Molly Miller sees clear path for sustained success at Arizona State

Perhaps the biggest surprise in women's basketball last year was the Sun Devils.

Molly Miller's first year on the job, following two spectacular runs at alma mater Drury and then Grand Canyon University, was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Arizona State had won just 10 games the year before and hadn't been to the NCAA Tournament in six years, which coincidentally was the last time the program had a winning record.

The Sun Devils won 24 games, including going undefeated in the non-conference schedule, and made the First Four before falling to Virginia. To say that Miller's team overachieved would be an understatement, though the coach would never say that.

"The honest answer is," Miller said when asked if she could have imagined reaching the tournament in Year 1. "You kind of figure out what a winning formula looks like, and it's getting the right kids at the right, and we did get the right kids that were totally bought in."

Miller spoke with Echo From the Buttes at the Big 12 Basketball Media Days in Kansas City on Tuesday and outlined how her team this year is still laser-focused on doing the right things and avoiding complacency that often comes with early success.

"The brand. The brand is a winning brand. The way we defend and disrupt and dictate is something that we hang our hats on. Day 1, they step foot on campus, there's no shortcuts on that end, defensively. We probably do more defensive drills than anyone in the country.

"When we are talking about buy-in from the players, it comes from the locker room. So when I have returners like McKinna [Brackens] and Deb [Davenport] and Amaya [Williams] and [Heloisa Carrera] and [Martina Fantini], those players really know what it's about. So the trickle-down effect is very real."

For Miller, the instant success of Year 1 came down to culture. The collection of players she had last year, most of whom Miller and her staff brought in through the transfer portal, were tone-setters. Brackens, in particular, was an integral part of the offense, finishing second in scoring and often being a go-to option in the post.

Now, though, there are new faces in Tempe. Miller lost three starters and several bench players, and turned to the portal for an influx of talent. She admitted that the success from last year made things a bit easier on the recruiting trail, as players are seeing the vision and path to success.

One such player, who was with Miller in Kansas City, is point guard Rashunda Jones. A defensive menace at Michigan State, Jones - who goes by the nickname Spider- revealed that she initially turned Miller down in the portal this spring.

"I was looking for the culture side, because I was going to be 25 hours away [from home], and I told Molly 'no.' Then I told my mom 'If I could put [Miller] in my pocket and bring her, I would.' So then my mom was like 'Well you should just go.'"

For Jones, coming to Arizona State was a leap of faith because of how far from home Tempe is for her, but everything else about the program spoke so much to what she was looking for - starting the culture Miller espouses - that it helped make her decision for her.

Another newcomer, of sorts, is Ruby Whitehorn. She actually joined the program midway through last year after being dismissed from Tennessee, so Whitehorn has already been immersed in the culture and how Miller does things in Tempe.

A former budding star at Clemson, Whitehorn was supposed to be a key figure for the Volunteers, but off-court issues led to her dismissal. She's been embraced by Miller and this staff and is ready to move forward, and Miller spoke candidly about how excited she's been these past few months to actually get Whitehorn on the court.

"She was really built for this system. Her athleticism, her ability to play in the open court, multidimensional guard but she can score at all three levels. She can hit the three, she's obviously great off the bounce, we'll post her up sometimes. So it's fun as a coach to get to maneuver that type of player in this system."

Between the returning players, led by Brackens, and the influx of portal talent from the offseason, Miller feels confident that this team is properly built to continue laying the foundation from last season and surpass those results this year.

The Associated Press feels similarly, as they had Arizona State second among teams also receiving votes in their preseason Top 25 released on Tuesday.