Hawkeyes coach Jan Jensen announced on Friday that Iowa women’s basketball forward Ava Jones, who suffered critical injuries from a drunk driver in 2022, will accept a medical disqualification and retire from college basketball.
We made the decision after consulting with team doctors and sports trainers. Jones will remain on scholarship and work toward her degree. Her scholarship does not count against the maximum of 15 active players.
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Despite spending last season with the Hawkeyes, Jones never received a medical clearance to play.
“I would like to start by saying how grateful I am to have been a part of the Iowa women’s basketball program,” Jones wrote in a social media message. “It is with great sadness that I announce my medical retirement from college basketball.” My coaches, physicians, teammates, and trainers have been outstanding since the accident. While I will no longer be a member of the women’s basketball program, I will continue to be on scholarship, receive a world-class education, and be a Hawkeye for life.
“I’d like to thank my family for the never-ending support, and I am excited for the next chapter of my life.”
On July 5, 2022, when an intoxicated motorist swerved onto a sidewalk in Louisville, Kentucky, where Ava was competing in an AAU basketball tournament, he murdered Jones’ father, Trey Jones, and injured her and her mother, Amy Jones. The Jones family is from Nickerson, Kansas.
Ava Jones sustained a traumatic brain injury, damaged ligaments in both knees, and a shoulder injury. Amy Jones sustained brain damage and 21 shattered bones. Trey Jones died in the hospital following the crash.
A grand jury indicted the driver, Michael Hurley, and charged him with one case of murder, two charges of first-degree assault, one act of fourth-degree assault, and one count of driving under the influence. According to the police report, Hurley stated that he had taken hydrocodone before driving. He was on probation for drug-related offenses when the accident occurred.
The 6-foot-2 Jones, ranked 83rd by ESPN HoopGurlz for the 2023 class, initially committed to Arizona State but then decommitted after coach Charli Turner Thorne’s retirement. Jones resumed her recruitment and announced her commitment to Iowa on July 3, 2022, two days before the incident. Iowa immediately announced following the crash that she would continue on scholarship regardless of her ability to play.
“We wish Ava the best on the road to recovery and fully support the decision she made to step away from the game,” Jensen stated. “She worked tirelessly to get to this point, but she made the best decision for herself and her well-being.”
