After a difficult 2023-24 season that saw Arizona State women’s basketball win just three games against its fellow Pac-12 opponents, head coach Natasha Adair hopes that an infusion of talent via the transfer portal can flip the script in the 2024-25 season.
Numerous transfers, such as junior forward Kennedy Basham, junior guard Makayla Moore, and sophomore guard Jyah LoVett, are entering the program this year. The Sun Devils are looking to prove that being picked to finish 15th out of 16 teams in the redesigned Big 12 was a mistake.
The addition of Basham is arguably the one ASU can celebrate the most heading into opening night. Basham went to high school in the Phoenix area and was the No. 59 overall recruit in the class of 2022, according to ESPNW. Basham committed to Oregon and came off the bench in both of her seasons in Eugene before entering the transfer portal during the offseason.
“It’s great to be home,” Basham said. “I’m 40 minutes away from my house, so it’s good to be close to my friends and family and be home with these guys.”
However, returning home wasn’t the only reason Basham decided to transfer to ASU.
“Part of the reason I came here was [graduate guard] Tyi Skinner, so I kind of knew that coming into the portal,” Basham said. “I was mainly looking at the guards I knew I wanted to play with, what coaches, which staff and culture I wanted to be around, so it was just a perfect fit.”
Basham looks to lead an Arizona State frontcourt that needs some scoring prowess. Though Basham averaged just 4.5 points a game last year for the Ducks, it was in a sheltered role that saw her average only 18.8 minutes per night. In a larger role this year, expect Basham’s numbers to increase steeply.
“Our staff did a fantastic job in the transfer portal,” Adair said. “That [forward position] was an immediate need that we had, so it worked out for both.”
Moore, a Seattle University transfer, will boost the backcourt scoring depth behind the ASU starters. Last year, Moore averaged 11.3 points a game for the Redhawks while playing 29 minutes per game.
The other scoring threat opposing squads need to keep in the front of their minds is LoVett—another guard with valuable experience and a scoring touch. LoVett was named to the Mountain West All-Freshman Team as a part of a San Jose State team that needed her production to stay afloat.
Those backcourt additions will supplement the depth behind ASU’s focal points on the offense. Junior guard Jalyn Brown was the best player on the offensive side of the ball for the Sun Devils last year, leading them in points per game with an astounding 17.3.
Not only that, but the Sun Devils will be the benefactors of Skinner, as mentioned above, who is returning from a knee injury that caused her to miss the entirety of the 2023-2024 season. The year before, Skinner averaged 19.3 points per game for the Devils, the best mark by an ASU player since the 1988-1989 season.
“I feel great. I went a whole year without basketball, which is something I love and am passionate about,” Skinner said. “Just being back on the floor with my team and getting to play with them means the world to me.”
With new faces coming in, old faces returning from injury, and internal improvement, the journey for redemption begins on Monday when ASU plays host to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.
Jacksonville State is coming off a season in which it finished a respectable 16-14 but fell short in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament.
“I want them to see defense. I want them to see us rebounding. I want them to see us scoring in transition,” Adair said. “But I want to see a unit that plays together, playing on both sides of the ball, high energy, high excitement, and relentlessness when we are out there.”
Adair not only knows what she wants to see but also knows that her team is ready for the start of the season.
“I’m sure there are butterflies. I’m sure there is a little anxiety for all of them, but it’s here,” Adair said. You are supposed to get a little anxious for gameday. You are supposed to be amped up, but don’t lose sight of what we’re trying to do.”
Adair will ensure that her team is focused and prepared for the first game of the 2024-2025 season, when the Gamecocks try to play spoiler on Nov. 4th at 6:30 p.m. MST.
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