Report: Arizona State closing in on new women's basketball head coach

A little over a week ago, Arizona State's new athletics director, Graham Rossini, made his first big move on the job when he fired Natasha Adair following three consecutive losing seasons leading the women's basketball team.

Now, according to multiple sources, it appears he is close to landing Adair's replacement, and it's a big one: Grand Canyon head coach Molly Miller.

The Missouri native starred at Drury University and later began her coaching career there, rising the ranks to head coach. In six seasons leading her alma mater, Miller compiled a sterling 180-17 record with four consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearances in the NCAA's Division II tournament, the last of which saw her team go all the way to the Final Four.

Miller then moved out to Arizona to coach the Antelopes, moving up to Division I. After finishing 18-7 her first year, Miller has topped 20 wins every season since, and this year's squad finished the regular season 29-2.

They went undefeated in conference play, and also beat Arizona State head to head in the non-conference schedule. Last night, Miller's team pulled off a three-point win over UT Arlington to capture the program's first ever WAC title, punching their ticket to the Big Dance in the process.

Miller has quickly risen as a top coaching candidate in women's basketball with her impressive tenures at both Drury and Grand Canyon. She reportedly received interest from Arkansas, whose head coach resigned earlier this after eight years, and early momentum indicated she was the top candidate.

However, recent reports out of Fayetteville indicate that Miller is not the top candidate. This comes at the same time that multiple sources with knowledge of the coaching search in Tempe indicated to Devils in Detail that Rossini has been circling Miller for the past week, and apparently secured her commitment despite major overtures from Arkansas.

According to one source, Rossini attended the first round of the WAC conference tournament in Las Vegas earlier this week, making his pitch to Miller at the same time that Arkansas began reaching out. Initially it seemed that the Razorbacks would be able to throw money at Miller and blow Arizona State out of the water, but the tide appears to have turned.

Of course, it's important to stress that nothing is a done deal until the press conference, and Arkansas (or another school) could always swoop in. After all, Miller won't be free to formally take any job until her team is done with the NCAA Tournament, which officially begins Tuesday.

As for right now, though, it appears as if Rossini has landed one of the most coveted coaches on the market in women's basketball.