The annual countdown to the Iowa Hawkeyes basketball season continues with the former walk-on: Austin Ash!
Previously:
Austin Ash
Guard, 6’ 3”, 175 lbs
Redshirt sophomore, Cedar Rapids, IA (Mount Vernon)
After a redshirt season, Austin Ash didn’t see a ton of minutes in Iowa’s proven frontcourt. However, he did show off his sharpshooting abilities.
When I think of Ash, I think of 3’s. He doesn’t play much (Ash played 39 total minutes last season and appeared in nine games), but when he’s in, he’s launching from downtown.
Take this stat for example: Per 40 minutes, Ash attempts 16.4 (!!!) triples and 18.5 field goals, according to Basketball Reference.
Rk | Player | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 2P | 2PA | 2P% | 3P | 3PA ▼ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Austin Ash | 9 | 0 | 39 | 5.1 | 18.5 | .278 | 0.0 | 2.1 | .000 | 5.1 | 16.4 |
2 | Nicolas Hobbs | 6 | 0 | 14 | 8.6 | 14.3 | .600 | 2.9 | 5.7 | .500 | 5.7 | 8.6 |
3 | Jordan Bohannon | 35 | 35 | 1085 | 4.1 | 10.8 | .381 | 1.2 | 3.2 | .375 | 2.9 | 7.6 |
4 | Nicholas Baer | 35 | 5 | 667 | 4.6 | 10.6 | .435 | 1.9 | 3.5 | .542 | 2.7 | 7.1 |
5 | Joe Wieskamp | 35 | 35 | 971 | 5.1 | 10.5 | .488 | 2.7 | 4.8 | .564 | 2.4 | 5.7 |
6 | Isaiah Moss | 35 | 35 | 845 | 5.2 | 13.1 | .399 | 2.9 | 7.7 | .383 | 2.3 | 5.4 |
Okay, obviously those numbers are skewed due to the amount of minutes he actually played, but you get the picture - when Ash is in, he’s letting it fly.
His best game last year came when Iowa took down Savannah State on Dec. 22, 2018. Ash scored a career-best nine points, hitting three of his eight 3-point attempts. He added a pair of assists and a steal for good measure.
Like 3-pointers? Like, a lot?
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 22, 2018
We ask because we have 19 of them here.
That's right, @IowaHoops drained a program-record 19 triples today. pic.twitter.com/zxKWCFIIQ7
As a team, Iowa hit 19 3-pointers, which is a school record.
Think about that: Austin Ash contributed to a school record. Good for him.
This season, I’m not sure we’ll see much of Ash outside of non-conference blowouts. Jordan Bohannon might play? Might not? Who knows. But even with Iowa’s starting point guard’s status in the air, there are still plenty of guys in front of Ash - Joe Toussaint, Bakari Evelyn, C.J. Fredrick, Joe Wieskamp, and Connor McCaffery.
Regardless, Ash is a fan favorite. Iowa could have a game well at hand and the crowd will still get on its feet when he pulls up for three.