Will Ashford is everything Metea Valley needs him to be.
Sometimes that means the 6-foot-6 senior is playing guard. At other times, he’s working at forward or center.
Ashford often plays multiple positions in the same game, even on the same possession. He doesn’t always know where Metea Valley coach Isaiah Davis will send him, but that’s only a problem for opponents.
“We move him around, and he does a lot of good stuff for us,” Davis said. “He can guard multiple positions; he can play multiple positions.
“Against a smaller guy, he can score in the post. On a bigger guy, he can take him on the perimeter.”
Just how good is Ashford?
“He’s a great player,” Davis said. “I think he’s one of the best players in the state, period.”
High praise, but not hyperbole to anyone who watched Ashford perform Wednesday. He poured in a game-high 23 points on 9-for-15 shooting and led all players with nine rebounds to lift the host Mustangs to a 60-59 upset win against Oswego East in Aurora.
“It kind of boosts us a little bit because we’ve been on a long stretch of tough games and tough opponents,” Ashford said. “We’ve been on a losing streak, but we’ve been beating ourselves, and we know that.
“So just to be able to get a win before the Christmas tournament is a good thing and shows we’re going down the right way.”
Ashford’s career is clearly on an upward path for the Mustangs (5-4). As a junior, he averaged 11.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists to help the Mustangs go 21-9.
But Ashford has become the unquestioned top dog, able to bring the ball up, shoot, defend and score in the post. The Mustangs relish his versatility.
“He was already a pretty athletic kid last year, but he’s grown physically, and he’s got more keys,” junior swingman Jake Nosek said. “We really trust all of our guys, especially Will, so we know if we put the ball in his hands, he’s going to make the right play, and then athletically he can dominate, get to the rim and also shoot.”
All of which makes Ashford a matchup nightmare. Defensively, it requires opponents to switch defenders often, which can create openings for others such, as the 6-8 Nosek or senior point guard James Parker.
Nosek tallied 12 points against Oswego East (8-4). Parker added seven points, including the game-winning free throw with 2.6 seconds left, and six rebounds. They often got open looks after the Wolves collapsed on Ashford in the post.
“If you’ve got a guard on him, he can go straight to the post,” Nosek said of Ashford. “He’ll look to score, but he’s unselfish, and he knows his cutters, so if people are doubling him, he’s going to kick it.
“Then if there’s a big on him, he’ll pull you out to the wing, and he’ll break you down and attack. He makes the right play, and he knows how to use his matchups.”
Ashford, who has offers from three Division II colleges, said his favorite position is “a small forward that can do it all.”
At the high school level, though, his height and size are optimized inside.
“With Metea, I think it’s best for me to play inside, so I’m playing power forward,” he said. “It helps create offense for people like Jake and James. It lets them get open shots on kickouts.
“I’ve been enjoying the paint. I love it.”
The Mustangs loved Ashford’s play against Oswego East. He hit two 3-pointers but also muscled up and made several tough shots under the basket.
“He was killing it,” Nosek said. “They didn’t have an answer for him. They didn’t know what to do, and he was making the right reads. He was great.”
Ashford, who finished three points shy of his career high, isn’t focused on being a high scorer. His role is simple.
“Coach gives me the ball,” he said. “When the ball is in my hands, I just have to be able to make plays.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
