Commitment of the Iowa women’s basketball team, family seriously injured after being hit by a car

Ava Jones, a rising high school student from Kansas who made a verbal commitment to Iowa’s women’s basketball team on Sunday, was fatally injured along with her parents when they were hit by a car. in Louisville on Tuesday night.

The family was there for the Run 4 the Roses girls basketball tournament, in which Jones was playing with her club team. They were hit by bullets as the car sped onto the sidewalk. The driver who crashed them, Michael Hurley, was charged with four counts of first-degree assault and driving in the case of a hitch. He told police that he had recently taken hydrocodone.

Jones was reported to be in serious condition, while her parents, Amy and Trey Jones, were in critical condition. A child believed to be Jones’ brother was treated for minor injuries. According to Billy Watson of the Hutchinson News in Kansas, Jones’ grandmother said that Jones is expected to recover, although her injuries have not been made public.

“Right now, all we can do is say that the family needs prayers,” Austin Johnson, Jones’ AAU coach, told ESPN via text message Wednesday.

Jones, a 6-foot-2-player, ranks 83rd on ESPN HoopGurlz’s top 100 prospects for 2023. She is averaging 20.8 points, 15.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists during the season. in advance for Nickerson High School in Kansas.

Jones was initially committed to Arizona State but reopened hiring after longtime Sun Devils coach Charli Turner Thorne retired in March. Jones announced her commitment to Iowa on social media on Sunday. Because she has not signed with the Hawkeyes, the school cannot comment on Jones’ condition, an Iowa spokesperson told ESPN.