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Local basketball star Haley Jones named to WNBA All-Rookie team – KSBW Monterey
Santa Cruz native Haley Jones was named to the 2023 WNBA All-Rookie team by the Associated Press.
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Santa Cruz native Haley Jones was named to the 2023 WNBA All-Rookie team by the Associated Press.
Santa Cruz basketball star and Atlanta Dream guard Haley Jones has been named to the 2023 WNBA All-Rookie team by the Associated Press.
Jones was selected by the Dream with the 6th overall draft pick out of Stanford. She says it would not have been possible without her teammates and coaches in Atlanta.
“It has definitely been a rollercoaster of a year, but I think I wouldn’t have been able to go through all the different emotions and being tense with all these different things going on, just a lot of pressure and expectations that I had for myself, without being where I am in Atlanta,” Jones said.
Playing on a guard-heavy team with playoff aspirations, Jones has been limited to 14.6 minutes per game. She has made the most of the time, averaging 3.7 points along with 2.3 assists and 2.4 rebounds. Jones is a talented passer who has displayed the court vision and basketball intelligence that made her so dangerous at Stanford.
“The staff did a really great job trying to keep me grounded and especially, my teammates. They instilled me with confidence and I could not have done it without them and that is so serious,” Jones said.
Her rookie season is not over yet. The Atlanta Dream are going to the postseason for the first time since 2018. Jones and the Dream will face the Dallas Wings in the first round. Jones says that while she appreciates the award, she is focused on the postseason.
“It is a great blessing and a great thing to have, but I am really more so looking forward to going in there and beating Dallas,” she said.
The Dream will face the Wings in game one of a best-of-three series on Friday, Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m.
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