{"id":26774,"date":"2016-01-27T18:18:21","date_gmt":"2016-01-28T00:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=26774"},"modified":"2016-01-27T18:18:21","modified_gmt":"2016-01-28T00:18:21","slug":"deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/","title":{"rendered":"Deary steals the show for Northwestern"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Michelle R. Martinelli<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ashley Deary focuses her eyes on her opponent\u2019s belly button \u2014 the best indicator of her next move. She patiently waits to see if the player she\u2019s guarding will pass the ball or drive toward the basket.<\/p>\n

Then, she sees it: a hesitation. <\/p>\n

Her opponent shifts her belly button, and she\u2019s about to make a play. But before she can, Deary lunges toward her and snatches the ball away, adding another steal to her stat column. <\/p>\n

The junior point guard on the Northwestern women\u2019s basketball team (13-7 overall, 2-6 Big Ten) does this in every game. Her concentration, patience and quick hands have her averaging 4.5 steals a game and leading the nation with 90 on the season. The next highest is 76.
\n<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has a hitch before they make a move,\u201d Deary said. \u201cI\u2019ll study the first quarter \u2014 what\u2019s their hitch, what are they doing every time they bring the ball up? Then the second quarter, third quarter, that\u2019s when I start going for steals.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Deary2\"
Junior point guard Ashley Deary goes in for a layup against Indiana at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday. (Michelle R. Martinelli\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>Deary\u2019s patience is part of her maturation as a player, Northwestern coach Joe McKeown said. She\u2019s always been able to steal the ball \u2014 averaging 2.2 and 3.1 in her first two seasons, respectively. But this year, she\u2019s been able to take her opponents out of the game, he said. <\/p>\n

On defense, Deary dominates the action between half court and the three-point line, where many of her steals occur. Junior guard Christen Inman described it as \u201ccreating havoc up top.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a thief, always has been, and that\u2019s what she does,\u201d McKeown said. <\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s one of the best point guards in college basketball,\u201d he added, \u201cand I\u2019m saying that objectively after 30-some years in our game. She just does everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her high basketball IQ is one of her greatest assets, McKeown said. It helps her read the court and players\u2019 body language \u2014 a skill she’s polished since she started playing in her hometown of Flower Mound, Texas. <\/p>\n

When her father, Vaughn Deary, gave her a basketball at age 6, he quickly noticed she could dribble with both hands, weave between cones and cross over. He immediately placed her in a league and coached her team but soon realized his daughter was too dominant for her age group. Other parents even thought they were cheating because she could hit the 7-foot rim on every shot, if not make it. <\/p>\n

So he put Deary in a more advanced league and continued coaching her through high school. <\/p>\n

\u201cI played her against 5th graders, and she would steal their ball the same way she does now,\u201d Vaughn said. \u201cShe\u2019d make good passes, good decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe can read [players],\u201d Vaughn added. \u201cIt\u2019s like chess to her. She\u2019s always two and three moves ahead of the players on the court around her.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time Deary was 10 years old, her father could tell she was going to be a point guard and could be a big time player in college. When her advantage became unfair even to her older opponents, Vaughn made a new rule exclusive to his daughter: she needed 10 assists before taking a shot. <\/p>\n

\"Deary3\"
Junior point guard Ashley Deary shoots a free throw in the first half of the game against Indiana on Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. (Michelle R. Martinelli\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>Deary would dish out her 10 in the first few minutes, Vaughn said, and then just to spite him, she would rack them up and finish the game with 15 to 25 assists. Little did she know, it was all part of her father\u2019s coaching plan, getting her to understand the angles of the court. <\/p>\n

It paid off. Deary currently is tied for sixth in the nation with assists, averaging almost seven per game. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m more of a pass-first point guard,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ll score if I have to, but I\u2019m definitely looking to set my teammates up first.\u201d <\/p>\n

Despite Deary\u2019s ample success, she has one characteristic often perceived as a disadvantage. At 5-foot-4, she stands at least 6 inches shorter than Northwestern’s four other starters. <\/p>\n

Deary said she always hoped to grow as she aged, and when it never happened, she learned to view her height as a \u201cblessing.\u201d When many players surpass 6 feet, Deary\u2019s proximity to the ground creates trouble for her opponent. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can be more explosive,\u201d she said. \u201cNobody wants to have somebody below them when they\u2019re dribbling \u2014 that\u2019s really annoying.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s exactly how some of Deary\u2019s taller teammates described playing with and scrimmaging against her. They called her \u201cpesky,\u201d \u201csneaky,\u201d \u201cfeisty and tenacious,\u201d \u201cpoised,\u201d \u201cconfident,\u201d and McKeown said she is naturally aggressive.<\/p>\n

