WNBA DRAFT

April 10, 2023

Ashley Joens

Dallas Wings

Q. Ashley, take me through when you think about the way your game translates, what do you think is the skill that was basically most dominant in the minds of the teams that were looking to draft you and ultimately who selected you?

ASHLEY JOENS: I think definitely just my hard work, my work ethic, going in I'm a competitor. No one likes to lose, but just going in, I want to get rebounds, I'm aggressive on the boards, just being versatile, being able to score on all three levels. That's kind of it.

Q. What are your overall emotions being drafted by the Dallas Wings and actually having some new teammates this season coming up?

ASHLEY JOENS: Yeah, it's really exciting getting drafted to the Dallas Wings but to know that Steph [Stephanie Soares] is also going to be there. I got to play with her a little bit this year. So getting the opportunity to play with her again is really exciting because obviously with her injury this year, I didn't get to play with her the full year, but she has a lot of potential and is a great player, a great person. So I'm excited to get to play with her again.

Q. What did you feel you improved about your game or learned about yourself from playing your fifth year at Iowa State?

ASHLEY JOENS: Yeah, it's a great question. I think the biggest thing is just learning to compete through challenges. Obviously, we faced a lot of adversity this year with Steph going out, Coach Fennelly had lost his mom. We had a lot of changes within the program, and so just learning to fight through adversity. Continuing to battle and kind of adapt to the changes, but also just learning how to handle the ball a little better, again, scoring on all three levels. I think all of those things helped translate and are able to help me as I move forward here.

Q. I was kind of wondering what's the night been like for you waiting for the pick to unfold and all that stuff?

ASHLEY JOENS: Yeah, definitely you get a little anxious waiting and you want to know where you're going, but really exciting when you hear your name called and you get to go up on stage, take your picture and get to know where you're going now, and obviously with Steph going there, it's really exciting I get to play with her again.

Q. What will you focus on or your mindset when you get ready to come down for training camp to make sure that you make this roster? What will be your focus and your mindset?

ASHLEY JOENS: Yeah, I'm super excited to get there. Training camp is going to be tough, but nothing is ever easy. Nothing is ever handed to you. You have to work for it. You have to earn it. Just coming in being aggressive and competitive, competing and just soaking it all up, learning from the veteran players and going from there.

Q. What were your feelings when you heard your name called? What were your feelings when you got drafted?

ASHLEY JOENS: Yeah, it's really exciting when you hear your name called. You're happy. It's just all the emotions kind of rush to you at once, and you're just excited to get the opportunity to be here, get drafted. Obviously, it's a hard league, and to even be drafted is hard, but making a roster is the next stop.

So really excited to be drafted, excited to get to Dallas and get into training camp.

Q. Your rebounding rate was among the best in the country. You're not the biggest one on the court. How do you account for it and do you feel confident that that ability is going to translate to the next level, as well?

ASHLEY JOENS: Yeah, I've never been the biggest or the strongest person on the court, but you have to have the heart and the will to go after the ball. Just kind of knowing when a shooter shoots it, where the ball is going to come off the rim, kind of reading it that way, and going after the ball and just being competitive and battling inside, even if you're not the biggest. I think that's what helps me rebound a lot.