Highly touted basketball recruit and parents hit by vehicle in downtown Louisville

Billy Kobin, Brooks Holton and Billy Watson, Louisville Courier Journal
·4 min read
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Police officers investigate the scene on Second Street and East Market Street where a driver struck pedestrians in downtown Louisville on July 5, 2022. A man was taken into custody and charged with impairment and three adults and one child were taken to the UofL and Norton Children's Hospital.
Police officers investigate the scene on Second Street and East Market Street where a driver struck pedestrians in downtown Louisville on July 5, 2022. A man was taken into custody and charged with impairment and three adults and one child were taken to the UofL and Norton Children's Hospital.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Four pedestrians who were hospitalized after police said an impaired driver hit them Tuesday evening in downtown Louisville include a University of Iowa women's basketball recruit and her parents, officials say.

Ava Jones and her parents, Amy and Trey Jones, were struck along with a child shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday while in Louisville, Wheat State Elite coach Craig Nicholson confirmed to The Hutchinson News, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Nicholson coaches Ava Jones on Wheat State Elite, an AAU team from Kansas.

Amy, Trey and Ava Jones were all in critical condition Wednesday night, a University of Louisville Hospital official said. The child was treated for "minor injuries," Louisville Metro Police spokesperson Beth Ruoff added.

Ava Jones will make a full recovery, family said Wednesday morning in an email to The Hutchinson News, while additional updates on the parents were not available. A Friday afternoon update from LMPD said one of the people who had been hit had died Thursday, with the Jefferson County Coroner's Office set to release their identity to the public after family members had been updated.

The family came to Louisville for the Run 4 Roses Classic, an AAU girls basketball tournament running through Friday on more than 80 courts spread throughout the Kentucky Exposition Center.

Jones is ranked as the 83rd best girls basketball player in the nation in the Class of 2023, according to ESPNW's top 100.

Nickerson's Ava Jones was named the 2022 all-Reno County girls basketball player of the year.
Nickerson's Ava Jones was named the 2022 all-Reno County girls basketball player of the year.

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Amy and Trey Jones both work for the local school district in Nickerson, Kansas. Amy Jones is the assistant superintendent for Nickerson USD 309, while Trey Jones teaches woodworking at the high school and is the head track and field coach.

Nickerson is a town of nearly 1,000 residents that is roughly 60 miles northwest of Wichita.

Ruoff said the accident occurred Tuesday night when a driver struck the four pedestrians at Second and Market streets.

Ruoff did not identify the four pedestrians but said they were taken to University of Louisville Hospital and Norton Children's Hospital.

LMPD arrested Michael Hurley, 33, of Lexington, Indiana, after the incident and charged him with four counts of first-degree assault along with driving under the influence and a license possession violation. An additional murder charge was added after one of the people who was hit died Thursday.

Hurley was turning left off Market to head north on Second when his car left the road and hit the four pedestrians, according to an arrest citation. Alcohol was not listed as a factor in the crash, but LMPD said Hurley told officers he had taken hydrocodone and was "so tired that he could not make the turn."

Hurley pleaded not guilty to the charges during an arraignment hearing Wednesday morning and had his bond set at $500,000, with a public defender appointed to represent him, according to court records.

He had no criminal history in Kentucky court records. According to Indiana court records, Hurley was sentenced in August 2021 to roughly one year of probation after pleading guilty in a Scott County case to one count each of unlawful possession of a syringe and unlawful possession/use of a legend drug.

As part of that plea deal, Hurley saw three other charges dismissed that related to drug possession and leaving the scene of an accident, according to Indiana court records.

Ava Jones announced her commitment Sunday to Iowa after initially picking Arizona State.

As a junior this past season at Nickerson High School in Kansas, the 6-foot-2 forward averaged 20.8 points, 15.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game while helping her team finish fourth in the Kansas Class 3A state tournament. She also has qualified for numerous track and field events at the Kansas state meet and plays volleyball, according to The Hutchinson News.

The University of Iowa said it is not allowed to comment on Jones' situation due to NCAA rules pertaining to unsigned athletes.

Brooks Holton and Billy Kobin report for The Courier Journal. Billy Watson reports for The Hutchinson News in Hutchinson, Kansas, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Iowa basketball recruit Ava Jones, parents hit by car in Louisville