Mechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.

Trey Jones, the father of Iowa women’s basketball recruit Ava Jones, died on Thursday at the University of Louisville hospital, two days after they, along with two other members of the family, were seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle.

News of his death was made public Friday.

Ava Jones, a rising high school senior from Kansas who verbally committed to Iowa on Sunday, remains in critical condition along with her mother, Amy. Ava’s younger brother, Creek, was treated for minor injuries.

The family was in Louisville for the Run 4 The Roses girls’ basketball tournament, in which Jones was playing with her club team. They were hit when the vehicle drove onto a sidewalk. The driver who struck them, Michael Hurley, initially was charged with four counts of first-degree assault and driving under the influence. He told police he had recently taken the drug Hydrocodone.

A murder charge was added after Trey Jones’ death.

Trey Jones, 42, was a teacher and track coach at Nickerson High School in Kansas, which Ava attends. Ava, a 6-foot-2 wing player, is No. 83 on the ESPN HoopGurlz top 100 prospects list for the class of 2023. She averaged 20.8 points, 15.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists last season for Nickerson High, where she has also been on the volleyball and track teams.

Jones initially committed to Arizona State but reopened her recruiting after longtime Sun Devils coach Charli Turner Thorne retired in March. Jones announced her commitment to Iowa on social media Sunday. Because she has not signed with the Hawkeyes, the school could not comment on Jones’ condition, an Iowa spokesman told ESPN.

However, Iowa assistant coach Jan Jensen posted on Instagram on Thursday that she and head coach Lisa Bluder had visited the family in the hospital.

Jones’ club team, Southwest Elite, won the championship in its bracket on Friday, dedicating it to the Jones family.

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