Jones enjoys her Iowa visit
Ava Jones out of Nickerson High School in Kansas was on campus for an official visit this past weekend. The class of 2023 recruit decommitted from Arizona State back in March due to a head coaching change and has since been taking visits, as she tries to find her new home.
“It has been very busy (last couple months), but I am very grateful for every school that has reached out to me throughout the last few months.”
Jones enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with the coaching staff, learning about the program, as well as hanging out with members of the current team.
“It was awesome to learn more about the Iowa Women’s Basketball program. The program has really great tradition. Along with that, I really enjoyed walking around the city and campus, it is not like most other campuses that I have been to. Very unique.”
“We toured campus and I hung out with the team and watched the NBA Finals game. I stayed in a hotel, but I met the entire team and hung out with all of them.”
As for where Jones could fit in with the Hawkeyes, she says that the coaching staff sees her playing at the 3/4 position in the offense.
“Being able to post up a smaller guard if I have one on me, but pull out a big if I have one on me.”
Jones said this visit was important for her to grow her relationship with the coaching staff, a point that is very important to her when it comes to making a final decision.
“My relationship with the staff is great, the visit was good for me to get to know them more and vice versa…Coaching stability is very high on my list. I’m looking to join a program and stay at that program for four years.”
That point in particular is advantage Hawkeyes, as the coaching staff screams “stability”. Head Coach Lisa Bluder, Jan Jensen and Jenni Fitzgerald have been with the program for more than 20 years, while Abby Stamp has been with the Hawkeyes for nearly 15 years.
“The biggest thing for me is the culture of the program, and how I fit in/can help the team. I hope to make some of my best friends while playing basketball. Another big thing for me in my decision is player development and getting me better so I can hopefully play at the next level.”
The Hawkeyes have seen Samantha Logic, Megan Gustafson and Kathleen Doyle get drafted to the WNBA in the last 7 years, while Monika Czinano and Caitlin Clark are on the roster and destined to get their respective shots at the next level.
Since her decommitment from the Sun Devils, Jones has taken visits to Kansas (April), Texas Tech (April), Kansas State (June) and Oklahoma State (June). She tells me that she will be taking visits to Missouri State and Oregon State to wrap up the month of June. Her offer list since her decommitment also includes Drake, Wichita State, Tulsa, Ohio State, TCU and Minnesota. Her current plan is to cut her list down and ultimately make a final decision in mid-July.
As a junior at Nickerson High, Jones was named 3A First Team All-State, as well as 3A Co-Player of the Year. Ava averaged 20.8 points and 15.4 rebounds per game, while helping the Panthers to a 23-3 record and a fourth-place state finish. Over 69 career games, Jones has scored 1,336 points and collected 822 rebounds. She was also named Second Team All-State for her efforts on the court as a volleyball player this past season and won a 4A state title in high jump this spring.
Here are some of her highlights from her junior season
https://www.maxpreps.com/m/athlete/ava-jones/gnVtQsTgEemAzfp8ouYFiw/videos.htm
Keep an eye on HawkeyeReport for updates on her recruitment and all Iowa Women’s Basketball news.