ASU women’s basketball coach Molly Miller on developing culture
“Culture is daily habits,” coach Molly Miller said, adding the team is focusing on being champions “on and off the court.”
Molly Miller was named the new head coach for the Arizona State women’s basketball program in March.Miller is rebuilding the team, primarily using the transfer portal to acquire new players for the Power Four program.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Molly Miller was rooting for the Arizona State football team as it moved from the Big 12 championship game to the College Football Playoff last fall. At that point, she was still the women’s basketball coach at Grand Canyon, but, as a resident of the Valley, she was all-in for all the local teams.
Now she’s part of the same family, having been named to head the Sun Devils women’s basketball program in March, on the heels of her previous team’s historic postseason appearance.
Miller was making her debut at Big 12 media day at T-Mobile Center here Oct. 21, bringing with her three new student-athletes: junior McKinna Brackens and fifth-year seniors Gabby Elliott and Last-Tear Poa, all transfer portal acquisitions.
There are just a few holdovers from last year’s team, so Miller had to hit the transfer portal hard. Now, as the coach of a Power Four program, Miller found a whole new level of athletes suddenly available to her. While Grand Canyon proved a desirable destination, there is a difference between recruiting players when you’re squaring off against the likes of Utah Tech and Abilene Christian, as opposed to Baylor, TCU and others.
Last season, seven Big 12 teams advanced to the postseason, with TCU advancing to the Elite Eight.
“It is definitely different,” Miller said, in between interviews and photo shoots. “The access I have to high-end recruits, that’s the biggest difference. Just getting on the phone with recruits and being able to sell that dream of playing major college basketball. I get to talk to kids now that probably wouldn’t have given me five minutes before.
“Being at the Power Four level, this is the top of college basketball, so everyone has aspirations to be at the top, and now that I’m coaching at the top, I have access to the top players in the country. I have gotten great feedback. People are excited again, there is a buzz about what we’ve done.”
Miller knew she had a tough rebuild in front of her. The Sun Devils were just 29-62 in the three years of the Natasha Adair regime. The school hasn’t made the postseason since the 2018-19 season, although it might have made it had the 2019-20 season not been canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As for the type of characteristics she is looking for in a player, Miller, one of four new coaches in the Big 12, says that has not changed. Miller says the evaluation process for a newcomer is an exhaustive one, starting with huddling with her assistants and doing a “deep dive” of their tape.
Once she settles on the players she wants to pursue, there is homework to do. Miller will call the players’ previous coaches to determine whether that player is the right fit. Since there are a lot of new players, team bonding has been an important part of the building process. There have been several off-court activities to help facilitate that, including a trip to an escape room.
Molly Miller on wanting experience on ASU women’s basketball team
Arizona State women’s basketball head coach Molly Miller breaks down why she looked for experienced players in the transfer portal.
“From a characteristic standpoint, I’m recruiting the same type of player,” Miller said. “They’re proud to put on that jersey, and when I’m not around, they’re representing us the right way. For me, it’s all about, ‘Do you fit the system, and off the court, do you fit the brand?’
“The brand is high-character, good-quality human beings doing the right thing. That really hasn’t changed much.”
Brackens, a transfer from UNLV, was excited when she got a call from ASU. Her former team had scrimmaged against Miller’s GCU team, so she was familiar with Miller’s style of play. And yes, she, too, looks forward to competing against better players.
“You always want to challenge yourself against the best competition you can find,” Brackens said, after coming off the main stage at T-Mobile Center. “That just makes you a better player, so I’m excited to try and prove myself.”
The Sun Devils were picked 11th in the conference preseason poll, with TCU pegged first, followed by Iowa State, Baylor, Oklahoma State and West Virginia in the top five.
Miller said she won’t define success this season by wins and losses. She is optimistic, but realistic at the same time.
“The daily progress is going to be very important,” she said. “I know if we’re doing it the right way, the by-product will be winning, and we want to make it to the tournament. …
“I want it yesterday, said every coach in America, but I would be silly to think that can happen overnight. But the process of how you handle the bumps in the road will show a lot about the character of people in the program.”