Ashtyn Veerbeek

Q&A with Ashtyn Veerbeek

Iowa Public Television (IPTV) Video Feature

Honors & Awards

• Miami Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team (2018)
• Nebraska Lifter of the Year (2019)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2018, 2019; Spring 2020)
• Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Award (2020)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2019, 2020)
• No. 55 Player in the Nation (Blue Star, 2018)
• No. 66 Player in the Nation (Prospects Nation, 2018)
• No. 68 Player in the Nation (ESPN, 2018)
• No. 9 Forward in the Nation (ESPN, 2018)
• Iowa Class 2A Player of the Year (IBCA, 2017)
• Captain of Iowa Class 2A All-Tournament Team (2017)
• First-Team Iowa Class 2A All-State (Coaches, 2016, 2017, 2018)
• Iowa Elite All-State (Volleyball, All Classes, 1 of 9, 2017)
• First-Team Iowa Class 2A All-State (Volleyball, 2016, 2017)
• Iowa Class 2A All-Tournament Team (Volleyball, 2015, 2016, 2017)

Sophomore (2019-20)
Ashtyn Veerbeek (pronounced VER-beek) worked hard to make greater contributions for the Huskers in 2019-20.

The 6-2 forward from Sioux Center, Iowa, averaged 7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds while starting 29 of Nebraska’s 30 games. She shot 44.1 percent from the field, including 34.8 percent from three-point range and 77.8 percent from the free throw line.

Veerbeek had 10 double-figure scoring efforts in 2019-20, including five in Big Ten play. She had a season-high 15 points in a win over Illinois (Feb. 22), after scoring 14 points at Rutgers (Jan. 12). She went a career-best 4-of-7 from three-point range at Rutgers.She also had 14 points on a perfect shooting night in a win over Duke (Dec. 4). She went 5-for-5 from the field, including 3-for-3 from three-point range, while hitting her only free throw attempt. She added five rebounds. 

She had 13 points against Purdue (Jan. 22) and 13 more to go with six boards in a win over Morgan State (Nov. 14). Veerbeek had 12 points and eight rebounds in a win over Southern (Nov. 20), and 12 points in a win over Penn State (Feb. 13). She had 11 points on 3-of-5 three-point shooting in a road win at Wisconsin (Jan. 25). Veerbeek’s third three came with less than a minute left and gave Nebraska the lead for good to help complete a fourth-quarter rally from a 10-point deficit.

Veerbeek sat out a win over Manhattan (Dec. 22) after suffering an ankle sprain against ORU (Dec. 14). She opened the season by making her first start in a win over Alabama A&M (Nov. 6). She scored Nebraska’s first points with a three on her way to finishing with 10 points and six rebounds. She had 10 points and six rebounds in a win over SIUE (Nov. 17), and had five points, a season-high 10 boards and two blocks in a win over USC (Nov. 29).

Off the court, Veerbeek earned academic All-Big Ten honors.

Freshman (2018-19)
Veerbeek was a valuable contributor off the bench for the Huskers throughout her freshman season. She averaged 6.9 points while ranking second among the Huskers with 5.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. She came off the bench in all 30 contests.

Veerbeek scored in double figures seven times on the year, including a career-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds in 22 minutes in a win at Illinois (Jan. 17).

She produced 14 points on four occasions, including a double-double with 14 rebounds in a win over San Jose State (Dec. 8). She added 14 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes in a win at Purdue (Jan. 31). She also had 14 points in a win over Denver (Dec. 15) and at Arkansas (Dec. 18). 

Veerbeek managed 13 points and nine rebounds in a win over Radford (Nov. 25) to earn a spot on the Miami Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team. 

She contributed 10 points and six rebounds against No. 12 Iowa (Feb. 25).

Veerbeek finished the season with a trio of double-figure rebound games including 11 boards, seven points and a career-high three blocks in a win over Kansas (Dec. 5). She also had 10 rebounds to go along with eight points in a road win at Penn State (March 2).     

Before Nebraska
Veerbeek led Western Christian to the Iowa Class 2A state title in 2017 by averaging 22.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game while shooting 80.3 percent from the free throw line as a junior for Coach Justin Negen. 

