TEMPE, Ariz.- The Arizona State women’s basketball team faces Coppin State in its season opener.
Both the Sun Devils and the Eagles will compete against each other for the first time in the 2025-26 season. ASU and Coppin State both have new head coaches and fresh rosters to start the season.
Sun Devil head coach Molly Miller shared what it has been like to coach a new team during the preseason in an interview with Sports360AZ.
“We’re all starting this journey at the same starting line, but it is a fresh start for a lot of these players,” Miller said. “I said, ‘You are going to start with a clean slate.’”
Much like the Sun Devils, the Eagles have a brand new roster. It consists of five freshmen, nine transfer students and one returner.
Coppin State's new head coach, Darrell Mosley, previously was the associate head coach at ASU under last year's head coach, Natasha Adair.
In an interview with WMAR-2 News, Mosley said he is excited to keep the strong Coppin State program moving forward.
“I had to work my way up the ladder until my name was called again to be a head coach,” Mosley said.“I think this was the final box to check in my career.”
Last year, the Eagles finished with a 19-15 record, marking their most successful season in a few years.
Mosley previously was a head coach for six seasons at Lincoln University before coaching under Adair at the University of Delaware, just prior to following her to ASU.
The last time these two teams saw each other was Dec. 5, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland. The Eagles came out on top with a six-point lead to score the win.
This upcoming matchup will only be the second time ever that these programs will compete against each other.
The first 500 fans to attend the matchup in Tempe will receive an exclusive commemorative ticket with the ASU 2025-26 schedule in honor of the opening match of the season.
Miller has strived to create a connected culture throughout the Arizona State community since the first day she stepped on campus.
“I might be the leader, but every single person matters in our program, in our team, in our fanbase, and the people that are watching on TV,” Miller said. “We get ready to go, and we are going to do this.”