Tag: Haley Jones

Q&A: Atlanta Dream guard Haley Jones tried to build a WNBA Mt. Rushmore and it was so hard

“I’m stressed out over here! I’m getting a new pimple!”

Haley Jones is just a California girl with Atlanta dreams. Yet, her vision for her career extends beyond the court and into girls’ lives everywhere.

During her college career at Stanford, Jones was an AP All-American and Pac-12 Co-Player of the Year and also won a national championship. In 2023, she was drafted by the Atlanta Dream, where she thrived and walked away with WNBA All-Rookie Team honors. Now, she’s hoping to build upon her success and share her passion for basketball with other young players.

In celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the WNBA and VOICEINSPORT (VIS) are partnering with the WNBA Changemaker Collective to engage and unlock services to over 50,000 girls via VIS’s platform. Jones and 11 other WNBA players have signed on to become VIS mentors, something she says she wished she had as a young athlete.

“It would have meant a lot because the W was very young when I was growing up, and social media wasn’t as big back then,” she told For The Win in a recent interview. “So, I didn’t have those role models, and I feel like nowadays, kids can connect to us through Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, whatever it may be. It would have meant the world to have that one-on-one connection or feel like you really know your favorite athletes and people who look like you.”

Ahead of the 2024 WNBA season, Jones spoke with For the Win about what she would have changed from her first season in the league, why having new teammate Jordin Canada guard her was annoying, and why it stresses her out to pick just four players to be on her WNBA Mount Rushmore of greats.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Haley Jones was mortified to learn she missed a call from her new WNBA coach after being drafted

This is the absolute worst call to miss!

You never want to miss an important call, but this might have just been the absolute worst one to miss.

The 2023 WNBA Draft came and went on Monday with lots of fanfare from basketball fans. As expected, Aliyah Boston was drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever to kick off the night for WNBA fans. As the clock rolled down on the Atlanta Dream to draft at the No. 6 spot, the team picked Haley Jones out of Stanford to add to their young, emerging lineup.

When it came time for Dream head coach Tanisha Wright to call Jones to congratulate her on the selection, the newest draftee didn’t answer her phone! Wright then took to Twitter to send her congratulations and offer a good-natured ribbing about the missed call.

A reporter then broke the news to Jones, who was absolutely mortified to learn she blew off her boss in the first few minutes of her new gig.

Thankfully, Wright gave Jones a pass for the day — and the pair finally connected after the press conference — so all’s well that ends well!

No doubt Jones will be keeping a close eye on her phone from here on out.

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15 players invited to attend the 2023 WNBA draft

While over 100 players declared for the WNBA draft, only 15 prospects were invited to attend the draft in person.

The 2023 WNBA draft will air live on ESPN starting at 7 p.m. ET on Monday. While over 100 players declared, only 15 prospects were invited to attend the draft in person in Spring Studios, located in the Tribeca section of New York.

South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston, Maryland guard Diamond Miller, Stanford guard/forward Haley Jones and Villanova forward Maddy Siegrist are among some of the top prospects invited to attend.

The other prospects who will be in attendance are forward Laeticia Amihere (South Carolina), guard Brea Beal (South Carolina), guard Grace Berger (Indiana), guard Zia Cooke (South Carolina), guard Jordan Horston (Tennessee), guard/forward Ashley Joens (Iowa State), forward Dorka Juhåsz (Connecticut), guard/forward Lou Lopez Sénéchal (Connecticut), guard Taylor Mikesell (Ohio State), guard Alexis Morris (LSU), and forward/center Stephanie Soares (Iowa State).

In preparation for the draft, ESPN2 will broadcast the WNBA Draft Preview Show on April 8 at 11:30 a.m. EDT and re-air it on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. EDT. LaChina Robinson will host the 30-minute special with analyst Rebecca Lobo.

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Haley Jones on her ‘sketchy’ experiences playing the Pac-12 tourney in Vegas and how she limits sports betting noise

Being shouted at in a casino doesn’t sound fun.

With sports betting legal in over 30 U.S. states, there aren’t many athletes who don’t periodically hear from a fan or two about how their performances impacted a bet.

