The Baseline – ASU Hoops Notebook

ASU women’s and men’s hoops kicked off their seasons on Monday with wins. 

These first games can be cause for overreaction, and with so much new, it’s tough to identify what’s an issue and what’s nerves. But here’s a few things that stood out on night 1:

Averie Lower

The freshman got a start on an experienced team led by Molly Miller. Look into her profile and you’ll learn she can shoot. She did exactly that in game 1, hitting five 3-pointers, leading the team on their way to 11 3-pointers. Miller has talked about playing a more wide open, up-tempo brand of offense. Having a shooter like Lower in the mix will certainly open things up. 

In Miller’s final year at GCU, Alyssa Durazo-Frescas transferred in from UNLV. She brought a shooting presence the previous year’s team had lacked. In fact, she set the WCC record for 3-pointers made. She brought a new element to the offense that helped catapult the Lopes into the NCAA tournament and own the nation’s longest win streak at the time. 

Now, I’m not putting those expectations on Lower, especially after one game. But last year’s Sun Devil squad made 4.5 3-pointers a game. Lower surpassed that by herself in her first game. Miller has had success in adding exactly what her teams needs. Lower could be the latest example.

Joel Foxwell

The sophomore point guard logged 15 points and five assists in his ASU debut. He got to the line seven times and hit five free throws in the process. 

He brings a great motor and a calm mindset to the court. When ASU was scrapping with East Tennessee, he helped get that separation to get the win. 

He logged 40 minutes in his debut. Randy Bennett said he had wished the team had pulled away earlier to try to get the reserves more minutes. Foxwell’s usage will be something I’m going to keep an eye on. This team seemingly has good depth, but I don’t know if there is a clear-cut back-up point guard. Making sure Foxwell is fresh during Big 12 play will be crucial, and I’m curious how the coaching staff uses rotations to accomplish that. 

El Carrera

The veteran big showed up in her 2026 debut. When both teams were struggling to score early on in the game, she got the scoring rolling. She made five of the team’s first seven buckets. 

At times, she carried the team in Big 12 play last year, and she seems ready – along with McKinna Brackens – to be that steady returner presence.

Getting to the line

While the Sun Devil men’s team struggled in various aspects of the offense, notably 3-point shooting, they were successful in getting to the line and converting that into points at a high rate. Randy Bennett’s squad hit 21/26 free throws. Last year’s Saint Mary’s squad was second in the country in free throw percentage, and winning that margin consistently may lead to more victories.