TEMPE- Two freshmen on the Arizona State women's basketball team have been standing out with their contributions off the bench so far this season.
Two freshmen, center Martina Fantini and guard Amaya Williams, are impressing head coach Molly Miller and her staff through the Sun Devils' 7-0 start to the season, best since the 1991-92 season.
"Definitely, it's all a surprise," Williams said Friday. "But, practices have been good for me so far. So I was looking forward to playing in the games, but having this opportunity is really nice. [I'm] really grateful for it."
During Arizona State's win over the Little Rock Trojans at home on Friday, Williams led the team in minutes played with 31 off the bench.
She also scored 18 points, shot 80 percent from the field, had four rebounds, and three assists to go along with her contributions.
"I'm so proud of her," Miller said of Williams' 18-point performance against Little Rock. "She's looking like a true point guard out there. What's great about her is her tempo. She doesn't have to go a million miles per hour all the time.
"When we talk about pace, she understands stop and go, and she's really good about setting her teammates up and being steady. She doesn't get too sped up, which, for a freshman, that's really impressive."
When being asked about her transition from high school basketball, where she played for Mater Dei in Chula Vista, she mentioned the differences while enjoying the moment at Arizona State.
During her high school career, she led the Monarchs to 83 wins in three seasons, served as captain, and had a record of 21-0 in league play.
"Everything's different," Williams said about her transition from high school to college Wednesday. "There's a lot more people, the pace is a lot faster, the defense is a lot harder. And getting boards is a lot harder. I think everything is just a big level up from high school level, in my opinion."
Williams originally committed to play for the GCU women's basketball team when Miller was head coach over there. However, she changed her mind and decided to go over to Arizona State, where Miller was named as its next head coach back in March.
Williams stated in the postgame, "My head was spinning. It was really tough time for me. But then, I got some calls, and she [Molly Miller] definitely wanted me to come here with her, and I was so grateful opportunity, and as soon as she asked me I was in."
Miller admires what she observes from the Sun Devils' bench over the last two games, from Williams' scoring off the bench and playing with confidence to Fantini's rebounding.
“Marty is just a pleaser, and bless her heart," Miller said. "She wants to do everything right, but the pace and the strength are all adjustments for freshmen. So it’s such a great thing to get them involved early. They can learn from their mistakes and learn from the flow of the game.
"They’re both anxious to get into the coach’s office for game film, and I think they’ve got a hunger which will help them. But they're also built for the system and their teammates love them too. When Martina and Amaya are scoring, their biggest cheerleaders are on the bench and on the court as their teammates.”
During the Sun Devils' win over the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Tuesday, Fantini played 18 minutes of action and scored two points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Additionally, Arizona State had a total of 62 rebounds and 23 offensive rebounds in the game, as they have the two highest total rebounds in a game in the Big 12 Conference this season (the other one being 59 at Santa Clara on Nov. 16).
"She's been playing really well," Williams said of Fantini. "She's been going into the basket a lot and getting good rebounds when we really need it. And I love Martina [as a teammate]."
"You can see it from Martina [Fantini]," Miller added on Fantini's growth and development. "She's just right there, and it's just one little misstep or one little strength issue. And I know she beats herself up because she's kind of perfectionist and she wants that instant gratification now, but her ceiling is so high she's got to be patient.
"We're seeing Amaya get on the other side of that freshman transition right now, and Martina is kind of working her way through it. But again, valuable minutes. Martina had double digit minutes, and obviously Amaya led us in minutes [on Friday's game against Little Rock]. So just great experience for a freshman all around."
The Arizona State women's basketball team will