Caitlin Clark's Iowa teammate retires after medical disqualification

Iowa women's basketball forward Ava Jones, who suffered severe injuries in a 2022 car accident involving an impaired driver, has decided to retire from playing college basketball due to medical disqualification.

Hawkeyes coach Jan Jensen announced the decision Friday after consultations with team doctors and athletic trainers. Although Jones will no longer play, she will remain on scholarship and continue her education at Iowa.

“I would like to start by saying how grateful I am to have been part of the Iowa women's basketball program,” Jones said in a message released on social media, via Michael Voepel of ESPN. “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' father, Trey Jones, was killed, and she and her mother, Amy Jones, were injured when an impaired driver veered onto a sidewalk in Louisville during an AAU basketball tournament on July 5, 2022. Ava Jones suffered a traumatic brain injury, torn ligaments in both knees and a shoulder injury.

Amy Jones sustained a brain injury and 21 broken bones. Trey Jones died at the hospital after the crash.

The driver, Michael Hurley, was indicted by a grand jury and charged with one count of murder, two counts of first-degree assault, one count of assault in the fourth degree and one count of operating a motor vehicle under the influence.

According to the police report, Hurley admitted to taking the opioid hydrocodone before driving and was on probation for drug-related charges at the time of the crash.

“We wish Ava the best on the road to recovery and fully support the decision she made to step away from the game,” Jensen said. “She worked tirelessly to get to this point, but she made the best decision for herself and her well-being.”

Ava Jones' commitment to Iowa women's basketball

Jones, who was ranked 83rd by ESPN HoopGurlz for the Class of 2023, originally committed to Arizona State but decommitted after Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne retired.

On July 3, 2022, two days before the accident, she announced her commitment to the Hawkeyes. Despite her injuries, Iowa assured her that she would remain on scholarship regardless of her ability to play.

Jones signed her National Letter of Intent to play for the Hawkeyes in November that same year. She had a successful high school career, being named the 3A girls player of the year in Kansas in 2022.