(Iowa City, IA) – Ava Jones, one of the top recruits for the Iowa Hawkeyes, has announced that she is medically retiring from women’s basketball.
The Nickerson, Kansas native was ranked in the top 100 in women’s basketball recruits in the 2023-24 recruiting class nationwide. She originally committed to Arizona State, but then announced that she would be signing with Lisa Bluder and the Hawkeyes after Arizona State Head Coach Charli Thorne retired. Just a few days later, she was involved in a serious accident that killed her father, Trey Jones, and left her and her mother Amy in critical condition. Ava was left with a traumatic brain injury, torn ligaments in her knees, and a major shoulder injury while her mother was left with 21 broken bones.
Ava and her parents were walking on the sidewalk in Lousiville, Kentucky while the family was traveling to support their daughter for AAU basketball. Suddenly a vehicle that was operated by Michael Hurley, swerved toward the sidewalk, hitting the family and leaving them seriously injured. It was later found that Hurley was driving under the influence and was charged with murder, two counts of first-degree assault, and another assault in the fourth degree while operating a vehicle under the influence.
Even through everything that occurred on that day, Jones continued to work to get healthy for her first season as a Hawkeye. She unfortunately was unable to play for Iowa after dealing with the lasting medical issues from the accident. Through talks with the team doctors and athletic trainers, she made the decision to take the medical disqualification and retire from college basketball.
Jones released a statement saying, “I would like to start by saying how grateful I am to have been a part of the Iowa women’s basketball program. I am extremely blessed to have been part of the journey last season. It is with great sadness to announce that I am medically retiring from college basketball. My coaches, doctors, teammates, and trainers have been amazing since the accident. While I will no longer be a member of the women’s basketball program, I will still be on scholarship, receive a world-class education, and forever be a Hawkeye. I’d like to thank my family for the never-ending support and I am excited for the next chapter of my life.”
The University of Iowa has announced that she will continue to remain connected to the program through her scholarship as she continues to pursue her bachelor’s degree at the university. Her spot will not take up the other allotted 15 spots for a scholarship on the roster.
