TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State women's basketball team officially kicked off practice for the 2018-19 season with a two-hour session at Wells Fargo Arena on Tuesday.
The Sun Devils are coming off a campaign in which they tied the school records for consecutive NCAA appearances (five) and 20-win seasons (five). The team will return all of its core players next season including 2018 All-Pac-12 standout and leading scorer Kianna Ibis and 2018 All-Pac-12 honorable mention/Pac-12 defensive honorable mention selection Robbi Ryan.
ASU's newest players – freshmen Taya Hanson, Jamie Loera, Iris Mbulito, Jayde Van Hyfte – all participated in their first practice as Sun Devils on Tuesday. With all four players looking to make significant contributions, Turner Thorne said a big emphasis of the early practices will be getting everyone on the same page with the playbook and pace.
"The freshmen have been really ahead of the curve, especially in fitness and strength and very skilled," Turner Thorne said. "With the playbook and the pace, that is the reason we are focusing on those things now. The returners are more familiar with everything and for the freshmen it is just new to them. And so we just want to be smart and get everybody up to speed with that and then progress into our team concepts."
Turner Thorne said Tuesday's opening practice signified that the season is just around the corner.
"I think it makes the season kind of 'here,' and real," Turner Thorne said. "You have such a long offseason in basketball and it gets to be a bit of a grind – and we embrace the grind here – but I think (the start of practice) gets everyone really excited for games because it is what they have been working for this whole offseason."
The season will officially tip off on Tues., Nov. 6 against Incarnate Word.
Season tickets starting at only $59 are now on sale for the Sun Devil women's basketball team's 2018-19 home slate.
The Sun Devils will host 14 contests at Wells Fargo Arena this season. The home schedule will include five non-conference gamesand nine tilts against Pac-12 foes. Included in ASU's nine-game Pac-12 docket are contests against 2018 NCAA Elite Eight teams Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA.
To purchase season tickets today, click here, or contact a Sun Devil ticket office representative at 480-965-5812.
The Sun Devils are coming off a campaign in which they tied the school records for consecutive NCAA appearances (five) and 20-win seasons (five). The team will return all of its core players next season including 2018 All-Pac-12 standout and leading scorer Kianna Ibis and 2018 All-Pac-12 honorable mention/Pac-12 defensive honorable mention selection Robbi Ryan.
"It's so exciting to get practice underway," ASU head coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "We have such a fun group that is really committed and individually is one of the most talented groups we've had in a long time. Now the challenge is just bringing them together."First day of practice ??
— Sun Devil WBB (@SunDevilWBB) September 26, 2018
4??2?? days until the start of the season #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/JAVYC24liv
ASU's newest players – freshmen Taya Hanson, Jamie Loera, Iris Mbulito, Jayde Van Hyfte – all participated in their first practice as Sun Devils on Tuesday. With all four players looking to make significant contributions, Turner Thorne said a big emphasis of the early practices will be getting everyone on the same page with the playbook and pace.
"The freshmen have been really ahead of the curve, especially in fitness and strength and very skilled," Turner Thorne said. "With the playbook and the pace, that is the reason we are focusing on those things now. The returners are more familiar with everything and for the freshmen it is just new to them. And so we just want to be smart and get everybody up to speed with that and then progress into our team concepts."
Turner Thorne said Tuesday's opening practice signified that the season is just around the corner.
"I think it makes the season kind of 'here,' and real," Turner Thorne said. "You have such a long offseason in basketball and it gets to be a bit of a grind – and we embrace the grind here – but I think (the start of practice) gets everyone really excited for games because it is what they have been working for this whole offseason."
First day of practice!!! We're on a mission! #goals pic.twitter.com/eI6fPi7TNu
— Angie Gorton Nelp (@angienelp) September 25, 2018
The season will officially tip off on Tues., Nov. 6 against Incarnate Word.
Season tickets starting at only $59 are now on sale for the Sun Devil women's basketball team's 2018-19 home slate.
The Sun Devils will host 14 contests at Wells Fargo Arena this season. The home schedule will include five non-conference gamesand nine tilts against Pac-12 foes. Included in ASU's nine-game Pac-12 docket are contests against 2018 NCAA Elite Eight teams Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA.
To purchase season tickets today, click here, or contact a Sun Devil ticket office representative at 480-965-5812.