ASU women's basketball is undefeated, and it has been upperclassmen leadership in the backcourt that has acted as the engine to the Sun Devil roster's machine.
Through the team's 6-0 start in head coach Molly Miller's first season in Tempe, two upperclassmen guards have averaged over 30 minutes per game, leading the backcourt during the Sun Devils' early success.
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One of those guards is Marley Washenitz, who joined ASU for her senior season after spending three seasons at Pitt.
Washenitz has been important in the team's defense, currently leading the roster with 13 steals, but it's her offensive production that has made headlines. While Washenitz sits third on the team in scoring, averaging 12 points per game, her late-game heroics against UNLV on Nov. 22 went viral.
After hitting a game-winning three-pointer, she reached the top spot on ESPN's Top Ten.
Despite hitting the game-winner, her only points against UNLV came from that shot. However, Washenitz still contributed during the victory, playing all 40 minutes. Her head coach was very proud of what the performance said about her identity.
"She didn't fill up this box score, but she played 40 minutes for us," Miller said. "She kept at it. That's her every single day. So that's good juju for her, because she puts it out into the universe every single day that she is a fighter."
The other upperclassman guard seeing over 30 minutes per game is Gabby Elliott, who played at Clemson, Michigan State and Penn State before arriving in Tempe.
Elliott has been the team's leading scorer and offensive engine, averaging a team-high 17 points while shooting 36% from three.
While Elliott is the top scorer for the Sun Devils, she credits teamwork for how well the offense has worked. After the first game of the season, she pointed to her on-court relationship with Washenitz.
"We were just kind of feeding off each other's energy," Elliott said. "It started on defense for both of us tonight. She can correct me if I'm wrong, but it kind of just flowed for me. And our teammates found me. I found her (Washenitz), we found each other and we got the result."
While their part in the team's 6-0 record so far can't be understated, the group is also thinking about the lasting impact they can have on the program long after they're gone.
"Even if you were here for one year, we talk about impact," Miller said. "How did you impact others? How did you impact your teammates? How did you impact the foundation that we're laying for this future of the program? … Even if you have one year or four years, you can make a positive impact, because this is something new and you're a part of the change."
As one of the only freshmen on the roster, Amaya Williams is grateful to have veteran leadership on the team outside of the coaching staff.
Williams has already made three starts this season, and she believes that the transition to college would have been much more difficult without experienced teammates who have been in her position before.
"They bring a lot of energy, even on the floor and off the floor, and they really bring the younger people underneath their wing — especially me," Williams said. "They help me every time I'm having problems or just need help with something. I think that's what every team needs, and they just help the culture a lot."
Several of the team's newcomers this season are players in their final year of college eligibility. For most, like Washenitz, the decision to spend their final season helping to get Miller's program off the ground came easily.
"We all understand this is our last year and we want to get it right," Washenitz said. "At the same time, we want to help start the culture. We want to be able to come back here five, six years later and have (the) dynasty that was here before, and we want to help create that and build that back."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Senna James and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporters at aswift10@asu.edu and holtzingerethan@gmail.com and follow @alexswiftsports and @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.
