Clawson's leadership essential to Women's Basketball turnaround
MCLA Junior captain Ashley Clawson has become a leader both on and off the floor for the women's basketball program leading them to a 7-3 record.
North Adams, MA- The MCLA women's basketball program currently sits at 7-3 as they prepare for final exams. The seven victories match last season's win total. One of the main reasons behind the early season success, has been the play, and more importantly, the leadership of junior captain Ashley Clawson.
Clawson and the Trailblazers have had some challenging years over her first two seasons in a Trailblazer uniform. The one constant throughout has been Clawson, and her junior classmates. The junior from Tolland, CT has started the last 59 games in which the Trailblazers have participated in. She leads the team in assists with 3.8 per game, but her impact goes much deeper than simply sharing the ball.
According to head coach Holly McGovern, Clawson routinely draws the opposition's toughest offensive player on defense. The captain plays a crucial role in imploring MCLA's full court pressure defense, which has translated to opposing team's committing 26.1 turnovers a night.
When asked what she prides herself in more, her passing or defensive work, Clawson quickly pointed out, "I like to do both as they are really important assets to helping the team win." Winning wasn't always the case early on in Clawson's career as her and the team struggled through some tough times.
Over the course of her first two seasons, the team won just 10 games as her class struggled through some early growing pains. Now, the group is much more focused and experience has played a part in their development.
"When we started as freshmen, we lost focus easily. Now it is just important to bring that same focus to practice every day going forward as we look to the MASCAC schedule," Clawson stated. The "We" that she referred to is the junior class which includes fellow starters Kayla Hotaling, Courtney McLaughlin, and Brayleigh Hanlon. Add to the mix a solid freshmen class, and the Trailblazers have the pieces to make some noise in the near future and keep up their winning ways.
The Trailblazers will be tested in the second semester of play as they haven't been a factor in the MASCAC for the past few years. This team however, is very confident in their ability to succeed if they just stay focused and prepare for whatever comes their way. Having a leader like Ashley Clawson will help MCLA move forward and up the ranks of the MASCAC ladder in 2016.