FORT MYERS, Fla.- In 2016, an 18 year old kid from Wellington, Florida put her trust in a Florida SouthWestern Women's Basketball program who hadn't even played a game yet in their program history.  Four years later, that program is putting their trust back into her as Head Coach Dr. Jerald Ellis has announced the former Bucs star and more recently LSU Tiger, LaToya Ashman, has returned to Fort Myers, this time to serve as an Assistant Coach for her alma mater. 

"We are happy to have Latoya on staff" Ellis said.  "She embodies what the JUCO route is all about; two years here at FSW as an elite player and student and then two years at LSU where she continued to hone her excellence in both areas. Latoya will serve as an example to all our FSW student-athletes on what the reward can be for hard work on the court and in the class."

Ashman etched her name as one of the best players in program history after a stellar two year career with the Bucs. In June she was named to the Bucs All-Decade Team after holding the title of FSW's all-time assists leader with 150, hooking up her teammates at a clip of 4.8 per game which is also a program best.  When she wasn't dishing it out, she was putting it in the hole, ranking fourth on FSW's all-time scoring list with 908 career points and 14.4 points per game over her two year career.  Ashman's 82 career three pointers made are third most in program history and her .329 mark from beyond the arc is third best.  She was a two-time First Team All-Conference performer, once in the Southern Conference and once in the Suncoast Conference, and was the Bucs' first FCSAA All-State selection when she, along with Tina Stephens earned the honors in 2018. Upon graduation from FSW, Ashman spent the last two seasons at LSU where she played in 30 games over the past two seasons with the Tigers. 

Ashman and the Bucs return six players to the fold this season including All-Conference guards in Sheslanie Laureano and Cabria Lewis.  That group is joined by nine talented newcomers hailing from as close as Big Cypress, Florida and as far as Santiago, Chile.  FSW is slated to start their season January 22-23 when they will make a trip to the Florida Panhandle to take on Chipola and another foe yet to be determined. 

For the latest information on Florida SouthWestern Athletics visit their website at FSWBucs.com or follow them on social media @FSWBucs.