South Dakota’s own Ashlyn Koupal has become one of the most tantalizing girls’ basketball prospects in the country.
The 6-foot-3 Wagner forward holds scholarship offers from some of the most successful programs in the country including the University of Colorado, Iowa State, and many more Power Five programs. She was also recently ranked No. 20 on ESPN’s 2026 recruiting rankings.
“It's been exciting just to know all the work that I've been putting in has paid off,” Koupal said. “I'm just grateful for the opportunities I've been getting, and (I’m) just going to keep working.”
Koupal has become one of the most exciting prospects the state of South Dakota has produced, and she’s elevating the state’s girls basketball reputation across the country.
Koupal and her Sanford Sports 16U ‘Black’ girls AAU basketball teammates earned an invitation to compete in the 2024 USA Basketball Club Championships from July 27-29 in Rock Hill, South Carolina. They’re one of only 24 squads nationwide to receive an official invitation to the event.
The Sanford Sports 16U ‘Black’ girls AAU basketball team is made up of nine players, most of whom are from small towns across the Midwest. Koupal said her and her teammates are most excited to show that they don’t need to be on the biggest AAU teams or move out of state to be a great player and compete at the highest level.
“It's super exciting,” Koupal said of the opportunity to compete at the USA Basketball Club Championships. “We're really grateful to be a part of this and just go there and show them what basketball is all about.”
“She’s the best player I’ve coached”
Barry Jacobsen has coached Ashlyn Koupal since she was 5-foot-7, 12 years old and struggled to dribble with her left hand, so he’s had a front row seat to her development and subsequent leap to national recognition.
Jacobsen has been coaching for 15 years at the high school and AAU level, both boys and girls. He coached Emma Ronsiek, O’Gorman alumnus turned Creighton basketball player, Madysen Vlastuin, who plays at South Dakota State, but he said he’s never coached anyone like Koupal, and he never expects to coach anyone like her again.
Koupal’s shot-making is special but she’s also a walking mismatch for opposing defenses. If the defense puts a big on her, Koupal can spread them out with her shooting ability. If they put a smaller girl on her she can punish them in the post by scoring herself, or by passing it to an open teammate before the help defense reaches her.
That versatility extends to the defensive end where, with her 6-foot-3 frame, she’s big enough to guard opposing centers and still quick enough and long enough to smother smaller players too.
“She’s the best player I’ve coached,” Jacobsen said. “I also try to take it in, right? Last week we had Geno Auriemma from UConn sitting watching our game, you know? I’ll never have that experience again so I just try to take that in, and I try to remember that like, ‘Hey, this is, this is a unique experience, not just for them, but for me too.’”
Her unselfishness also sets the tone for her team, Jacobsen said. When your best player – and one of the best players in the country – is willing to share the ball it makes it a lot easier for everyone else to do the same.
“She's just a coach's dream,” Jacobsen said. “She just wants to win, and she'll always make the right play.”
Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at@JFERN31
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