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We hope you are ready for a season unlike any other: testing, distancing, and bubbles, oh my! Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or whether anything actually will happen…but in the meantime we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches/administrators in the country. We continue our coverage with Iowa State JR SG/SF Ashley Joens. She won a gold medal in 2018, made the Big 12 All-Freshman team in 2019, and was named an All-American in 2020. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Ashley about making a FT to beat Baylor and her expectations for this year.
You were captain of team USA at the FIBA Americas U18 Women’s Championship: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? It was a great honor just to make the team, but to be named captain and take a leadership role meant a lot. To win a gold medal was great as well: just competing at the highest level and coming out on top.
You were born/raised in Iowa: what made you choose Iowa State? The team/coaches/family atmosphere as well as the fans/community. There is a ton of support here and everyone wants the best for you both on and off the court. To be a part of “Hilton Magic” is a great feeling and I am really glad to be part of the Iowa State family.
You started all 35 games as a freshman and were named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I just competed and played as hard as I could every time that I stepped onto the court. Even if I did not know exactly what I was doing I just hustled and got after it no matter what and gave everything I had.
Last December you scored a career-high 41 PTS against Wright State: was it just 1 of those situations where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? A little bit…but a lot of it was due to my teammates getting me the ball when I had an open shot. They put me in a great position to do that.
You became the 1st player in school history to record a 30/20 game (against Texas Southern last November) and were the only player in nation to average 20+ PPG/10+ RPG: how do you balance your scoring with your rebounding? I just compete on both ends of the court: it is not a 1-sided game. I go after rebounds on offense and defense and attack on offense.
Last March you made a FT in the final second of a 1-PT win over Baylor to clinch your school’s 1st win over a top-2 team since 2004: did you think that you were going to make it, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That is probably the biggest highlight of my career. We shoot FTs every day in practice so I told myself that it was just another FT, which helped me relax. I have done it 100 times before and if I make a mistake then it is okay.
You finished the season by being named an All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was great just to be considered an All-American: we have such a high level of players throughout the country.
In the 2020 Big 12 tourney you were scheduled to play Kansas State before learning that the entire postseason was canceled due to the coronavirus: what was your reaction when you 1st heard the news, and do you think that it was the right decision? When I 1st heard the news I really could not believe that our season was over. Looking back on it I wish we could have kept going but it was good to end on a high note with the win over Baylor to finish our regular season.
1 of your new teammates is your sister Aubrey: what is the best part of having her on the team? It is nice having her on the team after we played together for 2 years in high school and to represent our family at a high level is a lot of fun. We get along really well and I get to pick on her occasionally(!) but we both help each other out because we know how we play. To wear the same uniform as her again is great.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? The goals for this year are the same as last year: keep working/improving. We cannot simply be happy with ending the season well last year and hopefully we will have an even better season this year.