Lady Griz Countdown: Ashley Ferda
9/25/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sept. 17?? ::?? Preseason prospectus
Sept. 18?? ::?? Kellie Cole
Sept. 19?? ::?? Torry Hill
Sept. 20?? ::?? Lexie Nelson
Sept. 21?? ::?? Carly Selvig
Sept. 22?? ::?? Jordan Sullivan
Sept. 23?? ::?? Katie Baker
Sept. 24?? ::?? Kenzie De Boer
Sept. 25?? ::?? Ashley Ferda
Sept. 26?? ::?? Alexandra Hurley
Sept. 27?? ::?? Alyssa Smith
Sept. 28?? ::?? Misty Atkinson
Sept. 29?? ::?? Tianna Ware
Sept. 30?? ::?? Sarah Ena
Oct. 1?? ::?? Jessa Loman Linford
Oct. 2?? ::?? Stephanie Stender
Oct. 3?? ::?? Season outlook (first day of practice)
Quick hitter: Sophomore point guard Ashley Ferda is entering her third year with the Lady Griz and still seeking her first minutes of court time. She redshirted the 2008-09 season as a true freshman, then with the starting point guard spot open for the taking in 2009-10, Ferda developed a stress fracture in her shin that would end up costing her the entire season. Lingering effects of the injury continue to slow her return to the court.
The big question for 2010-11: With her health status still up in the air as regular-season practices rapidly approach, at what point will Ferda be able to go hard and show her abilities?
Where she fits in: After a year of Oxford-level basketball education while redshirting behind senior guards Mandy Morales and Sonya Rogers in 2008-09, Ferda would have been on a very short list of potential starting point guards in 2009-10. With the graduation of Shaunte Nance-Johnson and Lauren Beck, last year???s point guards, Ferda joins freshmen Torry Hill and Lexie Nelson as the 2010-11 team???s point guards, though the schedule for the return of Torry Hill, who is recovering from a February knee injury, is uncertain.
Coach Robin Selvig???s thoughts: ???Ashley???s status is up in the air. It???s frustrating for her and for us because there???s no timeline anyone can make on it. Hopefully she can keep playing a little more and a little more and get that thing healthy enough to where she can work herself back into the mix.
???Any time you???re out, it???s not good. Where she got set back was in terms of experience. She should have a year of experience under her belt at this point, but she???s back with the (freshmen) who don???t have any experience.
???If she can get healthy, we think she???s a good player. The key is she needs to be able to play every day so she can show what she can do.???
History of the injury: ???I was playing all preseason (last fall), then right when we started practice (my shin) started to really bug me. I kept playing a few weeks on it, but by late October I had to stop. They thought maybe by Christmas or so I could start up again if it was just a normal stress fracture.
???I got an MRI and it showed up as a stress fracture, but it didn???t really heal at all. Then I got an x-ray at the beginning of January, and that showed that it was a lot worse than the MRI had shown.
???That???s when I knew I was done for the season.???
The recovery: ???I was in a boot for four and a half months, basically just letting the bone heal. I could bike in the boot, then when I got out of the boot I could bike and do the elliptical machine, but I couldn???t do any running.
???It???s not until the bone is completely healed that you can work on getting strength back in your calf and quad.???
Current status: ???This summer it was feeling fine. I was able to start running, and I was shooting and dribbling. I wasn???t scrimmaging, but I was at least doing basketball stuff on the court.
???When I got back here (in August) and started playing on it, it got pretty sore. I had it checked out, and the bone is healed. It???s just the muscles and everything around it that have been stagnant for a long time. It???s just a matter of getting back into things at a slower pace than I was hoping.
???There is only so much you can do when you???re not out on the court scrimmaging. I feel confident with my dribbling and shooting and being in shape, but when you get out on the court you need to start making those quick decisions again. That can only come with playing every day. I???m hopeful it comes back quickly.???
What she did last summer (non-basketball related): ???I took a summer class, so I was here until the end of June doing that and working camps and working out. I went back to Whitefish for pretty much the rest of the summer.
???I just hung out with my family and spent a lot of time at Swan Lake, where my grandparents have a place. I just kind of relaxed and had fun.???
2010-11 season outlook (individual): ???I???ve been working toward being a point guard and learning that position, so I really feel like I could fill that hole since that???s something we???re going to need.
???I was really ready to go last year. I learned a lot my freshman year playing with Mandy and Sonya. I learned the offense, and that???s basically what redshirt year is all about, especially for a point guard. There is a lot of stuff to know.
???I was confident about what I could do last year, and I feel that way now, even though it???s been a year. I feel like I learned a lot last year by watching. It???s also given me more of a desire to want to come back and prove to myself that I can still play.???
2010-11 season outlook (team): ???I really like our team this year. We???re going to be pretty young, but we have some experience coming back from last year. And with Katie (Baker) getting back, that???s only going to help us.
???We all get along really well. I think we???re all looking for a championship and to do some big things.???
Ferda???s personal scouting report (strengths): ???I like to think I can be a threat from the 3-point line and off the dribble and can get the ball to my teammates that are open and have the hot hand. A point guard needs to be able to see the court well and deliver passes, and I think I do that.???
Ferda personal scouting report (weaknesses): ???Without having played for a couple of years, teams may try to take advantage of that by pressuring me and trying to fluster me a little bit. If a team gets someone who???s taller than I am or has a big wingspan, it cuts down on my court vision.???
Meet the parents: The daughter of Scot and Julie Ferda. Scot is a junior high physical education teacher at Whitefish Central Middle School. He also teaches drivers education and coaches track and football. Julie handles the accounting for the Great Falls Ice company, a Ferda family business.
