During a media session before the opening game of ASU women’s basketball's season, head coach Charli Turner Thorne said her team opened the campaign with many unknowns.
Five seniors from 2019-20, including four starters and the team's top-four scorers, graduated. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Turner Thorne also did not get a normal offseason to work with what she said may be the youngest team in her ASU career spanning over 23 years.
With six of the 14 current Sun Devils being freshmen, Turner Thorne knew some of those players would need to start in prominent roles, so she turned to freshman point guard Jaddan Simmons before opening night.
"From the get-go, before we even played a game, we said (to Simmons), 'Listen, you are going to be one of our go-to scorers,' and she didn’t flinch," Turner Thorne said.
Simmons broke the Green Bay metro region's scoring record in high school, so Turner Thorne knew she had recruited someone equipped to fill in as a top offensive option.
In Simmons' first-ever Pac-12 game against USC on Dec. 4, ASU was tied at 50 with just over eight minutes left in the game. She drove to the paint, took contact and hit a right-handed floater while getting fouled. She completed the and-one by hitting her ensuing free throw.
ASU didn't concede the lead for the rest of the game, and Simmons hit three crucial free throws in the final minute to cement the victory. She finished with a game-high 20 points, scoring eight of them in the fourth quarter.
"She plays like a strong player who we need and really value on this team," sophomore guard Sydnei Caldwell said after the game.
Simmons was put in the spotlight again against Utah two weeks later. With ASU up by two points with under two minutes left, Simmons crossed up Utah freshman forward Peyton McFarland in isolation at the three-point line and finished a reverse layup, a basket that sparked an 8-2 run that helped seal the win.
Following the victory, Turner Thorne said Simmons and her other freshmen show no fear on the court.
"Charli believes in me and my teammates do, so that makes it a lot easier to step up when it's time to step up," Simmons said. "When I play aggressive is when I play my best."
Despite Turner Thorne praising Simmons' basketball knowledge as "wise beyond her years," the coach said Simmons has to learn how to stay aggressive.
The freshman has shot over 10 field goal attempts in just three of 10 games this season. Turner Thorne wants to see her point guard look to score more often, especially without having many experienced scorers on the team.
Luckily, Simmons is trending toward becoming a more score-first option. She has scored over 10 points in three of the past four games after doing so once in the first four. She has also attempted over 10 field goals in two of the previous three games.
In her last outing, Simmons showed what the team looks like with her as the top option versus one of the country's best teams.
ASU fell hard in the first quarter against No. 1 Stanford, ending the period trailing 19-4.
Simmons scored the Sun Devils’ first five points of the second quarter, and her seven points in the period helped cut the deficit to nine. No Sun Devil shot the ball more than Simmons in the second half of the game.
Simmons only hit one of six shots against the Cardinal in the second half but managed to hit six free throws to finish the game with a team-high 16 points. ASU could not finish the comeback, falling 68-60, but Simmons helped keep them within reach.
Heading into the latter half of the season, Simmons is second on ASU in points with 10.8 per game and in minutes per game behind junior guard Taya Hanson.
Now, Turner Thorne wants to see efforts like the one she displayed against Stanford more consistently.
"She's a starter, poised, very skilled and very athletic point guard," Turner Thorne said. "I think she's still figuring out how good she is."
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