The Journey: Ashton Feldhaus moves to D-I ranks at Morehead State

On3’s Talia Goodman is showcasing women’s college basketball coaches taking over at new schools. This is the second edition of year two of the series – in which we’ll take a deeper look at some of the 60-plus coaches who took over new programs during a turbulent offseason. This time we learn more about Ashton Feldhaus, the new head coach at Morehead State.

Ashton Feldhaus bio

BORN: Richmond, KY

EXPERIENCE: 2024-25: Missouri Western, 2019-24: Eckerd (assistant coach)

PLAYED: Butler (2013-14), UT Martin (2016-18)

Why Morehead State?

When Feldhaus took her first head coaching job at Missouri Western, she wasn’t planning on leaving after just one season. But after far exceeding expectations, an opportunity presented itself to lead a team at the D-I level. 

Despite online rumors, she was caught off guard by the call from Morehead State’s athletic director, Kelly Wells – but it truly was a perfect fit. 

“The more I thought about it, Kentucky is home for me,” Feldhaus told Rivals. “I hadn’t lived at home for 13 years and I never thought I’d be back so soon, as far as being a Division I head coach. I was 29 at the time, but I’m a firm believer that any time an opportunity comes your way, you have to do your due diligence and never shut a door if you don’t know for certain. The more I started thinking, I was like ‘I want this.’”

Between her ties to the state, the administration’s excitement around supporting women’s basketball and the community, it was the ideal opportunity. 

“I feel like I hit a home run for my first Division I head coaching job,” Feldhaus said.

Ashton Feldhaus’ coaching style, mindset

The shift from Division II to Division I has led to a few significant shifts in Feldhaus’ mindset. 

“At the Division II level, we didn’t deal with money like that,” Feldhaus said. “We dealt with scholarships, but we weren’t giving money. I took this job and then there’s this big shift and you’re allowed to pay them, right?”

When she arrived at Morehead State, Feldhaus essentially started from scratch, retaining just one player from the previous roster. Feldhaus had to wait to hire her staff, so she did all of the portal recruiting herself.

Her biggest focus was finding high-character people to join the program. 

“I’m really particular in the way I recruit when it comes to the character piece,” Feldhaus said. “In year one, I wanted to go get the right personalities – and skilled [players] – but I just need the right personalities. You’re building a culture from scratch for everybody. I think I only got two kids out of the portal, and then everything else, I went junior college and brought in one freshman.” 

One of the biggest factors that sets Feldhaus apart is her age. She’s able to relate to and understand players at a high level, because it wasn’t too long ago that she was in their shoes. While NIL has changed the game, she can see the financial climate from the players’ point of view.

“I don’t get my feelings hurt about it,” Feldhaus said. “I’m just like, yeah, that’s the landscape of what we’re doing…But there are still kids out there who want to be a part of what I’m selling.”

Feldhaus envisions her program as a home — a place where players can find both family and opportunity.

“I want this to be home for them,” Feldhaus said. “Especially if I’m bringing them halfway across the world, this needs to feel like a family. We do a really good job of building relationships with them and then I coach them each differently. Where a lot of people now are like, well, this is just transactional, I don’t really have that in me yet. I think that is because I’m younger, so I really take the time to get to know them. I get to know their families.”

So far, Feldhaus is excited about the hardworking nature of this group. She welcomes questions with open arms and brought over two players from Missouri Western to take on strong leadership roles. The group is full of players that fit the style she’s hoping to build – among them is point guard Marie Sepp. 

“She’s not going to be our leading scorer, but she’ll lead us in assists,” Feldhaus said. “She is always in total command. She commands the entire room. She’s the one talking, the one moving. She’s tough as nails. She’s gritty. If I’m thinking about who we are as Morehead State women’s basketball, that’s who we’re looking for.”

Something you may not know about Feldhaus

Feldhaus is as far from high-maintenance as you can get, but there’s one thing she’s sure to have at all times: her nails done. 

“You will never catch me with my nails not done,” Feldhaus said with a laugh. “I refuse. It wasn’t until I started coaching at Eckerd, and I think for six years straight, I have never not had them done…the girls know, as soon as one chips, I’m like, I gotta go.”