TEMPE- As the Arizona State Sun Devils prepare to face the Virginia Cavaliers in the first four in Iowa City on Thursday, they have a notable absence who did not make the trip.
The Arizona State athletics announced on Wednesday that head coach Molly Miller “didn’t travel with the team due to illness, but we are hopeful she will be in Iowa soon.”
In her first season with the program, she led the Sun Devils to their first appearance in the NCAA Women's Tournament since 2019. Miller also helped turn around from a 10-win season last year to a 24-win season this year, while bringing in players and assembling the coaching staff.
Associate head coach Stephanie Norman, an Arizona State women's basketball alum (1984-88), will fill in for Miller in Thursday's game in Iowa City.
She also spent 18 seasons with the Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team as an assistant coach and associate head coach, during which time the team appeared in the Sweet Sixteen 12 times.
Additionally, Norman is highly respected by players and coaches of the Sun Devils this season and has been influential to the team's success.
“Obviously, our leader is not here. And we’re hoping for the best, so she can recover and be with our team,” Norman said Wednesday. “That’s kind of the status, it’s hour to hour. I’m hoping she’s taking care of all of the things that she can in her power. We miss her dearly, but at the same time, we have a job to do, so we’re focused on that.”
"Obviously, we want Molly to be at everything we do, but at the same time, we have great assistant coaches," senior guard Marley Washenitz added. "Molly always says she has the type of coaches that assist, not assistant coaches. ... There is not a dropoff when she's not here. Our practices this week have been amazing, and we've had great coaches who have stepped up and led the way for us. Just because she's not physically here with us doesn't mean she's not doing things behind the scenes."
The winner of the Sun Devils vs. Cavaliers will advance to the round of 64 to face the Georgia Lady Bulldogs on Saturday, March 21, at 10:30 a.m. MST.