Ashton chosen to lead IW basketball

MT. PLEASANT — The Iowa Wesleyan men’s basketball team announced it had found its leading man on Thursday. Mt. Pleasant native Jordan Ashton will come back home to be the new head coach for the Tigers.

“I am extremely excited, grateful and honored to be returning to Iowa Wesleyan University as head men's basketball coach,” said Ashton in a press release. “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."

Ashton has a storied basketball history in the state of Iowa, dating back to his run as a high school player at Mt. Pleasant. He was the leading scorer of the Panthers’ 2012 state championship team, putting up 18.4 points per game to lead the group.

Ashton went on to play basketball for Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Kirkwood and Northwest Missouri State. He has been on the coaching staff at the University of South Dakota and Kirkwood, and also served as an assistant coach for Iowa Wesleyan in 2020-21.

During the 2021-22 academic year, Ashton served as the assistant coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth. During the season, the team earned the most wins in over 50 years in program history and went a perfect 13-0 at home.

Ashton will officially take over at the helm for the Tigers on April 11.