Talent, desire landed Phillips in Mars HOF
PORTERSVILLE — Ashley (Bean) Phillips joined Mars' varsity girls basketball team as a freshman not entirely convinced she belonged.
"I started playing in the seventh grade and was still getting a feel for everything," she said. "I got some playing time as a freshman, then started a few games. Dana (Petruska, head coach) saw something in me that I didn't see in myself."
What Petruska noticed went beyond Phillips' 5-foot-10 frame.
"She was always battling and getting after it," she said. "She wasn't full of herself and knew she had to earn her way. I think that had a lot to do with how she was raised (in a family with seven siblings)."
Phillips, who also played varsity volleyball for three years, proved adept at playing both guard and forward. She averaged 11 points, five rebounds and three steals per game as a junior before leading the Planets to the WPIAL Class 3A title game her senior year by averaging nearly 15 points and 5.5 rebounds. But her defense was just as important.
"I could read from a distance what a player was going to do," she said. "I'd make them think that they had enough space to make a play, then close in and either get a steal myself or cause a turnover for the team. I went to several speed camps and that helped me gain a very quick first step."
Petruska added: "She was the point of our press defense and was so long, all arms and legs, and tortured a lot of teams."
The run to the district championship game in 2004 included playoff wins over West Mifflin and Blackhawk. In the WPIAL final, North Catholic defeated the Planets, but that postseason is something that continues to resonate with Phillips nearly 20 years later.
"We worked so hard and that preparation paid off," she said. "I remember the pep rallies and the support we received from the community was great.
"I loved my teammates. We all bonded and were like a family. That made communication easier on and off the court."
Following her senior season, Phillips earned MVP honors of the annual Cager Classic All-Star Game and was named to the Butler Eagle's Girls Basketball First Team. She was recognized by her alma mater as part of the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame's latest class of 2022-23.
"To be part of that group of athletes, especially the former basketball players, I was surprised and honored to be recognized like that," she said.
Phillips went on to play two years of basketball at Geneva College.
Jonathan and Ashley Phillips are parents of five children — Max, Maisy, Eden, Cooper and Will.
She has remained involved with athletics, previously serving as junior high girls basketball coach and assistant varsity coach at Mars. She has also given private basketball lessons and is currently vice president of Prospect's in-house soccer program.
"A lot of kids have talent, they just need to be encouraged. That's what Dana did for me. It made me want to work at basketball and become a better player."
