Ava Jones, former Iowa women’s basketball recruit, announces cancer diagnosis

IOWA CITY — Nobody deserves a cancer diagnosis.

But when Ava Jones announced on social media that she has been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, it seemed particularly and brutally unfair.

“I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma after the results from the biopsy came back,” Jones posted. “This is the news no one ever wants to get, but especially after spending the last 2 1/2 years working my butt off and recovering from getting hit by a car. My body is very strong and I am confident here in the doctors here at Iowa.”

A native of Nickerson, Kan., Jones committed to play for the Iowa women’s basketball program July 3, 2022.

Two days later, during a summer AAU tournament in Louisville, Ky., Jones and her family were hit while walking on a sidewalk by a driver under the influence.

| Ava Jones’ visit with The Gazette at her home in Nickerson, Kan., in November 2022 |

Jones and both of her parents suffered severe injuries. Her father, Trey Jones, died three days later.

Ava suffered a brain injury, a broken collarbone and massive damage to both knees. Her mother, Amy, suffered 21 broken bones and a stroke.

Despite Jones’ injury, Lisa Bluder honored Jones’ full-ride scholarship to Iowa.

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Jones never played for the Hawkeyes, and though she medically retired from basketball in the summer of 2024, her athletic scholarship was retained and she remains a UI student.

She is a sophomore majoring in sports media and culture.

Iowa Coach Jan Jensen said Saturday, “While this news is so hard to believe, there’s no question that Ava will fight like she has so courageously in every realm. In our first conversation, she told me she is going to kick it. And that’s an attitude that has always served her well.”

Hodgkin lymphoma, also called Hodgkin disease, is a type of cancer that develops in the lymph system, part of the immune system, which protects the body from infection and disease.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com