Ruby Whitehorn departed the Tennessee Lady Vols ahead of the 2025-26 season, a blow to Knoxville and for Whitehorn herself. In February Arizona State announced Whitehorn had a new home in Tempe, and she'll join the team for the 2026-27 season. Whitehorn was entering her second season with the Lady Vols when she was dismissed after she was charged with simple possession following her suspension prior in the offseason for charges of aggravated burglary and domestic assault.
All of that is behind her now, and ASU's coach Molly Miller believes Whitehorn will fit right in with the Sun Devils when she begins playing with the team. "She's built for the system," Miller told High Post Hoops. Whitehorn is fast, long, and "can kind of guard one through five if she has to."
The Sun Devils swith and trap frequently, and Whitehorn is "bouncy enough to do that defensively," Miller added. "And then offensively, she's kind of a purist scorer in the open court, where she can get downhil."
Whitehorn hasn't been able to play a game for the Sun Devils yet but she's already been in the gym with the team, and Miller said that will continue all summer. There are hopes she may be drafted once she's eligible, and so the pair will work on her outside shot. "So if you compliment her slashing abiltiy with an outside shot and her capabilities to defend, I think she'll be a really special player in the system," Millera added.
The program's athletic director Graham Rossini previously expressed a lot of excitement about Whitehorn joinined the squad. "Ruby is an elite basketball talent, and we know that, and we're glad that she sees value in joining the ASU women's basketball program," Rossini said of Whitehorn back in February. "It's a testament to the kind of program that coach Molly Miller is building, that she's got that high end talent looking at our program, and that's a sign of things to come as we get ready for this, this next round of recruiting in the transfer portal, we've got some really exciting high school players that are high school players that are committed to our program."
Arizona State's March Madness hopes ended in the First Four
Though ASU's March Madness hopes were stymied by a First Four loss to the Virginia Cavaliers this month, the team is prepared to come back stronger than ever. Miller, who coached the team to a 24-11 record during her first season with the program, also said selflessness is a huge part of the team's culture.
That will be part of what propels the Sun Devils further down the road next season. Once the team understands "we are part of something that the parts have to be greater than the whole to get to where we're going," they'll be able to reach their goals, Miller explained. "And what I mean by that is every piece that touches the program, whether you're a player, whether you're a coach, whether you're an athletic trainer, whether you're a sports psychologist, a nutritionist, sports performance, all these areas of the program need to be elite."