Arizona State women’s basketball’s new head coach, Molly Miller, has nothing but high praise for her LSU transfer recruit.
Miller herself is new to ASU, having left Grand Canyon across the town to replace Natasha Adair, who was fired after ASU’s third consecutive losing season. Adair compiled an overall record of 29-62. Now Miller is expressing her appreciation for some of the new players who are joining her in Phoenix.
Molly Miller Gushes About LSU Transfer Last-Tear Poa
According to Talia Goodman from On3, the new coach is already highly impressed by the 2025-26 ASU roster. “Out of every team I’ve coached, they might be the team that has built chemistry the fastest,” Miller said to On3.
One of the players to have caught her attention the most is Last-Tear Poa. The coach admitted that the former LSU student-athlete’s eagerness and dedication during team practices surprised her.
“She’s a dog, and I love that,” Miller said. “She wants to win every drill. She’s the one saying, ‘One more coach? Can we do one more?’ I always say it’s easier to say ‘whoa’ than ‘giddy up’ with her. She’s a hooper.”
Poa was part of the 2022-23 LSU team that captured the NCAA National Championship alongside Angel Reese. Her defensive skills were on full display in the game against Iowa, where she drew two fouls against Caitlin Clark.
In Jan. 2025, Poa was surprisingly absent for back-to-back games against Texas A&M and Oklahoma, after already sitting out the season’s first three games for undisclosed reasons. Following the win over Oklahoma, head coach Kim Mulkey offered a brief but telling explanation.
“She is being disciplined for the breaking of a team rule,” Mulkey said, remaining silent on a potential return to action.
After transferring to ASU, Poa told basketball.com.au the main reason behind the decision.
“Honestly, it was really coach Molly (Miller),” Poa said. “I’m always the type to follow the coach. I don’t really care about programs.”
Molly Miller Using Two C’s to Build Up Arizona State
In addition to Poa, Miller praised Pittsburgh transfer Marley Washenitz for her vocal leadership and UNLV transfer McKinna Brackens for her all-around play. She also shared her primary focus since taking over ASU’s reins.
“I wanted to start with culture and character — those two C’s were very important before, ‘How are we going to win ball games?’ I don’t know if we’re going to be the most talented team in the country. I know we’ll win games, it’s all we know how to do. I do know we’ll be one of the best cultures in the country.”
Miller said ASU’s 1.5-year-old Big 12 status also comes into play. She believes that, as one of the “toughest, most visible” women’s basketball conferences, the Big 12 allows her a huge opportunity to elevate the program by leaps and bounds.
Describing her team in one word, Miller called the Sun Devils “relentless.”