Veerbeek was the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association Class 2A Player of the Year and the captain of the Class 2A All-Tournament team while leading the Wolfpack to the 2017 state title. She was a first-team all-state selection by the Iowa Girls Coaches Association and the Des Moines Register while also being named the Sioux City Journal Player of the Year.

She put up even bigger numbers as a senior for Western Christian, averaging 25.8 points and 14.4 rebounds per game. Her 346 rebounds led the state of Iowa, while her school-record 619 points broke her previous record (592, 2016-17) and ranked third in the state in 2017-18. Veerbeek's 86 blocked shots as a senior ranked eighth in the state across all classes. She shot 52.2 percent from the field, including 34.7 percent from three-point range, while knocking down 81.1 percent of her free throws as a senior.

Veerbeek finished her career with 1,871 points, 1,041 rebounds, 227 blocks, 203 assists and 99 steals. After earning Class 2A all-state honors as a senior, she was named one of the 50 greatest Iowa high school girls players of all time by the Des Moines Register.

She was ranked as the No. 55 player in the nation by Blue Star, No. 66 by Prospects Nation and No. 68 by ESPN, which also ranked Veerbeek as the No. 9 forward in the Class of 2018.

As a sophomore in 2015-16, Veerbeek averaged 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds while hitting 82.2 percent of her free throws. She helped the Wolfpack to a state runner-up finish while earning a spot on the Class 2A All-Tournament team. She was a first-team all-state selection by the IGCA and the Iowa Newspaper Association.

In 2014-15, she contributed 9.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for a Western Christian team that advanced to the Class 2A state semifinals. 

She played her club basketball for the All Iowa Attack under Coach Dickson Jensen.

Veerbeek is also a four-time volleyball letterwinner who helped Western Christian to a pair of state volleyball titles. She was a two-time first-team Class 2A all-state selection in volleyball and a three-time member of the Class 2A All-Tournament team. She was also named an Elite All-State selection (1 of 9, all classes) as a senior when she led Western Christian to a runner-up finish. 

A solid student, Ashtyn was a member of National Honor Society and an honor roll student. 

Personal
The daughter of Ron and Tammi Veerbeek, Ashtyn was born on Feb. 15, 2000. She has two younger brothers, Trey and Chase. She majored in marketing and earned academic All-Big Ten honors in 2020. She claimed spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the fall of 2018 and 2019 and the spring of 2020. She was a recipient of the Sam Foltz Hero 27 Leadership Award, and she was also a member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2019 and 2020.

Ashtyn's mother, Tammi, is the head volleyball coach at Western Christian, a powerhouse that has advanced to 18 consecutive state semifinal appearances. Tammi has coached Western Christian to 11 state volleyball titles - matching the Iowa high school state tournament record.

Ashtyn chose Nebraska over Iowa, South Dakota State, South Dakota, Creighton, Drake, Arizona State and Missouri.

Ashtyn Veerbeek's Career Bests
Points - 19 at Illinois, Jan. 17, 2019 
Rebounds - 14 vs. San Jose State, Dec. 8, 2018
Assists - 4 vs. Oral Roberts, Dec. 14, 2019 
Steals - 2 Four times, most recent, Penn State, Feb. 13, 2020
Blocks - 3 Three times, most recent vs. Northwestern, Jan. 24, 2019 
FGM - 7 at Purdue, Jan. 31, 2019 
FGA - 13 vs. San Jose State, Dec. 8, 2018 
3FGM - 4 vs. Rutgers, Jan. 12, 2020 
3FGA - 7 vs. Rutgers, Jan. 12, 2020
FTM - 8 vs. Denver, Dec. 15, 2018 
FTA - 9 at Illinois, Jan. 17, 2019

Veerbeek's Career Statistics

Year	G-GS	FG-FGA	Pct.	3FG-3FGA	Pct.	FT-FTA	Pct.	TRB-Avg.	PF-D	A	TO	Blk	ST	Pts-Avg.
2018-19	30-0	74-180	.411	11-39	.282	47-60	.783	164-5.5	86-3	18	42	27	9	206-6.9
2019-20	29-29	75-170	.441	23-66	.348	42-54	.778	126-4.3	59-2	28	35	13	18	215-7.4
Career	59-29	149-350	.426	34-105	.324	89-114	.781	290-4.9	145-5	46	77	40	27	421-7.1