University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Ashton Barton Named New Head Coach at Rosman High School
07.29.2009 | Women's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C.—Former UNC Asheville women's basketball player Ashton Barton is the new head women's coach at Rosman High School where she scored 2,581 career points from 2000-04. Barton becomes the fourth former Bulldog women's player to enter the coaching ranks.
Barton played at UNC Asheville from 2004-08 and is the Bulldogs' ninth all-time leading scorer. She had 1,139 points for the Dogs and was a member of the 2007 Big South Championship squad. Barton was a second-team All-Big South selection and was named UNC Asheville Female Athlete of the Year in 2008.
"I wouldn't have traded that experience for anything. It prepared me tremendously for this, especially since I was the team captain there. I want to thank Coach Betsy Blose for giving me the opportunity to play there. I know I'll probably be calling her in the future, venting about games," Barton said.
Barton served last season as an assistant coach at Rosman under Joe Carrington who resigned to take over the program at Carolina Day.
UNC Asheville's sixth all-time leading scorer, Kristal Hood was recently named as an assistant coach at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. Hood played for the Bulldogs from 2002-06 earning Big South Rookie of the Year honors in 2003 and First-Team All-Big South honors in 2006. She scored 1,304 points in her Bulldog career. Susquehanna is a division III school that completes in the Landmark Conference.
Earlier this summer, Katie Baldwin was hired by former UNC Asheville assistant coach Adell Harris at Tusculum College. Baldwin (2004-07) was a teammate of both Barton and Hood and was a member of the 2007 Big South Championship squad. After graduating, Baldwin was the Director of Basketball Operations at UNC Asheville in 07-08 and elevated to assistant coach in 08-09. Tusculum is a division II member of the South Atlantic Conference and is located in Greenville, Tenn.
Lindsey Roche will begin her fifth season as an assistant coach at UMBC in Baltimore, Md. Roche played at UNC Asheville from 2001-05 and was a two-year captain for the Bulldogs. UMBC is a former Big South member that now competes in the America East Conference.
Having four former players in the coaching profession is a source of pride for Asheville Head Coach Betsy Blose.
“The proudest moment I have as the Head Coach at UNC Asheville is when our players walk across the stage and receive their diploma. I'm also honored to begin to see some of our former players in the coaching profession. As their coach, you hope you have had a positive impact on their life and they take the lessons they learned under you to their respective programs,” said Blose.
