Family, friends and loved ones gathered Saturday morning at Hutch First Nazarene Church in Hutchinson, Kan. to pay tribute to Trey Jones and offer words of encouragement to his daughter, Ava Jones, and her family.

More than two months removed from a crash in Louisville, Ky. that cost him his life, Trey Jones was memorialized during a service that included special tributes from friends and loved ones to comfort the family as they said goodbye. He was 42 years old.

On July 5, the family was in Louisville for Ava Jones’ AAU basketball tournament when police say a driver hit them with his car while under the influence of hydrocodone. Trey Jones died days later in a Kentucky hospital, and the three other family members involved in the accident survived. Creek Jones (Trey’s youngest son) suffered a few minor cuts and scrapes but was mostly fine, while Amy Jones (Trey’s wife) and Ava Jones spent weeks recovering at Frazier Rehabilitation Institute in Louisville before returning to their home in Nickerson, Kan. on Aug. 18.

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Ava Jones is a top 100 recruit in the Class of 2023, according to ESPN, and is committed to the University of Iowa. Previously committed to Arizona State, she reopened her recruitment after a coaching change within the Sun Devils program. The family has confirmed that Iowa will honor Jones’ scholarship regardless of the circumstances.

A 6-foot-2 wing, Jones is the reigning Class 3A girls player of the year in Kansas. She is coming off a 2021-22 campaign in which she averaged 20.8 points and 15.4 rebounds per game at Nickerson, leading the Panthers to a fourth-place finish in 3A. Jones was also named the most valuable player in the Central Kansas League at the end of the season.

Outside of basketball,  Jones has also made a name for herself on the volleyball court and on the track. She was among the leaders in kills for the Nickerson volleyball team last season, and she won the 4A girls high jump two years ago as a sophomore. Jones qualified for four events at the state track meet last year, placing in the top three in two events.

As head coach of Nickerson’s track and field team, Trey Jones was remembered fondly during his memorial service for the kindness he showed to the players he coached.

“Trey is willing to jump in and do anything for anybody and had a desire to make us all better,” Nickerson High School Principal Rick Blosser said. “He loved teaching, he loved coaching and he loved the Nickerson Panthers. Rest in peace Coacher.”

In an interview last month with KAKE News, Amy Jones said the realization of being back home without her husband would likely set in after the service. She also thanked Kansans and other people across the country for the support her family had received.

Those sentiments of gratitude were echoed during the service on behalf of the family, with church leadership acknowledging first responders, law enforcement, doctors, nurses, physical therapists and many others who have made a difference in aiding the recovery of the Jones family.

“Trey was doing what he loved when he died,” Hutch First Lead Pastor Kent Pederson said. “Traveling with his family and watching one of his kids compete.”

Brad Fox, who was close friends with Trey Jones, said he was nearly moved to tears when thinking about the impact he left on his life, and Fox was sympathetic to the family during their time of grief.

“We will cherish every adventure we had with Trey,” Fox said, “and look forward to moments still to come with Amy, Creek, Hunter and Ava.”

Trey Jones’ celebration of life included a number of personal memories, and it touched on a number of achievements throughout his personal life.

All speakers were in agreement that his family was his greatest achievement.

“That was always one of Trey’s greatest joys was seeing his children succeed more than he did,” said Crag Honas, Trey’s brother-in-law.

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.

UCLA-bound high school senior Sienna Betts led the West team to a decisive 104-82 victory over the East in the McDonald's All-American Girls Game held last night at New York's Barclays Center.

The 6'4" forward contributed 16 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, earning MVP honors for her performance. ​

Betts is currently the class of 2025's No. 2 overall recruit. Only Texas-based point guard Aaliyah Chavez, who recently committed to the Oklahoma Sooners, ranks above her.

Betts to join sister Lauren Betts at UCLA next year

Betts's performance is a good indicator of her potential impact at UCLA next year. There, she'll join forces with her sister Lauren Betts, the senior currently leading the Bruins to this season's NCAA Final Four after transferring in from Stanford.

The Betts sisters' arrival is highly anticipated, with Lauren opting to forgo the 2025 WNBA Draft in order to play out her final year of college eligibility alongside her little sister.

“For me, it [committing to UCLA] was a lot about how the coaches care about you off the court, and the coaches at UCLA, they really care about your mental health,” Betts told The Flagler College Gargoyle after committing last year. “Every team that I’ve ever been on, we’ve been a family… So, they really cared about that part of basketball for me, and they showed me that on my visits and when I called to talk to them.”

