In a conference with such dominating players such as Christopher Newport's two-time player of the year Chelsie Schweers or Greensboro's Danielle Duncan, Averett senior
Ashley Washington has made her case to be in that same elite company. Yet, if you aren't partial to Averett, you might not have noticed.
“It's funny. She has a quiet game,” Averett women's basketball head coach
Larry Epperly said. “You look at the stat sheet and see a double-double, but during the game you don't realize that it has happened. She plays a quiet game but she's effective.”
While Washington isn't one of the flashy players of the conference, she certainly is one of the most productive. With an average of 15.2 points and 10.6 rebounds a game, she is the only USA South Conference player averaging a double-double this season.
Outsiders may not be as aware of Washington's accomplishments, but those who follow the Cougars are certainly used to her sometimes mind-boggling stat totals — except for maybe one person: Washington herself.
“My momma always calls me and asks me, 'Did you know you did that?'” Washington said. “But I never pay attention to that stuff. At the end of the day, I just try to do what I'm supposed to do.”
What she's done is become one of the most storied players in the program's history. Entering Tuesday's USA South Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Methodist, Washington's 1,257 career points rank fourth and her 831 career rebounds rank third in team history.
“It's hard to believe because I never thought in a million years that I would be near the top.” Washington said. “It's just crazy.”
The soft-spoken Washington believes that she is just goes about her business as she should.
“I feel like if I didn't give the team all that I have, it would be selfish and I would be letting the team down.”
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GROWING UP
During her four years at Averett, Washington has no doubt matured as a player and a person. After bursting onto the scene with an impressive start in her freshman season, she received a lesson that has made her become who she is today.
“That only made me stronger and made me realize what's more important and what I needed to do,” said Washington, who was forced to sit out the second semester of her freshman season because she was ineligible.
“I was kind of nervous playing college basketball because it's definitely different from high school. But once I started playing, I didn't stop because I love the game,” she admitted. “After that (semester), I've just played. All the accomplishments that I've set here, I wouldn't have been able to do it without the coaches and my teammates.
“Through it all, I've tried to become a better person and a better player.”
She has, according to assistant coach
Taylor Poirier, who played two years with Washington before coaching her the past two seasons.
“She has come into her own,” said Poirier, who Washington passed earlier this season on Averett's all-time scoring list. “After that semester where she couldn't play, it was like she blossomed. She wasn't afraid or scared to get in there and work hard. Not only that, I've seen her grow as a person.”
A model of consistency, Washington's numbers have remained similar the past three seasons. She has already surpassed her single-season rebounding total by one, and with a strong performance Tuesday at Methodist she could reach the 400-point mark for the third straight season. The one difference, however, has been Washington's defensive prowess. In her first three seasons, she combined to block 21 total shots. This season alone she has blocked 27 shots.
“On the defensive end, she's been a really strong defender,” Epperly said. “She's worked really hard and she's had to guard some girls that are much bigger than her. She's done really well.”
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THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM?
Averett has knocked off some of the top teams in the conference, including rival Ferrum and Christopher Newport, which was ranked No. 8 in the country at the time by D3Hoops.com. Yet, the Cougars have had the most trouble figuring out Methodist. The Monarchs squeezed out a 63-57 win over Averett in Danville on Jan. 12 and beat the Cougars 62-50 on Feb. 5 in Fayetteville, N.C.
“It's funny. Some teams you match up with well and some you don't,” Epperly said. “We have a hard time matching up with Methodist. They have a big center that plays physical with Ashley, and they have a real quick guard and have a kid that can shoot it. They are really physical and we aren't big, so they wear us out. They are one of the few teams this year that has outrebounded us.”
Although Methodist has gotten the better of Averett twice this season, Tuesday's matchup doesn't scare the Cougars. Just ask Washington. She'll quickly remind you of last season. That's because the Cougars swept Ferrum during the regular season before the Panthers knocked off Averett in the conference tournament semifinals.
To get by Methodist this time around, the Cougars know they must take care of the basketball and to a better job on the glass.
“Every time we've played them, boxing out has been the biggest issue,” Washington said.
In addition to rebounding, Epperly said the Cougars need to score — also no easy task against Methodist.
“Methodist is one of the best defensive teams in the league and for some reason we really struggle offensively against them,” Epperly said. “Just finding the basket has been hard.”
Washington will be crucial in both areas if the Cougars want their season to extend beyond Tuesday.
“She's come up big for us lately,” Epperly said. “She's been really solid. We need her to score. To be honest, we haven't gotten her enough shots this year. We played Saturday and she had a double-double (14 points and 13 rebounds) and I looked down at the stat sheet and she only took seven shots.”
Epperly hopes he'll look at the stat sheet Tuesday night and see another “quiet” Washington double-double. And an Averett win, of course.
