On Monday, March 28, 2016, Upper Dublin seniors Ashley Barber and Allison Chernow were recognized for committing to continue their basketball careers at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Ashley Barber – Philadelphia University (Basketball)
Major: Health Sciences
Final list of colleges: Philadelphia University, Eastern University, Vermont
Reasons for choosing Philly U: “I didn’t really want to go far, and I loved the campus. The coaching there is just great, and I fell in love with it - when I first went, it was just a great time. People were so welcoming. It’s a smaller school, and their academics - they have more one-on-one that I need.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in basketball at the collegiate level? “I’ve always wanted to play in college up until the accident my junior year (Thanksgiving of 2014). I missed my whole junior year, and after that, I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m going to play in college.’ I didn’t even think I’d graduate on time. Once I stepped foot on the court again and once I started playing AAU, I was like, ‘I’ve got to prove who I am now.’”
Coach Morgan Funsten says: “This was her first year in our program. She went to Upper Dublin through eighth grade and then moved to Allentown and went to two different schools in two years, and last year she had her accident. I was really proud of her – our expectations and her expectations of herself were so high coming into the year, and I thought she handled the expectations really well.
“We ask so much of all of our players, but when you’re talking about a senior captain, the expectations we as a coaching staff have of a senior captain are maybe too much but especially when it’s your first year in the program. For her to handle the season the way she did and for our team to have the success we did, she was such a major part of it. Her bread and butter is her rebounding. She has unlimited energy – she has a high motor. The game that sticks out the most is the Bishop Shanahan game when they had two twin towers and Devon Adams, who had averaged 18 points per game in her last six games, and Ashley totally shut her down. It’s not necessarily something that the casual fan would see, but then you look at the boxscore, and she held her to a three-pointer. That was the common theme – players who would go against her would find themselves further and further away from the basket to the point where all of a sudden they’re shooting a three-pointer, and that was the only way they could score against her. Her strength and her energy and her rebounding were such great attributes for her this year.”
About Ashley:
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: Love & Basketball
Favorite music: Hip Hop/Rap
Allison Chernow – Emory University (Basketball)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Emory, Salisbury, Dickinson, Muhlenberg
Reasons for choosing Emory: “The school itself has a great reputation. I just really loved the campus. It was everything I pictured. The basketball team were all really nice and inclusive, and I know the coach is going to push me to be the best player I can be, and that’s something I really value.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in basketball at the collegiate level? “I always thought I wanted to play in college – everybody grows up wanting to, but then I switched AAU organizations in eighth grade for a better opportunity, for more exposure. Since then, I knew that I could if I really worked at it and really wanted to.”
Coach Morgan Funsten says: “I talked to the girls all season about the ride we went on this year – not to take anything for granted and enjoy it. Personally, that’s how I tried to treat Allison’s senior year – to not to take for granted the luxury I had as a coach that you could basically do whatever you wanted because of what she could do. She could do anything. She was a great defender, she allowed us to do whatever we wanted on offense, she was a great scorer, and the one thing I thought she improved the most upon from her junior to senior year was just – she worked so hard at her individual skills. I thought what she did so great in the offseason and throughout the season was to work on us, to work on the team aspect of things and to make sure that players fit into their role. You put so much pressure on yourself individually, and she does. For her to just take the bull by the horns and really take the team to the next level this year and to bring out the strength of all the players on our team – I thought was just incredible this year.”
About Allison:
Favorite food: Buffalo Chicken Dip
Favorite movie: Baby Mama
Favorite music: Pop & EDM
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