McKinna Brackens discusses USA 3x3 experience ahead of new season

TEMPE- As the Arizona State women's basketball are preparing for the new season, one of the returners, senior forward McKinna Brackens, had the opportunity to represent Team USA 3x3 in Wuhan, China, and take home the gold medal.

When Brackens returned to Tempe, head coach Molly Miller acknowledged that her international experience had improved her game before she begins her second season with the Sun Devils.

On her Instagram page, she shared vlogs documenting her experience in Wuhan, China, from her first day to her gold medal win with her teammates: Iowa Hawkeyes guard Dani Carnegie, Oregon Ducks guard Katie Fiso, and Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Tori McKinney.

"It's funny," Miller said of Brackens. "The first thing I said when she [McKinna Brackens] came back was, 'So, Brackens, you're in shape. Three-on-three will get you in shape.' She was an asset to that team, both on and off the court.

"If you followed her, she's doing her vlogs, she's really passionate about representing Team USA. She gets back here, she has that experience. She met new people. It's really cool, not only for her but for our program."

When being asked about her takeaways from the experience, Brackens pointed out the international competition is more fast-paced.

She also added, "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 so much faster."

Brackens and Miller has developed a positive player-coach relationship dating back to last season.

Under Miller's coaching system, Brackens' statistics improved drastically, going from 6.8 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game in 68 career games with the UNLV Lady Rebels to 14.4 points per game and 6.4 rebounds per game.

"I feel like having that experience will definitely correlate with being able to keep going [on extended runs] when we are having longer runs and be able to keep running. And also, it's so much more physical when you're playing internationally. They let you get away with a lot more fouls, so I feel that makes me tougher and not look for the fouls as much when the refs aren't calling it and have to play through it."

When asked about the significance of Brackens and junior forward Heloisa Carrera, Miller expressed her gratitude, saying that they finish her sentences and provide reassuring echoes of support.

"Last year, it was just me and my coaching staff who had to dictate what was happening the next play," Miller said. "They'll finish my sentences. They know what to do, they're on sidelines coaching them up.

"I really think there's value in not being a freshman of the system, and although they're not freshmen, they're freshmen of the system last year, so they've got a year under their belt. They know exactly the expectations, they can almost cover up some of the mistakes for us by talking it through with their teammates. It's very helpful to have that with the returners."

As Brackens adds a gold medal with the USA Women's National 3x3 team to her resume, she is grateful for the experiences and relationships she has built with her teammates and coaches since joining the Sun Devils through the transfer portal.

"It was actually so surreal, honestly," Brackens said. "When I got the jersey and I saw my name in the back, I was like, 'Wow! There's a USA jersey, and this is my name.'

"Just trying to stay humble through it and know that I am representing something bigger than myself for all the time. When it's my name, it's my family, ASU, the entire university, and USA as a whole country. Just remembering that I'm not just playing for me."