ASU women’s basketball begins the Big 12 era for the 2024-2025 season

On November 4, 2024By Pranco

Symbolism has been a big part of Arizona State coach Natasha Adair’s plan, but in her first two years her teams have been too injured for that.

Adair saw the iconic ‘A’ Mountain as the perfect starting point for any season, but she could only go up the mountain with everyone else. Three seasons later, she was finally able to take over her team without leaving anyone behind.

“As a coach, you look at every opportunity and highlight those moments of growth,” Adair said. “That was a huge growth moment for us.”

ASU will debut its new roster Monday in the season opener against Jacksonville State at 6:30 PM from Desert Financial Arena.

In Adair’s first two seasons, the women’s basketball team was decimated by injuries. The Sun Devils forfeited two games in 2023 due to a lack of players. Last season, top scorer Tyi Skinner was sidelined with a knee injury.

The injuries prompted the hiring of strength coach Abby Sherard, as the program did not have one.

Such changes have allowed ASU to play 5-on-5 in practice and open up the team to shorter playing time. Three of ASU’s five starting teams last season averaged more than 30 minutes. Skinner logged 36.6 minutes per game in her first season at ASU.

“You couldn’t see it before because we just didn’t have the pieces,” Adair said. “A ‘Coach A’ team will be ruthless. We’re going to hang our hats on the defense. We want to play up-tempo. We want to score in the transition.”

She added that the team needed bodies that have not been available in recent years to play at the elite level she expected.

“I thought our fans saw a glimpse of it (last year), but we couldn’t keep it up,” Adair said. “We want that sustainable success. “I want to put my foot on the accelerator, not give up and not let every player play more than 30 minutes or 40 minutes.”

ASU went 11-20 last season and was 3-15 in the Pac-12’s final year.

However, the team is completely different as it competes in the Big 12. Last year’s leading scorer, Jalyn Brown, is the only consistent starter remaining. Four-year guard Jaddan Simmons is at Michigan State. Two-year guard Trayanna Crisp is in North Carolina. Fast forward two years is Journey Thompson in Syracuse.

Adair and her staff kept an eye on the portal and added seven players, including 6-foot-4 junior forward Kennedy Basham from Oregon, to address the size issue.

Switching conferences has not had a negative effect.

Several Big 12 players stayed in the conference and transferred to ASU, including guard Jazion Jackson of Texas Tech, guard Kennedy Fauntleroy of Oklahoma State and forward Heavenly Greer of Kansas State.

The Big 12 still has the big stages that the Pac-12 brought to ASU; Last year, eight Big 12 teams participated in the NCAA tournament. Adding ASU, Arizona, Utah and Colorado this season has made the conference better, according to Adair. The larger network from Arizona to Florida has also helped with recruiting.

“I don’t think you lose anything with the change,” Adair said. “Obviously you’re losing the history we know. But from a recruiting landscape, I can now go to Orlando and recruit that kid that maybe I couldn’t have done and tell the parents I’m going to bring your daughter home.

“Now I can go to the Midwest and recruit those Midwestern kids who might have been hesitant because their parents might not have been able to see them.”

The Sun Devils begin Big 12 play on Dec. 21 in Utah.