Ashton Comes Home to Coach the Tigers

Mount Pleasant, IA – March 31, 2022 – Jordan Ashton, a Mount Pleasant native, will take the
reins of the Tigers Men’s Basketball program, effective April 11th.
Ashton spent the 2021-22 academic year as an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota
Duluth. During this season, the team earned the most wins in over 50 years in program history
and went undefeated with a perfect 13-0 record at home, the first time since the 1990-91 season.
The team received their highest national ranking, fifth, in school history and earned the title of
NSIC North Division Conference Champions. Ashton coached the NSIC North Division Player
of the Year and two First-Team NSIC All-Conference players.
Ashton knows how to win, both as a coach and a player. He spent two years coaching at the
University of South Dakota and Kirkwood Community College. While at South Dakota, Ashton
contributed to a team that would win seven more wins than the previous season and a third-place
finish in the Missouri Valley Conference. While at Kirkwood Community College, he assisted
the Eagles in winning the 2019 NJCAA National Championship, coaching the National Player of
the Year and five All-Region Players.
As an athlete, Coach Ashton competed under Head Coach Ben Jacobson at the University of
Northern Iowa. He led the team in minutes played, three-point percentage (44%), and was the
third-leading scorer. Ashton spent one year at Iowa State University competing under Head
Coach Steve Prohm, a year at Kirkwood Community College under Head Coach Bryan Petersen
when the team won a national championship, and two years at Northwest Missouri State
University under Head Coach Ben McCollum. Coach Ashton played high school basketball at
Mount Pleasant Community High School, where he assisted in leading the team to become 3A
State Champions in 2012. Ashton was named the Class 3A Player of the Year, 1st-Team
All-State, and State Tournament MVP.
Before the University of Minnesota Duluth, Ashton was the assistant coach/offensive coordinator
for the Iowa Wesleyan Men’s Basketball Team for the 2020-2021 season, the Tigers’ final season
as an NCAA Division III member. The Tigers made an appearance in the semifinals of the
SLIAC Conference Tournament and saw a First-Team All-Conference player in Jarryd
Fernandes. Coach Ashton assisted in recruiting many of the talented players that IW saw on the
court this past season.
“I am extremely excited, grateful, and honored to be returning to Iowa Wesleyan University as
head men’s basketball coach. Having the opportunity to return to a program, university, and
community that means so much to me is truly a blessing. I want to thank President Plunkett,
Derek Zander, and the great individuals who support this program. These are exciting times at
IW with a lot to look forward to, and I can’t wait to get started”.