Iowa women’s basketball has picked up a pair of commitments in the 2023 class in the past week. The latest is from Nickerson High School (Kan.) power forward Ava Jones.
Jones initially committed to Arizona State in February of 2021, but after Sun Devils head coach Charli Turner Thorne elected to retire at the end of this past season, Jones decommitted from ASU and reopened her recruitment.
Ultimately, that winds up being great news for the Hawkeyes. Jones committed to Iowa over schools such as Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State and Texas Tech. The 6-foot-2 forward also had offers from Drake, Ohio State, Minnesota, TCU, Tulsa and Wichita State.
“I would first off like to thank my family for everything they do, along with my WSE and SWE family. None of this would be possible without each and every one of you. I would also like to thank all the schools that have recruited me and taken the time to get to know my family and myself. With that being said, I’m excited to announce that I will be committing to the University of Iowa! Go Hawkeyes!!” Jones wrote on Twitter.
GO HAWKS💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/L3zBktDJIx
— Ava Jones (@avajones_35) July 3, 2022
According to Billy Watson of The Hutchinson News, Jones averaged 20.8 points, 15.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game en route to first-team all-state and first-team all-Central Kansas League selections. Jones and Nickerson won the Central Kansas League title and finished fourth in the Class 3A state tournament. Jones is ranked as the No. 83 player in ESPN’s 2023 HoopGurlz player rankings.
Jones joins Example Academy (Ill.) guard Kennise Johnson-Etienne as a recent Hawkeye commit. According to HawkeyeReport‘s Kyle Huessman, the 5-foot-8 guard averaged 11.3 points, 6.2 assists and 3.1 steals this past season.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfcQQn2vlBL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“I just want to thank god for every blessing sent my way. I also want to thank my parents for the countless sacrifices of time and money to feed my every dream and goal. I want to thank Coach Frazier, Coach E, Coach X and the entire Example Family for pushing me out of my comfort zone and to reach my full potential. Also for believing in me and never giving up on me.
“Lastly but not least, I want to thank the Iowa staff and players for making me feel at home, and making me feel like a priority. So with deep thought and consideration, I will be attending The University of Iowa. Let’s go Hawkeyes,” Johnson-Etienne wrote in her Instagram announcement.
Johnson-Etienne is rated as the No. 3 guard and the No. 13 recruit from Illinois in the 2023 class by Prep Girl Hoops. These two commitments are big news for Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder and her staff as the Hawkeyes look to parlay their 24-8 season in 2021-22 into future successes.
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