Back in December of 2025, Ashley Joens got a phone call from retired Associated Press sports reporter Chuck Schoffner.
Schoffner, the chairman of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Hall of Fame committee, was wondering if Joens would be in Iowa in March.
“I was ready to come back home,” said Joens, who has bounced around the globe playing professional basketball.
That’s what Schoffner was hoping to hear. Being back in Iowa allowed the IGHSAU to properly honor her during this year’s girls state basketball tournament. The former Iowa City High and Iowa State women’s basketball star was inducted into the IGHSAU basketball Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Casey’s Center on Saturday, March 7.
“You dream of playing in the state tournament as a little kid and to get the opportunity to do that and now have my name etched in with some of the best players that have ever played in the state is just a huge honor,” Joens said.
Joens is one of the most accomplished players to come out of the state. She was a star in high school, a standout in college and an accomplished pro during her playing career. She was a four-year letterwinner at City High and finished her prep career with 2,178 points, good enough for 13th in state history.
She averaged 30.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game and shot 61.8% from the field while leading the Little Hawks to a 25-1 record during her senior season in 2017-18. Joens earned the title of Miss Iowa Basketball that year and was named Iowa’s Gatorade Player of the Year before heading to Iowa State.
During five seasons with the Cyclones, Joens established herself as one of the best players in school history, tallying a school record 3,060 career points. She was the 2022-23 Big 12 Player of the Year, a four-time unanimous All-Big 12 first-team selection and a three-time winner of the Cheryl Miller Award, given annually to the nation’s top small forward.
Joens was far from finished with playing after college. She played for three WNBA teams during the 2023 season, even winning a championship with the Las Vegas Aces. She then went on to play professionally in New Zealand, Greece and France.
She said before Saturday evening’s Hall of Fame ceremony that her playing days may be done.
“I’m kind of keeping it open, but I think I’m kind of at the end here,” Joens said.
The decision to possibly walk away from the game allowed Joens to be back in Iowa for Saturday’s awards ceremony. If Joens wasn’t going to be in the state, the plan was to push it back to next season. But there she was Saturday night with her parents and youngest sister.
“It means a lot, just the rich culture that comes with Iowa women’s basketball and especially with the fan-base that Iowa basketball brings in,” Joens said
Basketball is still an important part of her life. Joens is currently working as a long-term sub as a sixth-grade teacher in Iowa City. She does a skills camp every Monday night and is looking for coaching opportunities. It’s her way of giving back to the game.
“I’m kind of trying to pass on my knowledge and love of the game to the next generation,” Joens said.
If this is the end of her playing career, Joens said she’s happy with everything she’s done.
“I’m super proud of everything I’ve accomplished,” she said.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ashley Joens enshrined in IGHSAU hall of fame, looks at life after basketball
Reporting by Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
