Jillian Aschoff runs the point, rewrites the UNK record book
KEARNEY – Jillian Aschoff wasn’t going to play college basketball.
The University of Nebraska at Kearney point guard graduated from high school during the COVID-19 pandemic, so her recruitment got complicated and she assumed she’d just focus on academics moving forward.
“I was convinced to give basketball one more shot and last minute I went on a few visits,” she explained. “I really felt like UNK was my best opportunity.”
An all-state selection at Lincoln Pius X, where she was part of back-to-back Class A state championship teams, Aschoff graduated as the school’s all-time leader in assists and joined a Loper squad led by then-head coach Carrie Eighmey. She redshirted during her first season on campus and appeared in 11 games as a reserve in Year 2. A veteran UNK team reached the NCAA Division II Tournament both years.
“The first couple years were a lot of learning and growth since I didn’t see the court much,” Aschoff said. “It was a lot of fun being part of teams that won a lot of games and learning those habits of consistency and discipline from the players who were here.”
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, Eighmey announced she and other members of the coaching staff were leaving UNK for a Division I opportunity. That meant Aschoff also had a decision to make.
“I ended up choosing to stay because I felt I had never really gotten a real chance,” Aschoff said, “and a fresh start with Drew and Nicole was going to provide me that chance.”
The decision definitely paid off.
Aschoff started all 30 games as a redshirt sophomore in 2023-24, playing a team-high 32.5 minutes per contest and averaging nearly 10 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. An honorable mention all-conference selection, she led the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association with 167 assists that season – the second most in school history.
“I credit her for her hard work,” UNK head coach Drew Johnson said. “Part of her story will always be resiliency. She was willing to stick with this program and find a way to be great.”
Her redshirt junior season brought more of the same. Aschoff led the Lopers in scoring (12), rebounds (6.9), assists (4.8) and steals (1.7) while averaging a team-high 31 minutes per game. She was named second team All-MIAA.
Now a fifth-year senior, Aschoff continues to cement her spot in Loper lore. The 5-foot-7 guard became UNK’s all-time leader in career assists during a home victory against South Dakota Mines in December. She scored a career-high 31 points while adding eight assists and nine rebounds in that contest.
Aschoff currently sits at 450 career assists, 60 ahead of the previous record set by Alexa Hogberg from 2014-17.
“Being a pass-first point guard is what I love the most – way more than scoring it myself,” Aschoff said. “With the records, there’s no way those would have occurred for me if I didn’t play alongside the talented and capable teammates that I do.”
It’s an approach her coach also recognizes – one built on vision, trust and putting teammates in the best position to succeed.
“She’s someone who sees the floor really well,” Johnson said. “She steps on the floor trying to make people around her better. She cares in that way.”
Her teammates agree.
“You watch other teams and they have point guards who don’t see the floor well and can sometimes be ball hogs,” post Bailee Sobczak said. “That’s not Jill at all. She’s a selfless player who utilizes people’s strengths, knows you’re open before you even know you’re open, and wants to give you the ball.”
While her vision and passing anchor UNK’s offense, Aschoff’s value shows up in many other areas. In addition to ranking second in the MIAA in assists per game (6.9) this season, she’s fourth in minutes played (33.9), eighth in points (14.7), steals (1.6) and free-throw percentage (82.2%) and 11th in rebounds (7.2).
She had 15 points, 12 rebounds and a career-best 13 assists during a Dec. 16 home win over Chadron State – recording just the second triple-double in program history. Less than a month later, she replicated the performance with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against No. 5 Fort Hays State.
That all-around approach shows up off the court, too.
An MIAA and all-district honoree in academics, Aschoff earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a management emphasis and is currently working on a Master of Business Administration.
As the final weeks of her UNK career approach, her full impact is coming into focus, revealing a legacy that extends far beyond the basketball arena.
“One of the things Jill takes pride in is leaving things better than she found them,” Johnson said. “She’s been leaving her mark on how she treats people, prepares and does things off the floor – and I think that kind of stuff makes her special.”