Student-Athlete of the Week: Ashlee Wood

Ashlee Wood didn't have much basketball experience when she joined Niwot's new unified basketball team-just what she'd picked up by playing with her brothers and dad in the driveway. But what the athletic sophomore lacked in experience, she more than made up for in excitement and determination, and, by the end of the eight-game season, Wood had become a force for the Cougars on both sides of the ball.

"I did pretty good," she said about her performance during the 2022 campaign. "It was a challenge because I haven't played basketball long. The first time I played, I did ok, but I'm finally starting to get better with practicing. I think I'm definitely getting a lot better."

There aren't official positions in unified basketball, but Wood functions mainly as a point guard, bringing the Cougars up the court, and putting the ball in play. She has proved particularly adept at shooting, even from long range, and has been effective at defense under the basket, even if it is her least favorite part of the game.

"Defense is kind of hard for me," Wood said. "Because you're not supposed to steal the ball, so I just try to get close to them and keep my hand in their face so they won't be able to shoot it. And then I try my best to get the rebound, but it's hard to get rebounds."

Wood's standout season wasn't much of a surprise to unified coaches Amy Holle and Dawn Zwisler, who are also her teachers in Niwot's special needs classroom. However, both were impressed by the way she embraced the sport, and also by her rapid improvement, which helped the team in more ways than one.

"Ashlee is driven," Holle said. "She is expected to do well, and she rose to the occasion. She is very coachable, and she really does listen and learn new skills. And she, better than the other kids, was able to assess her own skills, or step in and help kids that needed a little more help than she did, which is in the true spirit of unified basketball."

It was that last part that proved challenging for the quick study, who admitted to sometimes being frustrated by the rules (no stealing, no fouls), and the pace of her teammates throughout the season. But again, the spirit of unified sports managed to prevail.

"Now we're finally improving," Wood said of her team. "I'm so competitive, and during the season, it was sometimes really, really hard, because I always want to win. But it feels like I'm finally getting better at just letting it slide."

Wood comes by her competitive streak naturally, as the daughter of athletes, and the younger sibling of two accomplished local high school athletes who went on to play NCAA Division I sports. Indeed, it was brothers Austin and Brayden who first spurred Ashlee's interest in basketball, and have now become her go-to sources when she needs some personalized coaching.

"My older brother is actually home, so I can actually talk to him a lot, and that makes me get a lot better too," she said. "But mainly it's my dad. He tells me what I need to do and what to work on."

Wood is already looking forward to the next season of basketball, but first she is gearing up to play on a different court for the Cougars. Starting this week, Wood will be suiting up to play tennis, another sport she picked up quickly. Wood is also a member of Niwot's unified bowling team, which competes in the fall, but it isn't her favorite, since "it's not that competitive."

When she's not on the court for Niwot, Wood is a student in Niwot's special education program. Her favorite subjects are math, English, and biology. After high school, she hopes to attend college, though hasn't committed to any field of study.

In her spare time, Wood enjoys playing ping pong, hanging out with her brothers, and reading. She also enjoys watching movies, and recommends the recent release "King Richard," a biopic of Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.