Iowa high school girls' basketball team hires Ashley Joens as head coach

Ashley Joens will be returning to her Iowa high school girls’ basketball roots as a head coach. As shared on X, she will take over the Ankeny High School program, pending board approval.

“Grateful for this opportunity to start the next chapter of my career. Excited to be a part of such a rich culture of girls’ basketball at Ankeny High School. Can’t wait to get to work. Go Hawks!” she reacted.

Joens started all four years at Iowa City High School. She was Miss Iowa Basketball and a five-star recruit after averaging 30.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game during her senior year. Even though her stats got her offers from a few college basketball programs, she stayed home and chose Iowa State.

During her stint with the Cyclones, Ashley Joens earned four All-American honors, four First-Team All-Big 12 distinctions, and three Cheryl Miller Awards as the nation’s best small forward. In her senior year (2023), she also became the Big 12 Player of the Year and the Big 12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

Joens declared for the 2023 WNBA Draft and was selected by the Dallas Wings in the second round (19th overall). However, she switched to three different teams (Wings, Las Vegas Aces, and Phoenix Mercury) in one season.

Since then, she has played professionally in Italy, New Zealand, Greece, and France. Joens led Tauranga Whai to the 2024 Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa championship and became a part of the league’s All-Star Five.

Internationally, she represented two USA Basketball teams that won gold. She was the team captain of the squad that won the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Women’s Americas Championship. A year later, Joens and her teammates won the FIBA Under-19 Women’s World Cup.

Ashley Joens will take over an Iowa high school girls’ basketball team that went 14-11 last season. The Hawks were on a three-game winning streak before suffering a season-ending loss to Johnston.