Ashley Stoner graduated from Thomas Jefferson last year with a 4.5 grade-point average and is currently enrolled in the Cook Honors College at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Sometimes, though, that can be a little tough to believe.
Jaguars coach Jamie Polack and IUP's Jeff Dow both laugh about how the 6-foot-1 center can be a bit gullible, how she tends to believe anything so long as it comes from someone in a position of authority.
"It's true," Stoner said. "Even coach Dow messes around with me and says, ‘You're in the honors college, Ashley, what are you thinking?'
"Sometimes, I'll over-think things or maybe that's why I'm gullible. I don't know. I think I'm more book smart than I am common sense smart."
This much is not a tall tale: Stoner has looked awfully smart on the basketball court so far this season. Ten games into her freshman year, Stoner is averaging 11.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, helping IUP (10-0, 1-0 PSAC West) to its best start since the 1999-2000 season.
"What she's done so far is probably better than we even expected," Dow said. "We knew she would be physical and give us a rugged, low-post presence, but she's been that and more. Honestly, with an incoming freshman, you never know what they're going to be able to do from a scoring standpoint. So that's definitely been a pleasant surprise."
Stoner averaged 20.7 points and 13 rebounds per game last winter for TJ, helping the Jaguars (15-9) reach the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs, although they fell to Blackhawk, 60-47, in the first round.
Two years removed from missing her sophomore season because of a broken bone in her foot, Stoner was named the 2010-11 Daily News Girls Player of the Year.
"Obviously, she's a talented player and knows the game of basketball very well, but I think the biggest thing that sets her apart and will continue to set her apart is her work ethic," Polack said.
"She loves the game of basketball, and she's willing to work and get better every single day. She's also able to work on her game by herself. She doesn't need anybody to push her along; she's a motivated girl. She wants to get better."
Which she proved again this offseason, too. After deciding on IUP, Stoner spent every day this summer trying to extend her shooting range — from 12 feet to about 15 or 16 — something she figured would come in handy at the next level.
Stoner started each workout with an around-the-world type drill, with 10 shots per round, two apiece from five locations, the goal to go 10 for 10. The drill has Stoner feeling confident spotting up with her jumper, although she admits, "I don't think I'm going to be shooting threes any time soon."
Stoner also played in a local summer basketball league two nights a week with Pitt and Duquesne players at the Arlington Recreation Center.
"I think that helped me adjust to the speed of the college game a lot," said Stoner, who recorded her first double-double at IUP during a 82-39 win over Bowie State on Dec. 19, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
After scoring six points during her first collegiate game, Stoner erupted for a career-high 19 against Cheyney — a 83-25 win — on Nov. 19. She has reached double figures in six of the eight games since en route to becoming a go-to player for the Crimson Hawks, who resume PSAC play with a Jan. 6 game against West Chester.
"At this point, I do feel very acclimated to the basketball atmosphere here and how coach runs things because it means putting in an effort every day," Stoner said. "When you come in as a freshman, you're an outsider. You don't know what kind of responsibility you're going to have to take on or how you're going to mesh with other people, but I'm very happy with where I'm. I feel adjusted."
