By Rich Winter

605 Sports

Travis and Janna Aslesen had a tough decision to make this week. 

The Aslesen’s daughter Abby and the Howard Tigers were scheduled to play in the Class B tournament in Huron on Thursday. Their other daughter Elsie, a senior on the Dakota State women’s basketball team, was playing Eastern Oregon in the NAIA national basketball tournament in Wichita, Kansas, on Wednesday.

“It rips your guts out that you have to pick between the two,” Travis Aslesen, the principal of Howard High School said. 

Ultimately the decision came down to fundamentals. 

“Elsie went to two state tournaments (Elk Point-Jefferson) and five national tournaments,” Janna Aslesen said. “We’ve always said that high school comes first and that Abby needs to have her moment.” 

The Aslesens pondered the possibility of a postseason conflict all year. The decision was made a little easier when their oldest daughter told her parents to go to the Class B state tournament. 

“I think kinda all year I told them I’ve had a lot of success and I’ve never not qualified for the national tournament,” Elsie Aslesen said. “I told them you need to go to go watch Abby because this is a really big deal.” 

Howard's Abby Aslesen puts up a shot during Thursday's game against Viborg-Hurley at the Class B state tournament in Huron - (Matt Gade / For 605 Sports)

So, the Aslesens headed to Huron on Thursday. 

While the decision to attend the Class B tournament was made there was still the decision of how and where they were going to watch Elsie’s game against an Eastern Oregon team that was on a 20-game winning streak. 

“We ended up at the Panda Palace in Huron stuffed over in the corner and tried not to be annoying,” Janna Aslesen said. 

With their lap-top propped open the Aslesens watched as No. 24 Dakota State defeated No. 12 Eastern Oregon, 86-69. 

“I was enjoying the game and trying to keep Janna from having a meltdown during the game,” Travis Aslesen joked. 

Dakota State advanced to the third round of the NAIA national tournament where the entire Aslesen family will gather in Sioux City to watch the Trojans take on Carroll College (Montana) on March 14. 

Elsie Aslesen took a circuitous route to become a member of the Dakota State women’s basketball team. After helping Elk Point-Jefferson to the Class A state tournament twice, Aslesen took her talents to Concordia University (Nebraska). 

Aslesen was part of an NAIA national championship team her freshman year in 2019. 

“My sophomore year at Concordia I got hurt and was out for like the last two months of the season,” Elsie Aslesen said. “During that time I had two grandparents pass away and the national tournament was canceled because of COVID-19. My family moved to Howard about 20 minutes from Madison and I just felt like I needed to be closer to home.” 

It has been a busy basketball season for Travis and Janna who both played college basketball. In addition to their daughters playing, the Aslesens are regular visitors to the Corn Palace to watch their son Sam, a sophomore on the Dakota Wesleyan men’s basketball team. 

“This whole year with Abby and Sam and Elsie you have to be constantly communicating,” Janna Aslesen said. “We’ve been doing AAU for a long time and we are blessed as parents to have children that aren’t emotional wrecks when we don’t show up. It hurts not to be there though.” 

The busy schedule might be demanding but the Aslesen are grateful for every moment. 

“You are so busy you have to stop and enjoy and savor the moment,” Janna Aslesen said. “Not everyone gets to experience this and we like to show gratitude for every moment.” 

Travis Aslesen echoed those sentiments. 

“You have these pinch yourself moments that your kids are really blessed with,” he said. “You think about all the coaches and all the people that have contributed to that success and the blessings just overflow.” 

Abby Aslesen is a 6-foot junior for Howard that averaged 16.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game this season. 

Later this spring, Elsie Aslesen will graduate from Dakota State with a degree in biology with a minor in psychology that she will receive from the University of South Dakota. She was recently accepted to graduate school at Northern Iowa where she will pursue a degree in counseling and psychology.