As junior forward Kennedy Basham walked to the half court of Desert Financial Arena after the final buzzer sounded, concluding the ASU’s home opener, all anyone could think about was how perfect this moment was for both player and fans.
On the backs of junior forward Kennedy Basham and graduate student guard Tyi Skinner, Arizona State started the 2024-25 season out in the best possible way: with a win.
For Basham, it was a satisfying, fresh start.
Basham, a product from the Phoenix area, committed to Oregon in 2022 and played two seasons as a member of the Ducks before transferring back home and playing for the Sun Devils.
The 2022 No. 59 overall recruit and 9th-ranked post player in that class, Basham played sparingly for the Ducks over her two-year career in Eugene, averaging just 4.5 points per game her sophomore season and 18.8 minutes a night. However, her offense doesn’t paint the whole picture for the 6’7″ forward.
Tonight was a picture-perfect night for Basham, who led the team in rebounds and assists while leading ASU to victory.
“She sets great screens for us,” head coach Natasha Adair said. “She opens us up a lot, and she passes the ball really well too.”
In her first game back in her hometown, Basham finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks. She did this despite being in foul trouble for most of the night.
However, Basham’s impact wasn’t just seen on the stat sheet; it was felt throughout the game.
“She altered so many other shots,” Adair said. “She’s learned to block the shot, go get it, and go straight up. She’s just going to get more confident and get more dominant and people are going to have to gameplan against that.”
Basham had a fantastic debut for the Sun Devils and helped Skinner record her career-high in points with 30. Throughout the evening, Skinner hit big shot after big shot. As she will be for much of the season, Skinner was the offensive catalyst for ASU. Skinner went a remarkable 10-for-13 from the field and an even more incredible 5 of 6 from three.
Skinner also acknowledged the impact of Basham.
“She did everything,” Skinner said. “She opened so much stuff for me. Even on defense, she helps me out so much, I can just send people to her, and she would just be blocking them. Then her finishing, that always helps me with assists and everything, so I thought she did her job today on both ends of the floor.”
Skinner and Basham combined for almost half of the Arizona State points en route to the 74-66 win. Though the Basham homecoming was a feel-good story, one could argue that Skinner’s return was equally important.
The 2022-23 All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention averaged 19.3 points per game that season, good for the most by a Sun Devil since 1988-89. Disaster struck last offseason when Skinner suffered a knee injury that cost her the entirety of the 2023-24 season.
However, Skinner returned with a vengeance, carrying most of the offense for ASU, especially during some significant possessions down the stretch.
“I was just really excited to play with the team,” Skinner said. “I wasn’t nervous.”
Skinner showed no signs of nerves or first-game jitters against Jacksonville State, and though ASU prevailed tonight, Adair understands that her team will continue to improve.
“[We] need to get better at our defense and defensive rotations,” she said. “I love how hard we played, but we just have to be a little bit more disciplined on the defensive end.”
Adair will have a few days to work on the team’s defense, and ASU won’t suit up again until Friday when they take on Arkansas State in Tempe.
Leave a Reply