Iowa basketball player Ava Jones announced her retirement from college basketball Friday, nearly two years after the car accident that seriously injured her and killed her father.
In a statement released by the Hawkeyes, the forward said she will be allowed to remain on scholarship, but will no longer be a member of the team.
“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 a part of the journey last season.
Jones full statements:
“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.”
Jones was a four-star recruit and ESPN’s No. 84 member of the Class of 2023, but her career was derailed before she ever took the floor for Iowa.
On July 5, 2022, Jones, her brother and her parents were all struck by an allegedly impaired driver who drove his car onto the sidewalk in Louisville. The impact killed her father, Trey, and left her mother, Amy, with a brain injury and 21 broken bones, per ESPN. Her younger brother was treated for minor injuries.