Betts in good company as McDonald's All-American Game MVP

In Brooklyn, Betts showcased her ability among the sport's best high school talent. Recent McDonald's All-American MVPs have all gone onto fuel prominent NCAA programs, including top-ranked recruits UConn's Sarah Strong, South Carolina's Joyce Edwards, USC's JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo, and UCLA's own Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez.

The McDonald's All-American Game has a storied history of highlighting promising players, with past MVPs subsequently laying the foundation for future superstars.

Less than a day after Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles shocked the women’s basketball world by opting to enter the transfer portal rather than declare for the 2025 WNBA Draft, the Irish’s transfer fall-out has continued.

Sophomore guard Emma Risch and freshman forward Kate Koval have also entered the portal, with Koval — who started in 10 games this season — leading the Irish in blocks.

Between transfer moves and graduating seniors, sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo remains Notre Dame’s only returning starter — a sharp turn for an Irish squad ranked No. 1 in the country just six weeks ago.

Other top NCAA programs see transfer portal movement

Notre Dame isn’t the only top-tier program experiencing a roster shakeup after exiting the 2025 NCAA tournament.

LSU sophomore forward Sa'myah Smith entered the transfer portal after the Tigers’ season ended in Sunday’s Elite Eight. USC sophomore guard Aaliyah Gayles subsequently followed suit after the Trojans fell to UConn on Monday.

Schools like TCU have become national contenders via the transfer portal, with the Horned Frogs recruiting both Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince ahead of their first-ever Elite Eight run. Former Kentucky center Clara Silva is the latest transfer to commit to TCU, as the team comes off their best tournament finish in school history.

The modern era of NCAA roster-building is upon us, with top players taking the reigns as ambitious teams scramble to fill offseason gaps.

The NWSL is looking to sign a new Sunday night TV deal, according to a Sports Business Journal report published this week.

The league is targeting a two-year deal starting in 2026, with both new and existing TV partners interested in picking up additional NWSL games.

NWSL looks to build on multimillion dollar TV deal

The NWSL is currently two years into a four-year, $240 million TV partnership with ESPN, Prime, ION, and CBS Sports. However, the current contract doesn’t cover the entire schedule. And with league expansion planned for 2026, even more inventory is on the way.

SBJ notes that the market for this season’s lineup has been strong. In fact, all four media partners have already sold out all their 2025 advertising slots.

“You cannot find a place to spend right now,” IMG’s Hillary Mandel said at a recent Business of Soccer event hosted by SBJ. “We know what’s motivating interest is the fact that there’s no place to invest. That’s a phenomenal story in such a short period of time."

ESPN spotlighted for TV network-owned Sunday lineup

ESPN could be a prime candidate for a Sunday package, with the network set to move on from Sunday Night Baseball after the 2025 MLB season.

The NWSL has traditionally leaned into network-owned nights, with Prime airing Friday night matchups and ION running Saturday double-headers.

The NWSL’s most recent contract subsequently added serious value to the league. And the returns have networks coming back for more, setting up a potential bidding war and easing growing pains as new teams join the fold.

UCLA will hit the court for their first-ever NCAA Final Four on Friday, but as they extend the most successful season in program history, the Bruins have looked anything but green.

“We said talent was going to be our floor,” UCLA head coach Cori Close said after Sunday’s Elite Eight win over LSU. “Our character, our chemistry, our habits were going to be our ceiling.”

With just two losses on the season, UCLA’s status as a first-rate NCAA title contender has actually been years in the making.

Roster-building paves the way to the Final Four

In 2022, the Bruins signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, stacking their roster with top high school standouts Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice, and Londynn Jones.

UCLA then upped their game even further last year, when 2022 No. 1 overall recruit Lauren Betts transferred in from Stanford — a move that fueled the Bruins all the way to the Sweet 16 with the promise of even greater success.

“Everyone came to UCLA for this reason: to do something we haven't done in a really long time,” Jaquez said on Sunday. “[I’m] just really proud of my teammates, the staff, the coaches, just continuing to get better every day and grow from each season prior.

With Lauren Betts at center, UCLA leans on depth

As one of the most dominant post players in college basketball, Betts is at the literal center of every UCLA performance. But that doesn’t mean the Bruins lack the depth it takes to handle a team like Final Four opponent UConn.

“When we have a deep team, I don’t have to be in the game at all times,” Betts said. “I have a team full of players who are just amazing and talented in their own right, and they put in the work.”

All in all, UCLA is coming into their own after developing much of its squad from the ground-up. Now it's time to make the case that patient roster-building can pay off on NCAA basketball’s biggest stage.