Clarion Athletics

Jana Ashley, an accomplished NCAA Division I assistant coach and former NCAA Division II player at North Alabama, begins her eighth season as Clarion's head coach in 2021-22. She was named Clarion's women's basketball coach July 1, 2014.

The Golden Eagles battled through a contracted season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21, playing with a short roster but battling through adversity to make the most of it. The squad blended youth with veteran leadership, with the latter coming in the form of guards Keke Massiah and Neely Whitehead. On the other end, freshman Abby Gatesman showed great promise in her first year of college basketball, leading the team in minutes played and ranking among the program's best scorers and rebounders. 

Clarion battled through injuries and attrition in 2018-19, with the team playing with fewer than 10 healthy bodies by the end of the season.  The Golden Eagles persevered, playing teams tough down the stretch and never giving up on the year.  Kadijah Dickson averaged 15.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game to lead the team, with the latter figure ranking 10th in the PSAC and fifth in the West division.  Jordan Bekelja became the 18th player to crack 1,000 points in her career, and finished her four-year stint with the Golden Eagles as one of the program's leaders in games played and started.

The Golden Eagles enjoyed their best season in nearly a decade in 2016-17, finishing with a 15-14 overall record and a 12-10 mark in PSAC play.  It was the team's first winning season since the 2009-10 campaign and saw Clarion return to the PSAC Tournament for the first time since 2013.  Tyra Polite had one of the most productive scoring seasons in school history and earned All-PSAC West honors for the first time in her career.

Ashley guided the Golden Eagles to a seven-game improvement in 2015-16.  Tania Holmes was a Second Team All-PSAC West selection that season, the second straight year she earned an all-conference honor under Ashley. 
 
Ashley came to Clarion after spending a year at Iona where she helped the Gaels go 26-6 last season, win the regular season MAAC Championship and earn a berth in the Women’s NIT Tournament. Iona had an 18-game regular-season win streak during the season, and Ashley assisted in the development of two all-conference players including the MAAC Player of the Year, Damika Martinez.
 
In 11 years as a Division I assistant (five at Radford, five at George Mason and one at Iona), Ashley helped coach three 20-win teams including two teams that earned Women’s NIT postseason berths.
 
A native of Georgia and Alabama, Ashley is a 1998 graduate of Gaston High School in Gadsden, Ala. She played four seasons at North Alabama graduating in May 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in Education.
 
Following graduation from North Alabama, Ashley was named the graduate assistant women’s basketball coach at Division I Radford (Va.) in August 2003. Spending two years at the GA at Radford, Ashley earned her master’s in Education from Radford in May 2005 and was hired as an assistant coach at the school in July.
 
As an assistant at Radford, Ashley helped the Highlanders go 20-11 in 2007 and 23-12 in 2008 including a trip to the Women’s NIT in 2008 and a pair of Big South championship game appearances in 2007 and 2008.
 
In April 2008, Ashley followed Radford head coach Jeri Porter, whom she had played for at North Alabama, to George Mason where she helped the Patriots to a 15-win season in 2012, the most wins at George Mason since 2004 before moving on to Iona for the start of the 2013-14 season.

Ashley resides in Clarion.