Duke star Ashlon Jackson shares 4-word reaction to teammate's workout snaps

Talented Duke Blue Devils guard Ashlon Jackson led her team to the ACC Tournament title and the No. 2-seed at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils narrowly lost to the No. 1-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks in the Elite Eight of the Big Dance.

After the loss, Jackson announced her return to Duke next season and was back in training during the offseason. On Thursday, she reposted a picture on Instagram stories of her teammate, guard Emma Koabel, from practice. Jackson captioned the post:

"Emma I love you."

Jackson's IG stories

Koabel will enter her fourth season in Durham after averaging 1.5 points on 34.1% shooting from the floor and 25% shooting from beyond the arc, 0.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists last season.

Jackson, meanwhile, averaged 12.4 points on 37.2% shooting from the floor and 37.2% shooting from beyond the arc, 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Blue Devils last season.

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When Ashlon Jackson's season-defining play went wrong

During last season's Elite Eight clash pitting Duke and the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Blue Devils trailed 52-50 with 29.8 seconds remaining. Duke coach Kara Lawson called a timeout and drew up a play that would see Ashlon Jackson get the ball and take the final shot.

Ashlon's attempt, though, fell short of the rim as the Gamecocks iced out the game 54-50 before going on to reach the national championship game against the UConn Huskies.

During the postgame news conference, Duke coach Kara Lawson and Jackson's teammate Reigan Richardson expressed their confidence that the talented guard was the person to take the final shot.

“She (Jackson) can make plays for us, and that's why I put the ball in her hands late, because she's our best guard at making plays, and I trust her to do that,” Lawson said.

“The plan was just to get a 3 off,” Reigan Richardson said. “We trust Ash to make that shot. We wanted the ball in her hands at that time.”

Despite her desperate last-minute heave against the Gamecocks falling short, Ashlon Jackson tied the Blue Devils' single-season record for made 3-pointers (87). She's No. 9 on the Blue Devils' all-time 3-points scorers list, with 162 in three seasons.

Jackson showcased her confidence during the postgame news conference when she said about her abilities to take the season-defining shot.

“My team believes in me. My coaches believe in me. I believe in me,” Ashlon Jackson said. “There’s no other shot I’d rather take for my team.”

The Blue Devils returning the sharpshooting Ashlon Jackson next season is a major boost to coach Kara Lawson's team that reached its first Elite Eight in 12 years.