For a decade and a half when Arizona State women’s basketball needs to reload, it almost always finds a way.

Whether it’s thanks to players ready to contribute after waiting for their turn or talented freshmen coming along at just the right time, ASU continues to pass the baton from one 20-win season to another. Fourteen in all over the last 16 seasons including a current school record of seven straight.

Now with the loss of five seniors, four of them starters, the Sun Devils again are at a crossroads. A significant enough one that they’ll likely need returners and newcomers to come up big for them to remain in the top half of the still loaded Pac-12.

“I do think we develop our players, they get better,” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne said. “We coach everybody hard from the day they get here and we look for opportunities to play people as soon as they get here, even if it means winning by a few less points. That just naturally allows for great development, and that’s what we’re seeing right now in this junior class.”

There are four returning juniors and a junior college transfer starting her ASU career. Forward Jayde Van Hyfte started every game as a sophomore and guard Taya Hanson made 12 starts to cover for injuries. Turner Thorne is banking on those two and guard Iris Mbulito stepping up to fill the experience gap left by departures of guards Reili Richardson, Robbi Ryan and Kiara Russell and posts Jamie Ruden and Ja’Tavia Tapley.

The outgoing players combined for 68 percent of ASU’s scoring in 2019-20, 47 percent of rebounds and 62 percent of assists.

Van Hyfte has been rehabbing from meniscus surgery in April, her third knee surgery in all dating back to high school days in Annawan, Illinois. She recently had a platelet-rich plasma injection to alleviate pain and despite being limited in practice hopes to be ready for the season opener Nov. 25. 

“We’ve worked very hard these last two years and learned a lot from the upperclassmen who were the leaders of our team, and hopefully we can all step into bigger roles this year,” Van Hyfte said. “I believe in my fellow classmates and myself.”

Mbulito also had a recovery summer after breaking her leg and injuring an ankle falling off a skateboard. She is back at full practice and projected to be a perimeter starter along with Hanson and freshman Jaddan Simmons.

“This wasn’t my first time skateboarding, it was my first time using a longboard,” Mbulito said. “I just had bad luck because the longboard hit a little rut and I wasn’t ready for that then I fell and it was really bad. After that one, I probably won’t do it ever