Marksbury leadership key to Lady Demons'

Ashely Marksbury playing valuable role for Lady Demons with performance, leadership

As lone senior, Marksbury

is glue that holds WHS together in tough times

Ashely Marksbury (22) got off to a very strong start, highlighted by a 20-point, 12-rebound performance in a win over Owen Co. Her play and leadership are major keys to the Lady Demons currenting ranking among the 8th Region elite.

By Wade Holland

Publisher

As a double-double threat every time she takes the floor, Williamstown's Ashely Marksbury is invaluable to the Lady Demons' success. But as the lone senior on a young squad, her value to the program is much greater than anything you'll find in a box score.

And through three weeks of play, Marksbury's influence both on and off the floor have been on full display as the Lady Demons are off to an impressive start with four wins, tied for the second most in the region at the Christmas break.

While she has stepped up and is filling a leadership role, helping guide the younger players through thick and thin, Marksbury has also displayed her ability to dominate as a player. She scored 10 points in the team's first game of the season, followed by a 20-point, 12-rebound effort in a victory at Owen Co., while barely missing another double-double with eight points and nine rebounds in a win over Newport.

Even when she is not turning in dominating performances, Marksbury is still doing her job, and doing it well, by accomplishing whatever the coaching staff asks of her.

"Ashely completely accepts her role no matter what it is," said Williamstown Head Coach Kasey Mason. "She knows what her job is when she is out there. And that is very important because it helps the younger girls understand that it's important to be a player who says, 'this is the player I am and this is my job', whatever that job may be."

With no seniors in the program either of the last two seasons, leadership has been an issue for the Lady Demons in the past. And that leadership is something that can only come from a player, not a member of the coaching staff.

"We've told the girls, we cannot become a great team until we have a leader emerge," said Mason. "And Ashley is already on that track, I just hope it stays consistent.

"Ashely has verbally become more of a leader in recent games and in practice. She is really stepping up," continued Mason. "Instead of me having to point out to the girls that certain things are unacceptable, Ashely is stepping up and saying it for me. She is also the comedian on the team, so when she does say it, it does not come off as too harsh or like she is screaming at anyone. It's all positive."

Having the added pressure of being the player others look up to is not a burden on Marksbury. Instead, it is a role she relishes.

"I do feel like I'm the glue to the team and I have the ability to keep it all together," she said. "As the only senior, it's my job to be the leader and get everyone going. If I show emotion, that's going to bring everyone down. And that's just me. I'm a person that I can bring everyone up, but if I'm down I can bring everyone down. So I try my best to always be happy and positive and keep it all together."

Encouraged by her mom, who was a three-sport athlete at Norwood High School in Ohio, Marksbury got her start as a basketball player at a very young age, suiting up for the first time as a second grader. She was one of the better players at every level coming up through the

ranks until an injury derailed her career as a freshman. But after getting healthy while sitting our her sophomore season, she returned last year and has played a major role for the Lady Demons ever since.

For Mason, who coached Marksbury on the junior varsity squad while she was still in middle school, the growth from her standout senior has been impressive, especially over the last 12 months.

"The maturity from last year to this year is just amazing," said Mason. "Ashely's become a leader both on and off the floor. She has become a very well-rounded, very focused player. A lot of times. players go through a stage where they're distracted or other things seem more important. But Ashley's focus really is on wanting us to have a successful season.

"She has learned how to use her body great in the post and her boxing out is much better," added Mason. "Ashely has developed a nice outside shot. The game against Owen where she had 20 points, most of her points came on shots from 10 to 15 feet out. And that is a big deal. In the past she was more of an inside scorer from five to seven feet. But she has extended that out. And it looks good, too. It's not her forcing things.

"Most teams when they scout us, I don't think they pinpoint Ashely as someone to really watch out for," added Mason. "But she is a player that they better watch out for because, now that she has developed her outside shot, and the way she is moving, along with her competitiveness, she is very capable. She wants to win. And I think every time she steps out on the floor she is capable of doing big things."

While Marksbury is also happy with her progress, she still sees plenty of room for improvement and vows to continue to work as hard as she can until the final buzzer on her senior season sounds.

"More than anything, I just need to get into better shape," she said, while admitting that she absolutely hates running and only does it when she has to. "I'm doing better at that this year, but I feel like if I were in complete tip-top shape, I would be unstoppable."

Also a star volleyball player, Marksbury believes a better understanding of basketball is helping her excel as well.

"I've always been pretty volleyball smart. But I believe my basketball smarts is starting to click, too," she said. "I remember when basketball didn't click with me like it does now. I remember in the past when the coaches would say things like go to a 3-2 and I would be lost and flip out. But I'm understanding it all so much better now."

While her prowess as an athlete and leader for her teams is becoming well documented, Marksbury is equally impactful as a student at Williamstown and as a person in the community. Her grades are very good and her attitude and personality are second to none.

"Her personality is something that is much needed on our team," said Mason. "We have some girls who over analyze things and how they play, and they get very down on themselves if things are not going their way. But with Ashely, we can be in the most intense situation and I can be ripping the girls for something they should be doing, or be upset at halftime of a game, and I know as soon as I leave the room Ashely will say something or do something to ease the tension to get the girls to relax and laugh.

"You can't be around her and not laugh," continued Mason. "She is a very bubbly, happy-go-lucky person. There's not a lot of things that she allows to ruin her mood. You can tell when she's not there, it's a mood changer. She has the ability to change the mood of the entire room. That's something we all love about her. She is a very positive person."

While acknowledging that it has taken a lot of hard work to get where she is today both on and off the hardwood, Marksbury takes very little credit for her status. Instead, she points to her mom, Angela Marksbury, as the reason for her successes.

"She is a single mom. She has done it all by herself since I was little," said Markbury while speaking of her mom. "I could not ask for anything more. I get absolutely everything. She has sacrificed so much for me. She has given me everything I've ever wanted. And that's crazy, because there are people out there with two parents who are barely getting anything, and here I am getting everything I ever wanted."

While being someone who likes attention, Marksbury knows it's not just about her and she is quick to point out that team success is much more important to her than anything she will ever accomplish as an individual in the game. And her expectations for the Lady Demons this season are very high.

"Wins. A lot of wins," she said. "I expect great things this year. I feel like we are ready to bring it. Everyone better be ready, because we are going to shock some people this year. A lot of people think just because Williamstown is a small school that we don't have talent. But that's not true. We have tons of talent and we're going to show it."

As for her future, college is a given for Marksbury, who wants to be like her mother and major in business with a possible career in human resources. Whether or not athletics are part of her life at the next level is undecided, though volleyball seems very likely.

But no matter if she ever suits up as an athlete after high school graduation, one thing is certain, Marksbury is going to be a success in whatever she decides to do, said Mason.

"As a coach, of course basketball is important, but its also important to teach those life lessons. And you hope when they leave you that you've taught them something about work ethic and being disciplined and about their growth into young women. And with Ashely, its amazing to see the growth from when she first got to high school to now. There is no doubt in my mind that she is going to be a successful adult. That is both comforting to me and something I'm very proud of her for."

Ashely Marksbury (22), also a standout volleyball player at Williamstown, has big plans for her future, and with the support of her mother, Angela Marksbury, she knows she has all the tools to be successful.