WILLIAMSBURG — The Jamestown High School girls basketball game against Bruton High School on Dec. 11 will have much more meaning behind it this year as both schools come together to honor longtime Jamestown varsity basketball coach Jason Asbell, who passed away from cancer earlier this year.
A graduate of Bruton High School, Asbell earned his bachelor’s degree from Thomas Edison State University and his master’s degree from Duquesne University. His coaching career began at Bruton before he became the head coach at Jamestown High School.
Asbell coached at Jamestown from 1997-2006, and during his tenure, he led the 2005-06 girls basketball team to a state championship, the last state championship for girls basketball at the school.
Lauren Duguay-Jordan, a member of the 2005-06 team, recalled Coach Asbell with tears in her eyes.
“If you were at Jamestown or in the Bay Rivers District, you knew who Coach Jason Asbell was. He was such a huge presence and a big force. He was very loud and passionate about what he did. Back in the day, you could be this major personality as a coach. He created this whole community around us. Women’s sports, it’s tough to get people to come to games anyway, but what he was able to get together when he created this whole storm of community support, was huge,” Duguay-Jordan said.
After leaving Jamestown, Asbell went on to coach collegiately at West Liberty University, Davis & Elkins College, Bridgewater College and Colgate University.
Ethan Kenney, a Colgate University assistant coach, shared what it was like coaching with Asbell on the college hardwood.
“He was someone who, on the court, was very intense but off the court, was very caring and very loving. He was a big part of our team and a big part of us going from winning six games to winning 23. He was someone who, even when he was laying in the hospital bed, he was still working for us. He would track our rebounding, he would send our girls texts after every game, he would leave voicemails, he did the pregame speech for us one time from his hospital bed. He was someone, to him it didn’t matter what he was going through, he was going to be there for our team and our girls,” Kenney said.
The game on Dec. 11 at Jamestown High School will serve as both a short memorial ceremony and scholarship fundraiser for the Coach Asbell Scholarship Fund, with 50% of the proceeds benefitting the fund. Established earlier this year, the scholarship will be given to a Jamestown or Bruton senior basketball player who will be heading to college on a rotating basis.
“Coach Asbell resonated very well with coaching female athletes and was very successful in that space. So many people respected him … all the different high schools, all the different coaches, so many people have wanted to pay tribute to him and that’s exactly what we’re going to do with this scholarship fund,” Duguay-Jordan said.
Tickets for the game will be available for purchase at the door. The tribute ceremony begins at 6 p.m., prior to the 6:30 p.m. tip.