Shortly after leading GCU to a 32-3 season that saw a 30-game win streak and the first NCAA Women's Tournament berth in school history, Molly Miller sets her sights on a new head coaching journey at ASU.
Miller knew rebuilding the program from scratch wouldn't be an easy task, but she wasted no time in laying the foundation, and that started with her coaching staff.
It didn't take long for Miller to bring a few familiar faces from GCU along for the ride in Tempe. She hired Jason Glover, Daejah Bernard and Ashleigh Lopez — three assistant coaches whom she relied on heavily during her time with the Antelopes.
Then the acquisitions of Daniel Barber, Abi Olajuwon and Stephanie Norman were enough to cap off Miller's first major move as a Sun Devil with a bang.
The winningest coach in ASU history, with 528 career wins, former ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne is well aware of what it takes to establish a successful program. She summed up her thoughts on the staff that Miller put together in just three words: "she killed it."
Roughly six months after assembling her supporting cast, Miller has had the chance to see the group she put together in action. Her confidence in her team has only grown as the offseason has progressed.
"Bernard, she played for me for four years, so she is my mini and my clone," Miller said. "And Glove (Glover) has so much experience, and Ashley's been great to work with. And then when you add Steph (Norman), DB (Barber) and Abi (Olajuwon), I mean it's an all-star staff. I would put our staff up against anyone's in the country."
Since arriving at ASU, Miller envisioned her new staff as a unified group that capitalizes on each member's strengths, something Bernard has become all too familiar with throughout her time with her former head coach.
Bernard played under Miller as a point guard at Drury University from 2016-20 before the two were reunited on GCU's staff two years later. When the opportunity came last spring, it was an easy decision for Bernard to follow Miller yet again.
"I always just tell people, it's hard not to follow her," Bernard said of Miller, per Sun Devil Athletics. "She has a vision, she knows where she wants to go, she's a proven winner. I think that's just hard not to be around. Everybody wants to win."
READ MORE: A complete guide to Molly Miller's opening season in Tempe
It's no question that the two have formed a tight bond over the years, but playing for Miller and coaching alongside her has also given Bernard a unique perspective that's proved helpful for recruiting.
"She's very much a player's coach," Bernard said, per Sun Devil Athletics. "She wants to build that relationship with you off the court as well as on the court."
Another boost to recruiting was the addition of Norman, an ASU alumna who returns to her alma mater after 18 seasons at Louisville. Norman was instrumental in Louisville's multiple Final Four appearances during her tenure, and she's coached over 25 players who later went on to be drafted.
Miller pulled out all the stops to coax Norman back to her roots, and now she'll take on the role of associate head coach and director of basketball strategy.
"This is a personal decision for me, it wasn't a professional one per se," Norman said, per Sun Devil Athletics. "I just want to get this program elevated into a space of excellence. And I really feel comfortable in that space, and I only know one way to do things and that's to win."
Bernard joins the ASU staff as an assistant coach and Miller's basketball operations coordinator. Glover will serve as an associate head coach, the same position he held at GCU and Lopez has been named director of player development and recruiting operations.
Barber comes on as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator after holding the same title at Penn State, and Olajuwon, who helped lead the Connecticut Sun to the WNBA semifinals in both of her seasons with the team, will be another assistant coach.
Miller was nothing if not intentional while selecting her new staff, because she knows they're just as much a part of this new journey as she is. She plans on getting the most out of everyone around her by giving them the freedom to contribute in their own ways.
"That's what's going to be unique about this staff, it's totally going to be a team effort," Miller said, per Sun Devil Athletics. "You're going to hear all the voices equally, and that's what I was kind of excited to sell to them too. 'Let's do this together. Let's build this together.'"
As she begins her eighth season with Miller and first as a Sun Devil, nothing excites Bernard more than the opportunity to restore ASU women's basketball back to what it once was.
"It's time for it to be back to its rightful place," Bernard said, per Sun Devil Athletics. "We're very excited to be here, we're very excited to put the trajectory back where it is. It's going to be a fun ride."
Edited by Jack McCarthy, Senna James and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at holtzingerethan@gmail.com and follow @EthanZinger6 on X.
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Ethan Holtzinger is a sports reporter for The State Press who has previously worked for Cronkite News and the Arizona Interscholastic Association. He is in his 2nd semester with The State Press and 5th semester at ASU.
