this sphere.

In-game Coaching: A

Arizona State won several games this year that appeared to be directly correlated to Miller's adjustments. Wins over Santa Clara, Penn State, Oregon State, and Gonzaga can all be traced back to different decisions Miller made in-game - whether rotationally, approach on offense-defense, or anything in between - this is just in non-conference play.

ASU Sun Devils guard Marley Washenitz (11) looks to pass the ball against the Kansas State Wildcats at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Feb. 1, 2026. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Overall: A

Overall, Miller did an incredible job in year one that shouldn't be discounted by anyone.

The first-year coach led a revolution within the program that resulted in 24 victories - which is nearly half of the 55 win total that the program accrued in the five years prior. The intirgue that the future brings only expands on the notion that Miller is well on her way to being seen as one of the elite in the sport moving forward.