\"Deary4\"
Junior point guard Ashley Deary shoots a 3-pointer against Ohio State on January 14 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. (Michelle R. Martinelli\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>But Deary doesn\u2019t evaluate herself as an individual. If the Wildcats lose, she thinks she played poorly. <\/p>\n

Before every game, she thinks about what her team needs most from her in that particular matchup. She stretches, prays and listens to Tye Tribbett\u2019s gospel music, which calms her nerves and keeps her positive. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d hate to play against her, so I\u2019m really glad she\u2019s on my team,\u201d senior guard Maggie Lyon said. \u201cShe just doesn\u2019t care who she\u2019s guarding, she doesn\u2019t care who she\u2019s playing against. She knows what she can do, and she goes out there fearlessly and does it.\u201d <\/p>\n

Photo at top: Junior point guard Ashley Deary maintains control of the ball against Ohio State at Welsh-Ryan Arena on January 14. The Wildcats upset the Buckeyes 86-82. (Michelle R. Martinelli\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Michelle R. Martinelli Ashley Deary focuses her eyes on her opponent\u2019s belly button \u2014 the best indicator of her next move. She patiently waits to see if the player she\u2019s guarding will pass the ball or drive toward the basket. Then, she sees it: a hesitation. Her opponent shifts her belly button, and she\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":216,"featured_media":26874,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,585],"tags":[1088,901,642,643,1074,137,641,640],"class_list":["post-26774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-winter-2016","tag-ashley-deary","tag-big-ten","tag-big-ten-basketball","tag-michelle-martinelli","tag-ncaa","tag-northwestern","tag-wildcats","tag-womens-basketball"],"yoast_head":"\nDeary steals the show for Northwestern - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Deary steals the show for Northwestern - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Michelle R. Martinelli Ashley Deary focuses her eyes on her opponent\u2019s belly button \u2014 the best indicator of her next move. She patiently waits to see if the player she\u2019s guarding will pass the ball or drive toward the basket. Then, she sees it: a hesitation. Her opponent shifts her belly button, and she\u2019s […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-01-28T00:18:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/01\/Deary1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1100\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1074\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"michellemartinelli\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"michellemartinelli\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/\",\"name\":\"Deary steals the show for Northwestern - Medill Reports Chicago\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/01\/Deary1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-01-28T00:18:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/73b48d9c3e61f132b4ca4d96f0e381fb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/01\/Deary1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/01\/Deary1.jpg\",\"width\":1100,\"height\":1074,\"caption\":\"Deary1\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Deary steals the show for Northwestern\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/\",\"name\":\"Medill Reports Chicago\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/73b48d9c3e61f132b4ca4d96f0e381fb\",\"name\":\"michellemartinelli\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f029e87ffcd6868717f90bc6c4732b1551f3a214049001d20823c205b10bbc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f029e87ffcd6868717f90bc6c4732b1551f3a214049001d20823c205b10bbc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"michellemartinelli\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/author\/michellemartinelli\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Deary steals the show for Northwestern - Medill Reports Chicago","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Deary steals the show for Northwestern - Medill Reports Chicago","og_description":"By Michelle R. Martinelli Ashley Deary focuses her eyes on her opponent\u2019s belly button \u2014 the best indicator of her next move. She patiently waits to see if the player she\u2019s guarding will pass the ball or drive toward the basket. Then, she sees it: a hesitation. Her opponent shifts her belly button, and she\u2019s […]","og_url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/","og_site_name":"Medill Reports Chicago","article_published_time":"2016-01-28T00:18:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1100,"height":1074,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/01\/Deary1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"michellemartinelli","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"michellemartinelli","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/","url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/","name":"Deary steals the show for Northwestern - Medill Reports Chicago","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/01\/Deary1.jpg","datePublished":"2016-01-28T00:18:21+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/73b48d9c3e61f132b4ca4d96f0e381fb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/01\/Deary1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/medill.wordpress.offload\/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20medill-reports-chicago\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/01\/Deary1.jpg","width":1100,"height":1074,"caption":"Deary1"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/deary-steals-the-show-for-northwestern\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Deary steals the show for Northwestern"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#website","url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/","name":"Medill Reports Chicago","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/73b48d9c3e61f132b4ca4d96f0e381fb","name":"michellemartinelli","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f029e87ffcd6868717f90bc6c4732b1551f3a214049001d20823c205b10bbc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9f029e87ffcd6868717f90bc6c4732b1551f3a214049001d20823c205b10bbc7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"michellemartinelli"},"url":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/author\/michellemartinelli\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/216"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26774"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26774\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}