TEMPE- Long at last, the Arizona State women's basketball team has its best start in program history with a 10-0 record after winning back-to-back games in the annual Briann January tournament over McNeese and San Francisco on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
In Molly Miller's first year as head coach, the Sun Devils found their spark, particularly on the defensive end, and have players who bring in the competitive spirit on both ends of the court.
"I mean, there's a lot of moving parts that go into making it a good start, like this," Miller said Saturday. "One is the belief in a bunch of people, a bunch of strangers, from the get-go, we have surrounding our program about 30 strangers here that came on campus in June. So for everyone to buy into the vision and now the mission, that's the most special part about this. And then, you know, I have to think the whole (thing) around scheduling really elite programs to play at home in November and December.
"I know it's a stretch on resources and facilities. When you host two tournaments, like we hosted at Thanksgiving and here, so shout out to the administration, the facilities, all the staff, to make this happen. These back-to-back tournaments are good for us because hopefully that's what we're doing in March, and playing at home and generating some buzz about the program is good for us, too.
One of the players who came to play at Arizona State because of Miller and the coaching staff is senior guard Marley Washenitz, who transferred from Pittsburgh.
One of the highlights of her career is banking a no-look three-pointer to win the game over the UNLV Lady Rebels at home on Nov. 22.
"I mean, that's the reason I came here," Washenitz told Devils in Detail. "I came here to lead the program better than I found. So, super exciting to see that we can already start the season off 10 and (zero) and on the high foot. So super excited for this group and what we have to go and build on for the rest of the year.
"We obviously have a big couple of tests coming up with Penn State, Gonzaga, and Oregon State, so just taking those one at a time. But, I mean, this is the reason I came here to play this for this great staff and with these great girls, and just really fun to see what we can do, and we put it all together."
Graduate guard Gabby Elliott brings in the intensity, from having the ability to grab steals to scoring on the offensive end, she does it all for this gritty Sun Devils team.
On Friday, she led Arizona State in points scored with a game-high 19 points and four rebounds in the win over McNeese. Just a day later, Elliott recorded ten points, five rebounds, and eight steals, in which she was two steals shy of a double-double.
“It speaks (volumes)," Elliott said Friday. "We came in, a whole new team, whole new coaching staff. It’s a test of what we’re trying to do. We’re not a team that’s trying to wait and build something; we’re trying to make something happen right now in Tempe.”
When it comes to contributing on the court as a whole team, Miller and the Sun Devils are capable of playing for one another with a sense of purpose.
Redshirt junior guard/forward Deborah Davenport mentions that the players and coaches came to Arizona State with one goal in mind: winning at all costs.
During Saturday's win over San Francisco, she contributed positively for the Sun Devils, recording five points and five rebounds while having an efficiency of 12 on the court.
"It's very special, especially because we all come from different places," Deborah Davenport told Devils in Detail. "And that all of us together, we are hard working, we're relentless, and we can do great things for this program."
As Arizona State prepares for Big 12 Conference play that will start later in December, Miller is thankful for getting the opportunity to lead the house where former longtime head coach Charli Turner Thorne built.
“I look back at my recruiting pitch in the portal, and they had to blind trust in blind faith that we’re going to win," Miller said. "I kept on saying we’re going to win, we’re going to win. That record that you’re seeing right now, don’t even pay attention to it. We’re going to win.
"Credit to them for taking that blind leap of faith with me. They bought into the style and they bought into what we’re trying to do here at Arizona State, they wanted to be a part of it. I’m very proud of them.”