The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletics Communications:
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State women’s basketball senior Ashley Joens and junior Emily Ryan are both being looked at among the nation’s best as both have been named to the 2023 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s Watch List, announced Friday morning.
Joens has been a regular on the Naismith Trophy Watch List over the years, making it all the way to the 10-player National Semifinalists list last season. This is the first time Ryan has made a Naismith Trophy Watch List.
A senior from Iowa City, Joens continues to add to her lengthy preseason accolades, having already been named to the Associate Press Preseason All-America Team, the 2022-23 Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, a unanimous choice for the All-Big 12 Preseason Team, the No. 4 player in the country by ESPNW and to the watch list for the Cheryl Miller Award, for which she is the two-time defending winner.ADVERTISING
Joens is Iowa State’s all-time leading scorer, entering the season with 2,369 career points. Last season saw her named a Second Team All-American by the Associated Press and USBWA along with being named to the WBCA All-America Team.
Ryan was also named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team and was also named to the Watch List for the Nancy Lieberman Award. The Claflin, Kansas native was an All-Big 12 First Team honoree last year, and broke ISU’s single-season assists record with 249 dimes. That run included setting a new ISU single-game assists record with 17 at TCU. She also dished out 16 against West Virginia and 15 against Prairie View A&M, being the only player in the country last year with multiple 15-assist games. Offensively, Ryan averaged 13.1 points per game, including shooting 54.1 percent from 3-point range in Big 12 play.
The duo are helping lead the Cyclones into one of the program’s most anticipated seasons in school history, with Iowa State checking in at No. 8 in the Associated Press Preseason Poll and being chosen by the league’s coaches in first place in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
Iowa State kicks off the regular season on Monday at 11 a.m. against Cleveland State at Hilton Coliseum. Season and single-game tickets are on sale through the Iowa State Athletics Ticket Office, here.
