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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan
The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Former Iowa women’s basketball player Ava Jones diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma

The diagnosis is another tragic setback for Jones, who was forced to medically retire from basketball after sustaining injuries in a car accident back in 2022.
Brad Schultz, Assistant Sports Editor
February 8, 2025
Grace Smith
Iowa forward AJ Ediger and Iowa forward Ava Jones walk off the court during an exhibition women’s basketball game between Iowa and Clarke University at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. The matchup marks Iowa’s first game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the 23-24 season. Ediger was out for the game after sustaining a foot injury. Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said it is a non-contact injury to her foot and Ediger will be back. The Hawkeyes defeated the Pride, 122-49.

Former Iowa women’s basketball player Ava Jones has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer, per an announcement on her Instagram page.

According to Yale Medicine, the disease is treatable, with 90 percent of the people diagnosed at an early-stage expected to recover.

The diagnosis is another devastating setback for Jones, who was forced to medically retire from basketball prior to the 2024-25 season due to injuries sustained in a 2022 car accident that claimed the life of her father, Trey, and severely injured her mother, Amy. The driver, who prosecutors said was high on fentanyl, was later found guilty of murder and two counts of assault.

Though she is no longer on the team, the Hawkeyes have kept Jones on scholarship and are ready to offer their full support to Jones and her family.

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

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