Jordan Ashton was named the Head Coach of the Owls in 2023 after a year as the head coach at Iowa Wesleyan University. In his time at Iowa Wesleyan, Ashton led the Tigers to the winningest season in the program's 115-year history, finishing with a 27-3 overall mark for the Continental Athletic Conference (CAC) Coach of the Year title. His team was ranked as high as #23 in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll and won the first conference tournament title since 2011, qualifying for the NAIA National Championship. They had a 20-game win streak through their season and finished with an undefeated 11-0 home record – the best record in school history. The team finished first nationally for overall defense as well. Ashton coached the NAIA All-America Honorable Mention recipient Henry Shannon and three all-conference recipients in Shannon, Gacoby Jones, and Joey Brown.Â
    Coach Ashton spent the 2021-22 academic year as an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth. During this season, the team earned the most wins in over 50 years in program history and went undefeated with a perfect 13-0 record at home, the first time since the 1990-91 season. The team received their highest national ranking (5th) in school history and earned the title of NSIC North Division Conference Champions. Ashton coached the NSIC North Division Player of the Year and two First-Team NSIC All-Conference players. Before the University of Minnesota Duluth, Ashton was the assistant coach/offensive coordinator for the Iowa Wesleyan Men's Basketball Team for the 2020-2021 season. The Tigers appeared in the conference semifinals and saw a First-Team All-Conference player in Jarryd Fernandes. Ashton spent the two years prior coaching at the University of South Dakota and Kirkwood Community College. While at South Dakota, Ashton contributed to a team that would finish the year with a 20-12 overall record, and a third-place finish in the Summit League. While at Kirkwood Community College, he assisted the Eagles in winning the 2019 NJCAA National Championship, with a record of 31-4 on the season. Ashton coached the National Player of the Year and five All-Region Players. As an athlete, Coach Ashton competed under Head Coach Ben Jacobson at the University of Northern Iowa during his senior season. He led the team in minutes played (37.7 mpg), three-point percentage (44%), and was the third-leading scorer.Â
    Jordan’s playing career started in Mount Pleasant, Iowa where he led the Mount Pleasant Community High School men’s basketball team to a 3A Iowa State Championship in 2012. Ashton was named 3A Player of the Year, he was a First-Team All-State Selection and State Tournament MVP averaging 18.4 ppg in his senior season. After graduation Jordan attended Northwest Missouri State for two seasons before transferring to Kirkwood Community College. While under the direction of head coach Bryan Peterson, Jordan averaged 16.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.6 minutes per game while helping the Eagles to a 25-7 record as a sophomore. Kirkwood ended the year with a #8 ranking in the final NJCAA poll. Coach Ashton was ranked 3rd nationally in free-throw percentage (88%) & 16th in 3-pointers made (82) while connecting on 43.6 percent of his three-point tries. Jordan then finished his career at Iowa State University under the direction of head coach Steve Prohm. While there, the Cyclones reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Â
    In his first season at the helm of the Owls Jordan led the team to a 19-9 record, 11-5 conference record and 11-1 record inside Anderson Arena; all three are records for William Woods. The Owls started the 2024-2025 season receiving votes in the NAIA National Top 25 Coaches Poll while boasting a top 5 defense in the nation.Â
