Each week, a Bethany Lutheran freshman student-athlete will be profiled.

Freshman Riley Ashburn of the Bethany men's basketball team is averaging 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in just over 11 minutes/game this season. Ashburn was a multi-sport athlete at Renville County West High School and a 1,000-point scorer in basketball. He also was named Camden Conference's North Division MVP his senior year of high school in basketball. Ashburn recently sat down for an interview to describe some of his experiences both on and off the court. Questions and answers have been lightly edited when necessary for the sake of clarity.
 
Fastbreak 
Three words to describe yourself. 
RA: Caring, athletic, I'd like to say intelligent. 

Meal before or after the game? 
I have to do before. 

Favorite activity in the summer? 
Lake days. 

Mornings or nights? 
Nights. 

What's on your go-to Subway sandwich? 
Pickles.

That's it? 
Well, you've got to have the meat on there. Turkey, bacon, cheese, obviously. I'm pretty simple. Just meat and cheese. 

And pickles. 
And pickles. 

Half-Court Offense 
You played football and baseball in high school- 
 -And I did track my senior year, I crossed over. 

How have those sports helped you in your overall athletic career? 
I'd say it widens my view of the game, it makes me more adept to situations and helps me think outside of the box. 

Which sport outside of basketball did you enjoy the most and why? 
I would say football, just because of the guys we had. We were all classmates, we were all very close, and we were pretty successful, too. 

At what point did you decide to commit to playing basketball beyond high school? 
That was after my senior season for basketball, it kind of clicked that I wanted to play. I was debating playing for football, but I decided to stay in basketball. 

Looking back at some of your high school highlights, it seemed like you were a super versatile player: active defender, good footwork, adequate ball-handling, good court vision. How have you had to adjust your game at the college level playing with the likes of Cire Mayfield, Brian Smith, and Jared Milinkovich, those guys who primarily initiate the offense. 
It's definitely been a change playing the '5' spot now, but being with Hunter Nielsen and kind of going under his wing in practice and learning from him, and like you said playing with Brian and Cire and Jared and all those guys, they're amazing ball handlers and are able to hit you in your spots when you're open, and it just works for my post ability.  

You and Justin Schrupp went to the same high school (Renville County West). Was he a factor in your decision to come to Bethany? 
He was. Just knowing him and what he was doing here, and he actually brought in Hunter to one of our high school games, so having that connection with the players here and kind of knowing what I was getting into and who I'd be teaming up with was a big factor. 

Is there anything you can tell us about Schrupp that maybe some people watching the games wouldn't know?
He's a goofy guy. On the court he seems pretty serious at times, but he's a goofy guy.

You were crowned Homecoming King. Tell me about that. 
That was exciting, I would say. I'd like to think that my peers respect me and I'm a fun guy to be around, but, yeah… Our senior class, we were a smaller school so we all kind of knew each other, and it was all good times.
 
BLC fans have started to take notice when you rise up for a jam. You've already been part of a UMAC play of the week. Can you describe what goes through your head when you have an open lane for a dunk? 
On that pass by Brian, when I got it I was like, "don't mess it up," because it was so open, and I was just going and I was like, "okay, this is going down somehow." It was so open I was wondering, "should I try to be fancy or not?" but it was my first one [at Bethany] and I was like, "all right, just get it in the hoop." 

Post-Game Reflection 
Describe your favorite high school athletics memory. 
I would have to say going to State with my football team, and then getting my 1,000th career point for basketball. They both showed how close my classmates and teammates were with the success of sports. It really brought us together. 

Do you feel that at Bethany at all? 
I do, yeah. Like when Jared got his 1,000th point at the Loras Tournament, and I just remember seeing the fans and everyone coming together to support him. … And then when I got my dunk, everyone was just jumping up, excited, it was a real team moment. 

What does the opportunity to play basketball in college mean to you?
It means a ton. Growing up, I always knew I wanted to play some form of college athletics, and having the opportunity to play basketball has always been a dream of mine, so it really came true. 

What do you hope to accomplish as a student-athlete on the basketball team in your career at Bethany? 
Obviously we all want to win a championship and get to that stage, and compete at that high level. And as a student-athlete I just want to continue to — we're all here for academics and getting that diploma — but getting that championship would be huge. 

College goes by quickly. What do you hope to do after your Bethany career? 
Right now I'm thinking of something in the business field. I've been talking with my sister recently -- she's working at a bank and opening up their own branch, so she was already kind of recruiting me to work with her as a banker, something in the finance field.