Published on March 1, 2022 at slamonline.com as a part of the Black Coaches Association Series.
After hanging up the phone with Stony Brook’s Director of Athletics Shawn Heilbron, Ashley Langford couldn’t help but let out a stream of joyful tears before calling up her pops to break the news that she had just become the new head coach at one of the best mid-major programs in the country.
“You visualize it, but when it actually happens, you’re like, Man, it’s amazing. I made it,” Langford recently told SLAM of becoming head coach last April.
Langford, who grew up in Harrisburg, PA, was a standout at Tulane University and graduated in ‘09 as the program’s record holder in assists (722), games started (119) and minutes played (4,162). Pouring in 1,047 career points while setting Tulane’s single-season assist record twice, the 5-5 former guard could have easily pursued professional opportunities overseas, but the chance to help young women carve out a life after basketball, all while establishing a competitive program, spoke to her.
Langford began her coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Auburn women’s basketball program, all while completing AU’s MBA program in 2011. She then continued to hone her craft as an assistant at Old Dominion, the U.S. Naval Academy, Bucknell and Denver before joining the coaching staff at James Madison in the summer of 2017. In four seasons, Langford helped lead the Duke Dogs to a 91-31 overall record and three Colonial Athletic Association regular season titles. She was promoted to assistant head coach prior to the 2020-21 season.
In Harrisonburg, VA, Langford says that she had found that “fit” within a program that every coach yearns for. “I had a chance to really just, I think, thrive,” Langford says of her time at JMU. “I’m really big on fit. And I think when you find your fit, it’s a beautiful thing because you can maximize your potential.”
And now, as head coach at Stony Brook, that fit has allowed Langford to not only strive for excellence, but to want that out of her players both on and off the court. (READ THE FULL STORY HERE.)