WBB | Maia Jones Eager to Be a Gael, Arrives Early
1/31/2023 2:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's Women's Basketball signee, Maia Jones, will attend SMC this semester after graduating from high school in November.
Jones is enrolling as a mid-year enrollee after graduating from high school in New Zealand. She will redshirt this spring semester and have four years of eligibility remaining
The early arrival will give her the opportunity to acclimate to the Saint Mary's campus and her teammates earlier than if she had waited for the coming fall. It's similar to sophomore Hannah Rapp's arrival to Moraga as well in January of 2021 from Australia.
The 5-foot-10 guard was a member of the U17 New Zealand Junior National team who competed at the 2022 World Championships in Hungary. The captain of the squad averaged just under 10 points per game, with a high of 18 points in their final classification game of the tournament vs. Egypt. She hit five threes in a win over Mali in group play and had a double-double (12 points & 10 rebounds) in a win over Argentina in the round of 16.
Jones was a member of the U16 New Zealand Junior National team and competed at the 2022 Asia Cup in Jordan, where they finished fourth to qualify for the U17 World Cup. She averaged just under 14 ppg., along with three rebounds and three assists per game.
Jones led her high school team (Waimea College) to a spot in the Secondary School Nationals, finishing ninth, and led the tournament in scoring, averaging 35.7 ppg. She won four-straight MVP awards for Waimea College Sport and was awarded the Glue Family Cup for greatest Achievement in Sport. She was also selected to attend the prestigious Steven Adams Invitational camp in 2021 and 2022.
She shot over 50% from three-point range for the tournament, hitting an impressive 20 of 39 three pointers, including 5 of 6 from deep for 18 pts in the third-place game against Korea.
She was one of only three players from New Zealand selected to attend the NBA Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp in Canberra, Australia in the summer of 2022, where she was awarded the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award.
Maia is the daughter of Phill and Kat Jones. Phill is a member of the New Zealand HOF, played with the NZ Tall Blacks for 14 years, and played overseas in Europe and in the NZNBL for the Nelson Giants. Kat is a former team captain as well, and has coached numerous teams in NZ, including in the newly formed NZWNBL for the Mainland Pouakai.
The Gaels will head to Southern California this week, playing at Pepperdine on Thursday and at LMU on Saturday.
#GaelsRise
Jones is enrolling as a mid-year enrollee after graduating from high school in New Zealand. She will redshirt this spring semester and have four years of eligibility remaining
The early arrival will give her the opportunity to acclimate to the Saint Mary's campus and her teammates earlier than if she had waited for the coming fall. It's similar to sophomore Hannah Rapp's arrival to Moraga as well in January of 2021 from Australia.
The 5-foot-10 guard was a member of the U17 New Zealand Junior National team who competed at the 2022 World Championships in Hungary. The captain of the squad averaged just under 10 points per game, with a high of 18 points in their final classification game of the tournament vs. Egypt. She hit five threes in a win over Mali in group play and had a double-double (12 points & 10 rebounds) in a win over Argentina in the round of 16.
Jones was a member of the U16 New Zealand Junior National team and competed at the 2022 Asia Cup in Jordan, where they finished fourth to qualify for the U17 World Cup. She averaged just under 14 ppg., along with three rebounds and three assists per game.
Jones led her high school team (Waimea College) to a spot in the Secondary School Nationals, finishing ninth, and led the tournament in scoring, averaging 35.7 ppg. She won four-straight MVP awards for Waimea College Sport and was awarded the Glue Family Cup for greatest Achievement in Sport. She was also selected to attend the prestigious Steven Adams Invitational camp in 2021 and 2022.
She shot over 50% from three-point range for the tournament, hitting an impressive 20 of 39 three pointers, including 5 of 6 from deep for 18 pts in the third-place game against Korea.
She was one of only three players from New Zealand selected to attend the NBA Basketball Without Borders Asia Camp in Canberra, Australia in the summer of 2022, where she was awarded the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award.
Maia is the daughter of Phill and Kat Jones. Phill is a member of the New Zealand HOF, played with the NZ Tall Blacks for 14 years, and played overseas in Europe and in the NZNBL for the Nelson Giants. Kat is a former team captain as well, and has coached numerous teams in NZ, including in the newly formed NZWNBL for the Mainland Pouakai.
The Gaels will head to Southern California this week, playing at Pepperdine on Thursday and at LMU on Saturday.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
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