"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."
Molly Miller enters her second season with Arizona State University. Her debut exceeded expectations, taking the directionless Devils' program to the NCAA Tournament and setting the ASU WBB program record for most wins by a first-year head coach (24).
The sky felt like the limit in year one for Miller, so what will be the byproduct in year two?
ASU's climb continues on Monday night, taking the second step against Jackson State in their home and season opener.
Here is everything you need to know for the Devils-Tigers matchup:
There is a lot of excitement over the return of names like F McKinna Brackens and F Heloisa Carrera, but the main headline of the offseason was ASU's newcomers.
Arizona State put together the #4 transfer class in the country, bringing in much-needed depth at the guard position.
This includes Tennessee guard Ruby Whitehorn, Central Michigan guard Madi Morson and Michigan State guard Rashunda "Spider" Jones.
These new names won't only help Miller and Co. in the scoring department, but also by bringing the energy that Miller is looking for.
"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."
F McKinna Brackens is coming off a junior season where she finished second in scoring for the Sun Devils, posting 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds.
Entering her senior year, another level could be reached by the Texas native.
Brackens is coming off a summer where she competed in the 3x3 FIBA World Cup with Team USA in China, winning a gold medal overseas.
Returning to Tempe, reports say that Brackens is in the best shape of her career, in line for a senior year rise to stardom.
"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 finds themselves in an interesting position, coming off their own second season with a new head coach.
Margaret Richards made her way to Jackson, Mississippi, after Tomekia Reed left for Charlotte. Reed brought the Tigers to three NCAA Tournaments in her last four seasons, leaving big shoes to fill for Richards.
In year one, Richards finished 16-15 with an impressive conference record of 13-5 in 2024-2025. Similar to Miller, Richards looked to build on her year one and take another step.
That step ended up being backwards, however, with JSU finishing 2025-2026 with a losing 12-19 record.
Richards acted fast to rebuild her roster, featuring 15 newcomers on the 2026-2027 roster, including transfers and freshmen.
The main names? Junior forwards Ne'vaeh Buntley (Daemen University) and Joi Johnson (Fairleigh Dickinson), along with senior guard Shamya Reid Alabama State).
The main topic of the night? Energy. These two former collegiate guards turned coaches like to play with tempo and relentless energy, meaning this will be a good test for this new-look ASU squad to see if they can play up to Miller's expectations.
Jackson State has the slight height advantage, including promising freshman center Madison Eddings. How ASU C Martina Fantini handles the size inside will be something to watch, along with ASU's style of denying the paint.
For Richards and the Tigers, they like to apply heavy pressure on the ball, giving the Devils' new group of guards a good challenge on opening night.
This matchup should be a rollercoaster of energy. Exhausting for the players and exhilarating for the fans. Grab the popcorn!
Who:Arizona State vs. Jackson State
When: Monday, November 2 at 5:00 p.m. AZ Time (7:00 p.m. EST)
Where: Tempe, AZ - Desert Financial Arena (14,198 seats)
TV/Streaming: ESPN
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ASU vs. JSU can be heard on KAZG 1440 AM. Play-by-play man Jeff Munn returns as the voice of ASU WBB, joined by former Sun Devil head coach Maura McHugh.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arizonastate as Sun Devil Sequel: Everything You Need To Know For Molly Miller's Second Season Opener in Tempe vs. Jackson State .
