KANSAS CITY, MO — When Molly Miller took over the Arizona State women's basketball program a year ago, she inherited a program coming off an abysmal 10-22 record and a three-year stretch in which it was 29-62 overall and 7-47 in conference play.
What a difference a year can make. The Sun Devils went 24-11 and made the NCAA Tournament field in her first year. Now they enter the 2026-27 campaign ranked 22nd nationally in one preseason poll, according to ESPN. Coaches will say polls don't matter, but they can be indicative of how far the program has come.
"We don't care about preseason rankings. We haven't played a game yet," Miller said. "But I will also say that's a great nod as far as what we did in Year 1, a nod and a compliment to how people
believe in where we are and what we can accomplish in Year 2."
Miller talked about her new squad at Big 12 Media Day on Oct. 20, a day after her birthday, at the T-Mobile Center here. Accompanying her were returning forward McKinna Brackens, and senior guards Rashunda Jones and Ruby Whitehorn, transfers from Michigan State and Tennessee, respectively.
ASU was one of eight teams whose men's and women's coaches and players talked on the first of two days. The University of Arizona will be one of the eight schools up on the second day.
"I think the biggest difference is we actually have experience returning," Miller said. "I can lean on players like McKinna (Brackens) to help us get the message across about the expectations and the work ethic, so that's a luxury. I don't think in terms of goals or expectations, those haven't really changed. Internally, in the locker room, I always believed we were going to make a run and get to the tournament.
"Just now we're able to springboard from that. Kudos to that team that believed; probably came on a little bit of hope and a little bit of vision to go by. They set the tone for what comes next."
The Sun Devils got a taste of the "big dance," earning a spot in a playoff game against Virginia, but fell in a close one, 57-55. It was the school's first postseason appearance since 2019.
ASU was one of eight teams from the Big 12 selected for the tournament, matching the league record set in 2008. It marked the third consecutive season that the league has sent at least seven teams to March Madness.
The Sun Devils were selected sixth in the preseason poll.
Brackens is coming off a season in which she averaged 14.4 points and 6.4 rebounds. She was ASU's lone representative on the preseason all-conference team. The taste of success last season has indeed provided a springboard for what could be to come.
"I feel like they saw what we did last year," Brackens said. "They wanted to do more. We don't just want to make the tournament.
"We want to win games. I feel like they came in also with that same goal. It's not like we have to tell you anything. It's like you came here to win, so let's win."
The two others who attended media day are transfers. Whitehorn averaged 11.6 points at Tennessee.
Jones, who averaged 11.7 points, was a harder sell. Miller admits it took her some time to convince the 5-foot-8 senior to come to Tempe. She turned Miller down more than once. Jones' mother was the one who convinced her to take the leap of faith.
"She was like, 'The way you talk about it, you know you want to go there. Just go there,'" Jones said. "I'm glad I did."
Miller's team opens the regular season against Jackson State at 5 p.m. MST on Nov. 2 at Desert Financial Arena.
The men's team will face East Tennessee State at 8 p.m. MST, the same night.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Molly Miller, ascending ASU women's basketball can't hide this season
