Iowa’s Ava Jones is retiring from college basketball.

Iowa women’s basketball forward Ava Jones, who was critically injured by a drunk driver in 2022, will accept a medical disqualification and retire from college basketball, Hawkeyes coach Jan Jensen announced Friday. The decision was made following discussions 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.

Jones spent last season with the Hawkeyes but was never medically authorized 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 forever remain 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 murdered, and she and her mother, Amy Jones, were injured on July 5, 2022, when an inebriated motorist struck them as he swerved onto a sidewalk in Louisville, Kentucky, where Ava was competing in an AAU basketball tournament. 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 a brain damage and 21 shattered bones. Trey Jones died in the hospital following the crash.

The 6-foot-2 Jones, who was ranked 83rd by ESPN HoopGurlz for the 2023 class, first committed to Arizona State but then decommitted after coach Charli Turner Thorne departed. Jones restarted her recruitment and declared her commitment to Iowa on July 3, 2022, two days before the accident. Iowa immediately announced following the accident that she would remain on scholarship regardless of whether she was able 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 commented. “She worked tirelessly to get to this point, but she made the best decision for herself and her well-being.”