Making history: Freshman Ashna Tambe becomes Penn's first Indian American player

History has been made.

Introducing Penn women’s basketball freshman guard Ashna Tambe, the first player of Indian American descent to join the Quakers basketball program in its over-50-year history.

The Dallas native is a product of The Hockaday School, where she became the first player to pass 1,000 points, scoring the most in the school’s history and serving as team captain in both her junior and senior year. Tambe recalls her basketball journey starting at the age of five, and that she “hasn’t dropped the ball since,” crediting much of her success to her mother, who played basketball at the national level in India before immigrating to the United States.

“My mom is the reason I am where I am today,” Tambe said. “She was my main coach when I was young. To this day, even though basketball has changed and I know more about present basketball, we still have one hour pregame talks. She sets my mind right.”

Alongside the school team, Tambe played American Athletic Union basketball throughout her youth career on both the Adidas and Under Armour circuits. On the latter, Tambe wore the No. 10 jersey as a tribute to her mother.

In a sport dominated by height, 5-foot-7 Tambe has learned how to “find her advantage and excel” as a smaller combo guard. Tambe’s jumper is one of her primary weapons, which she uses as a means to stretch the floor.

“Everyone can shoot,” Tambe said. “But can they shoot from three feet further back?”

Tambe also cited her basketball IQ as a major advantage, one that she believes gives her an edge over more physically gifted opponents.

“You can’t really teach that,” Tambe said. “No matter how big you are, how strong you are, you have to know the game in and out and see a play before it happens."

These skills have allowed the combo guard to identify the advantage against bigger opponents, drive in the paint, and dish out the ball to open opportunities, a role that could be very fitting for the Quakers this season alongside sophomore standout guard and 2024 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Mataya Gayle.

With Gayle, who primarily serves as point guard, bringing the ball up the floor, Tambe hopes to move into a combo role, noting the fast-paced dynamic of the team as a factor that drew her to the program. Tambe specifically referenced Gayle, as well as former Penn star and fellow Asian American player Kayla Padilla.

“The reason why I chose Penn out of other schools is because I saw the way they developed their guards,” Tambe said. “Of course Kayla Padilla, and all that she was, and now Mataya [Gayle] — I found that I could fit into this system.”

Within that system Tambe hopes to help the Quakers push past their finishes from previous campaigns. Though Penn has qualified for Ivy Madness in each of the last two seasons, it has “usually ma[de] it to the Ivy League tournament,” Tambe said before adding that she “[wants] to win the tournament.”

The team, which has welcomed six new rookies, has bonded over pickup play and practice, as well as the summer games in Italy and Croatia. Tambe noted the valuable advice given by the upperclassmen to the large recruiting class. She said that the team’s veteran players have made a concerted effort to welcome the newcomers, including teaching them how to run plays to women’s basketball coach Mike McLaughlin’s specifications.

Much of Tambe’s motivation stems from a desire to combat the Indian American minority in the sport of basketball.

“Growing up, I never had a role model other than my mother to look up to and be like, ‘they did that. They went through that,’” Tambe said. “Even going to tournaments around the country, I barely saw any Indian Americans, so that slowly started becoming my why.”

There are currently no players of Indian descent playing in the NBA or WNBA. In 2015, Sim Bhullar, an undrafted 2014 NBA candidate, became the first player of Indian descent to sign with the NBA when he found a spot on the Sacramento Kings roster for a 10-day contract, before being waived and playing for various G League affiliates.

Tambe acknowledges her new platform, especially the role she plays in inspiring the next generation.

“I want to excel,” Tambe said. “I want to play at this big stage so that I can show other little girls that they can do it too. If they work hard, put in the work, they can be where I am also.”

Last summer, Tambe was selected to play in the AMAZN All-Star East Showcase, an assembly of the greatest Asian high school senior basketball talent from across the Western United States and Canada. AMAZN HQ aims to uplift Asian and Asian American athletes and has been supported by former NBA player and Harvard standout Jeremy Lin.

Reflecting on her time at the showcase, Tambe acknowledged the stark contrast to her typical high school experience.

“I had one teammate that was Asian throughout my high school career,” Tambe said. “It was so amazing to see so many people of different ethnicities, but one thing I noticed is that there still weren’t many Indian Americans. We are still a minority within the minority when it comes to sports, especially basketball.”

Mentorship appears to play a large role in the rookie’s life, whether it be through role models such as her mother or her teammates and coaches. Outside of aspiring young players on the court, Tambe is passionate about helping those in her community.

During high school, Tambe and her brother organized a basketball camp for the female students in the town of Terlingua, Texas. The school, not having an established basketball team, let alone a proper court, ran the program with Tambe for two years.

“I wanted to show the girls what they could do,” Tambe said. “It was amazing to see how much love and passion these girls have because they don’t have the resources to do so, and how lucky I am to be in my position.”

The school has since developed a team of its own and now competes against other teams along the Texas border. Tambe maintains close ties to the school, and hopes to expand the efforts to Philadelphia.

Now, with four years of college basketball on the horizon, Tambe can take joy in the fact that she has already made history.