Molly Miller Continues to Catalyze Revival of ASU Basketball
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TEMPE -- The Arizona State women's basketball program has spent much of the 2020's decade sleepwalking - as they departed the 2024-25 season having won just 53 games during the time period.
Barely winning more than 10 games a season wasn't accepted, with the response to the struggles being the hiring of GCU head coach Molly Miller to lead the program in March of last year.
The vision of a program that made a return to the once-proud state it presided in was easy to buy into, even in the first days of the Miller era, but few if any predicted that the 2025-26 season would bear as many fruits as it has - with over a two month sample to show for it.
Sun Devils Remain Among Top Teams in 2025-26
Arizona State is still being discounted by some that closely follow the game, but the numbers and metrics speak for themselves.
The Sun Devils are currently ranked at number 42 in the official NCAA NET rankings as of Friday morning, which reinforces the idea that they are a legitimate threat to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2018-19 season under Charli Turner Thorne.
Yes, the Arizona State team has only secured one quadrant one victory, but the team is also clearly built to compete with high-level competition as well behind an unbreakable culture that is already evidently in place early into Miller's tenure.
Arizona State's Culture Built for Long-term Success
Miller's culture is predicated on hard work, attention to detail, and the desire to play gritty basketball on a possession-by-possession basis.
This has reflected in the 16-1 start to the season that has resulted in catching the attention of the Big 12 world.
The culture of collectivism, airtight defense, and heavy collaboration on the offensive side of the ball is absolutely sustainable in the long term.
Recruiting Apperatus is Built to Thrive
Miller's first major victories as head coach were in securing tantalizing talents such as UNLV sophomore McKinna Brackens, as well as seniors such as guard Gabby Elliott.
Miller's approach of building a roster that is balanced with experience and upside has worked wonders thus far - the blueprint for success on the recruiting trail is in plain sight as well, with as much being evidenced with the signing of elite 2026 guard Londyn Parker, with other notable recruiting visits to Tempe taking place as well.
Read more on why the Arizona State men's basketball team will exceed expectations in the 2025-26 season here, and on why the bright future of the football program isn’t dimmed by the loss to Arizona here.
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.