Those usually one-sided interactions are typically limited to social media or during games. Especially for an athlete based in a state where betting isn’t legal, like Stanford basketball star Haley Jones. So, as you can imagine, playing a game in Las Vegas is a different experience than what she’s used to.

Vegas has hosted the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament since 2019. Up until this year, Stanford had reached the final each time, winning the last two. This year’s team had its time shortened with a semifinal loss to UCLA, but that didn’t make the betting chatter any less noticeable.

“We’re walking through the casino to get to our games, and there’s the betting stations and this and that, and I can feel people’s eyes on me and I’m like, ‘Oh gosh, your money is in my hands. That’s sketchy,'” Jones said in a conversation with FTW about her new podcast, Sometimes I Hoop. “I feel like people just take it more intense since they have something personal on the line. After games, if I’m walking through the casino after we lose or after we win, they’re like, ‘Oh, you won me this. Oh, you lost me that.’ And I’m just like, what the heck. I was just over here trying to get back and get to post-game meal and shower. I don’t need you shouting at me right now. So I think it’s definitely created a different environment.”

That environment is likely more intense for a team like Stanford that has achieved so much in Jones’ four years on campus. The Cardinal have been to each of the last two Final Fours, winning it all Jones’ sophomore year. As this year’s tournament approaches, their +700 title odds at DraftKings are second only to undefeated South Carolina.

As legal betting has exploded during that time, conversations about lines have even penetrated Jones’ own circle. But if you plan on chatting her up about point spreads and parlays, just know she hasn’t caught up on all the lingo.

“My brother, he’ll be on ESPN like ‘Oh my gosh, you guys are up this, down that.’ And I’m like, I don’t know what any of that means, so awesome,” the 2021 Final Four Most Outstanding Player said. “But I think fans are in some cases more into it because they have money on the line. So it’s a lot more intense of a crowd.”

That noise spills over on to social media, but Jones has found a way to filter it out.

“You definitely get tagged and whatnot, but there’s different security and privacy things that I’ve been able to put on my account so I’m not just getting tagged in a million hate messages of ‘Haley, you lost me $1,000!'”

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Q&A: Stanford’s Haley Jones is on the precipice of an exciting new chapter, but first she wants to go out on top

Haley Jones has a lot to look forward to, but she’s trying to stay grounded.

Haley Jones is doing her best to stay in the moment.

The 2021 Final Four Most Outstanding Player and national champion has a chance to do something special one last time. Stanford is projected as a No. 1 seed for a third straight Women’s NCAA Tournament. The senior would love nothing more than to reach a third Final Four and go out on top.

But no matter when Jones’ illustrious college career comes to an end, she’ll be ready for what’s next.

Jones will be one of the first names off the board in April’s WNBA draft. She’s also dipping her toes into another future career, launching a podcast with The Players’ Tribune called Sometimes I Hoop. The podcast allows Jones to shine a light on her fellow basketball stars through conversations about their experiences on the court and interests away from the game. She’s already interviewed players like Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark.

FTW had a chance to chat with Jones about the podcast, her own hobbies, March Madness and more.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Iowa Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark wins Naismith Trophy fan vote

Iowa sophomore guard Caitlin Clark was the winner of the Naismith Trophy fan vote.

Iowa sophomore guard Caitlin Clark authored a historic season, averaging 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per game. As a result, Clark was named one of the finalists for the Naismith Trophy.

While the Naismith Trophy was awarded to South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, Clark did win the fan vote. She joined Kansas men’s basketball junior guard Ochai Agbaji as players to win the Naismith Trophy fan vote this season. Texas Tech head men’s basketball coach Mark Adams and South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley were the two coaches that took home the most Naismith Trophy fan votes.

Clark was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and earned unanimous first team All-Big Ten honors for her standout sophomore season. She earned national player of the week honors four times this season: twice by the USBWA (Jan. 18 and March 1), by Naismith on Jan. 25 and by ESPN on Feb. 7.

Clark led the nation in points per game and finished with the most total points of any player with 863 this past season. She also led the nation in assists per game and total assists with 257.

