A drunk driver severely injured Iowa women’s basketball forward Ava Jones in 2022. On Friday, Hawkeyes coach Jan Jensen announced that Jones would take a medical disqualification and stop playing basketball in college.
We made the decision after consulting with the team’s doctors and coaches. Jones is going to keep working toward her degree while she is on aid. Because she has a scholarship, the 15-player cap doesn’t apply to her.
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Jones was with the Hawkeyes last year, but he was never healthy enough to play.
“First, I want to say how thankful I am to have been a part of the Iowa women’s basketball team,” Jones wrote on social media. “It makes me very sad to say that I have to quit playing college basketball for health reasons.” Since the accident, my teachers, doctors, teammates, and trainers have been great. I will no longer be on the women’s basketball team, but I will still be a Hawkeye for life, get a great education, and be on scholarship.
“I’d like to thank my family for the never-ending support, and I am excited for the next chapter of my life.”
In Louisville, Kentucky, on July 5, 2022, an impaired driver hit Ava and her mother, Amy Jones, while she was participating in an AAU basketball tournament. Trey Jones, Jones’ father, lost his life, while Ava and her mother sustained injuries. Nicholas, Kansas, is where the Jones family is from.
Ava Jones sustained damage to her head, tore both knee ligaments, and suffered a shoulder injury. Amy Jones sustained 21 broken bones and suffered brain damage. After the crash, Trey Jones died in the hospital.
A grand jury arrested the driver, Michael Hurley, and charged him with one count of murder, two counts of first-degree assault, one count of assault in the fourth degree, and one count of driving while drunk. He told the cops that he had taken the opioid hydrocodone before driving, according to the report. He was on probation for drug charges when the accident occurred.
Jones, who is 6 feet 2 inches, finished 83rd in the class of 2023, according to ESPN HoopGurlz. She originally committed to Arizona State but changed her mind when coach Charli Turner Thorne retired. Jones resumed recruiting and told everyone she was going to Iowa on July 3, 2022, two days before the crash. Following the crash, Iowa announced right away that she would stay on scholarship, no matter if she could play or not.
“We wish Ava the best on the road to recovery and fully support the decision she made to step away from the game,” said Jensen. “She worked tirelessly to get to this point, but she made the best decision for herself and her well-being.”
