Former Iowa State star Ashley Joens is a WNBA champion, and she’ll have the ring to prove it.
Joens, who played in two games for the 2023 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces, was told by team officials recently that she will receive a championship ring for her contributions to the team.
“It means a lot that I got the opportunity that most people don’t get, to be able to come in there for a couple of weeks and just be a part of a really great team,” Joens said in a phone interview with the Register on Friday.
Joens, an Iowa City native, is one of the most accomplished players in Iowa State history. The former Cyclones star was a three-time recipient of the Cheryl Miller Award, a four-time unanimous All-Big 12 first-team pick, and the school’s all-time leading scorer.
After wrapping up her collegiate career, Joens was selected by the Dallas Wings in the second round of the 2023 WNBA Draft. Joens spent her first season in the WNBA bouncing around the league. She appeared in 19 games in stints with Dallas, the Aces and the Phoenix Mercury.
Joens signed two seven-day contracts with the Aces in July before being released in August. The Aces went on to beat the New York Liberty in four games in the WNBA Finals. Joens is currently playing in Italy but hopes to get into training camp with a WNBA team later this year. She’s thankful for the opportunity she had to be on a championship team with the Aces.
“It was just a really great atmosphere to be around and environment to continue to learn and grow my game in as well,” Joens said.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ex-Iowa State star Ashley Joens getting championship ring from Aces