Clark recorded back-to-back triple-doubles versus Nebraska on Jan. 16 and at Minnesota on Jan. 20. She became the 10th collegiate women’s basketball player to record back-to-back triple-doubles. On the season, Clark registered five triple-doubles.

Clark broke Iowa’s single-game assist record with 18 against Penn State on Jan. 25 and tied the Big Ten record for most assists against a Big Ten opponent. She also holds three women’s basketball arena scoring records: 39 points at Nebraska’s Pinnacle Bank Arena her freshman season, Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena with 44 points versus Evansville on Jan. 2 and Michigan’s Crisler Center with 46 points on Feb. 6.

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Iowa Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark named Naismith Trophy finalist

Caitlin Clark averaged 27 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists per game. Now, she’s one of four Naismith Trophy finalists.

Iowa sophomore guard Caitlin Clark authored a season unlike any other in women’s college basketball history. The West Des Moines, Iowa, native led the nation in points and assists per game to become the first player to lead the country in both categories in a single season.

Clark averaged 27 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and 1.5 steals per game. Her 863 total points, 200 free throws made and 257 total assists this season were all tops nationally. The 6-foot guard also led the nation in triple-doubles with five and 30-point games with 11.

Now, Clark has been named one of four Naismith Trophy finalists. She joins South Carolina junior forward Aliyah Boston, Stanford junior guard Haley Jones and Baylor senior forward NaLyssa Smith as one of the finalists. The award is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding women’s college basketball player.

Clark earned Big Ten Player of the Year status after a season filled with milestones. In January, Clark recorded back-to-back 30-point triple-doubles versus Nebraska and Minnesota. She scored 31 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists versus the Cornhuskers on Jan. 16 in Iowa’s 93-83 win over the Cornhuskers before dropping 35 points, collecting 13 rebounds and assisting 11 times at Minnesota in the Hawkeyes’ 105-49 Jan. 20 triumph over the Gophers.

In the process, Clark joined Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, James Harden, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo as the only NBA, WNBA, or Division I men’s or women’s basketball players to register back-to-back 30-point triple-doubles. Clark is the only NCAA player to ever record back-to-back 30-point triple-doubles and one of 10 women’s basketball players to register back-to-back triple-doubles in their careers.

In early January, Clark broke the 1,000-career points barrier in a 93-56 win over Evansville in which she scored 44 points. Clark also became the fastest Division I player to reach 1,500 career points over the last 20 seasons, eclipsing that mark with 32 points in the Hawkeyes’ 87-78 win at Rutgers on Feb. 24.

She was also named Big Ten Tournament MVP after averaging 26 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in Iowa’s wins over Northwestern, Nebraska and Indiana. Clark was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection, was named a Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year finalist, Dawn Staley Award finalist, a WBCA Wade Trophy midseason watch list member and John R. Wooden Award national ballot top-15 selection.

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Everything we know following Oregon’s heartbreaking 66-62 loss to Stanford

Oregon led most of the way, but a near five minute scoring drought let Stanford back into the game and win it 66-62.

The Oregon Ducks women’s basketball season has been a bumpy ride and after their close win over California Friday night, head coach Kelly Graves didn’t have many kind words for his team.

It was uncharacteristic for Graves and the tactic seemed to have worked.

The Ducks played the game of their lives and nearly defeated No. 2 Stanford, but the Cardinal came away with a  66-62. It would have been Oregon’s first-ever win over an AP Top 2 team.

As great teams do, they find a way to get it done and Stanford did just that despite being down for the vast majority of the game. Haley Jones took over the fourth quarter and scored 10 of her 18 points to lead the Cardinal.

One the other side of the floor, it was Te-Hina Paopao doing her best to keep the Ducks in the lead. She scored eight of her 23 points in the final 10 minutes.

What ultimately did in the Ducks was a 4:30 scoring drought at the worst possible time that allowed Stanford to climb back into the game and win it.

Now Oregon will try to bounce back after this disappointing loss with a trip to the Mountain schools to end the end regular season.