The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
In her blood: Women's Basketball's Ashley Chevalier
09.21.2020 | Women's Basketball
The freshman guard is the daughter of two basketball coaches.
For freshman Texas guard Ashley Chevalier, there's seldom been a moment in her life without basketball.
The Chevalier family is one that is bonded in the sport, where basketball isn't just a profession but a game that runs deep. Ashley's parents, Andre and Michelle Chevalier, grew up in the game, both going on to play collegiate basketball at Cal State Northridge. Now in Ashley's hometown of Chatsworth in Southern California, the two proud parents of a Texas Longhorn coach at Sierra Canyon High School and Pierce College, respectively.
When asked if she ever thought of not playing the sport in spite of her parents' love for the game, Ashley laughed.
"I really disliked basketball growing up. I wanted no part of it," she said. "My parents were always pretty good about not forcing it on me. My sisters played in college. Seeing that and their games really changed my perspective of it."
Ashley's older sisters, Kim [Arizona State] and Gennifer [Cal], were the first to continue the basketball legacy of the Chevalier family, which Ashley later followed.
Years apart, Ashley found her love for the game in sixth grade after watching her older sisters play competitively in college. Yet, aside from her sisters' legacies which initially sparked her passion for the game, Chevalier attributes her love for basketball to how it shaped her and her family as a unit. Basketball is the union that brings the Chevalier family together, growing closer through every game and practice.
Chevalier inherited the "guard" gene from her parents. From her mom, she carries her game forward with the fundamentals and skillset that Michelle established as a guard. From her dad, Ashley's speed and agility are evident on the court.
"I do a lot of things from both of them," Ashley said. "My dad had the finesse of my game. Both of my parents were point guards and they've fed me little things I've done."
While the athleticism of the freshman are paralleled with that of Andre and Michelle, Ashley's knowledge of the game is heightened daily.
As a kid, Ashley absorbed the wisdom and knowledge of the sport from being a coach's kid to not one, but to two coaches. Growing up immersed in and around the game taught her the qualities of what it takes to be a leader; qualities that epitomize who she is as a daughter and a basketball player.
"You learn how to be a leader because you see how they lead their teams and you emulate that," she said. "How to be an extension of my coach on the court. I want to be that here with a new coach."
At Texas, new head coach Vic Schaefer's women's basketball program brings renewed enthusiasm. The culture of family and hard work fuel Ashley's hunger to succeed. She is part of a program in which she believes winning a national championship is both possible and expected.
"With Coach Schaefer and his staff, you can really feel how possible that is," she said.
After her playing days, Ashley hopes to build on her family legacy by following in her parents' footsteps. She has interest in both being a sports broadcaster and a basketball coach. She knows she will benefit from her parents' experience as she pursues those careers.
"If I can be half the coaches as them, I've fulfilled my legacy," she said.
