Las Cruces resident Ashlyn Jones practices basketball at her home. The 29-year-old is playing for the Rio Rancho Lady Roadrunners, a fledgling team of New Mexico women hoping to become a part of the Women's American Basketball Association's West Division. The first step in that goal is to play exhibition games this season. The Lady Roadrunners won their first exhibition game a couple of weeks ago when they beat the Denver Dynasty 65 to 59. They have one more exhibition game in the Denver area.
They'll be playing the Denver Dynasty again tomorrow. This will be the final match-up between the two teams, but the Lady Roadrunners hope for a full season next year if they are invited to join the association's West Division, which is ultimately the goal. The Lady Roadrunners coach, Charles Caldwell, gave a score prediction.
“I'll put it out there. I'll say 70 to 59,” Caldwell said.
During the first game against the Denver Dynasty on June 7th, the Lady Roadrunners were down the entire game, but they came back in the fourth quarter. This next game on Saturday could be a close one. Right now, the Lady Roadrunners do not have a full team, but that is something Caldwell is hoping to build. He's certainly hoping to hang on to Jones, even though she has to drive from Las Cruces to Rio Rancho to practice. Caldwell said he's already made Jones captain of the team.
“She's quite the remarkable player. Really looking forward to just turning her loose out there and seeing what she can do,” Caldwell said.
This is not Jones' first time to play semi-pro sports in New Mexico. Last year, she played for New Mexico's only women's semi-pro football team. She still loves football, but the New Mexico Banitas aren't playing this year. Jones talked about some of the differences between playing women's basketball versus playing a sport that fans are not used to watching women play, which is football.
“Football is different from basketball in a lot of ways. I've found a lot of differences just in the way it's accepted. I think I've had a little bit easier time finding sponsors, finding interested people playing basketball. I think it's a traditionally acceptable sport for a woman to play,” Jones said.
But even playing a game like basketball that is more acceptable for women to play, Jones said there are challenges for women playing semi-pro.
“Men, historically, have been allowed to play sports, obviously, for a lot longer than women. They've had a lot more opportunity than women to play sports. So you'll find that the average semi-pro team, men's versus women's, the men are going to be more developed, have more sponsors, that's a big one, more fans, more support. And that all translates to just viability for us women and finding spaces to practice. I mean, we're competing with the men for spaces to practice and for sponsors and things like that," Jones said.
“That's not the only challenge Jones has faced. Last year, after a football injury sent her to the ER for what appeared to be a routine check on a concussion, she received a terrifying diagnosis.
“But they did find, it's called a meningioma. It's a benign mass in, around your brain, really, in the meningis of your brain. And though it's benign, it's just been causing me, pun intended, a lot of headaches because it's a solid space and the tumor's taking up room that it shouldn't be. So that's been something that I've been just kind of navigating over the past, say, six months or so,” Jones said.
But Jones said she's determined not to let this health crisis stop her.
“It was very fearful, very paralyzing, especially at first. I have a lot of support from friends and family, and I think just learning more about the condition, about the options that I have, and having a really awesome medical staff has been tremendous for me. I actually think that I think that some of my friends and family would prefer I didn't play sports so much anymore, but I just can't stay away from it. And I really think it's, consistently throughout my life, given me something to focus on that's bigger than myself. It's not about me. It's about my contribution to the team,” Jones said.
And so tomorrow, Jones will be out on that court getting ready to play the Denver Dynasty. For KRWG Public Media, I'm Susan Morée
