TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State head women's basketball coach Chad Killinger announced the addition of guard Deja Jones to the program Thursday.
 
"We're excited to add Deja to our program. She's an athletic guard and will provide depth at the point guard position. Her experience this past season will help us continue to build a winning mentality and her speed, along with her ability to attack the basket, will allow us to increase our offensive pace," Killinger said. "She played for a coach, Misty Opat, at Cochise that I have a lot of respect for and I know that coming from a program that required discipline will help in her transition to this level. She has a chance to be a dynamic player in our system at both ends of the floor and we are looking forward to begin working with her this summer."
 
Jones, a 5-9 point guard from San Antonio, Texas, comes to Terre Haute after playing at Cochise College in Douglas, Arizona, where she earned second team all-region honors. She helped lead Coachise to a 28-6 record in 2022-23 and an at-large berth to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, reaching the second round. Jones is ranked as the No. 6 point guard and No. 24 overall junior college prospect by the Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.
 
A dynamic player at the point, Jones averaged 11.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game for a 28-win Cochise team last season. She scored in double-figures 18 times in the 2022-23 campaign, including four 20-pount outings with a season-high 22 against Scottsdale CC. In addition to her scoring prowess, she also grabbed five or more rebounds in 14 games, including seven games with seven-plus rebounds. Jones was a strong defensive player, recording three or more steals on 14 occasions last season, with five-plus steals in five games. Among her notable games last season was a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double against Phoenix College.
 
Jones also played one season at Grayson College in Denison, Texas, where she averaged 6.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for a 19-win team. She had five games with double-figure scoring, including a season-high 18 against Hill College, while pulling down five or more rebounds in 11 games. Jones began her collegiate career at UTSA, appearing in 11 games for the Roadrunners in the 2020-21 season and averaging 2.4 points and 0.9 rebounds per game while compiling an assist-turnover ratio of 1.5. She had a season-high 11 points in a C-USA contest at Florida Atlantic.
 
Jones, who played her high school career at East Central HS, becomes the second college transfer to sign with the Sycamores this season after Olivia Medford signed earlier this week. The two junior college standouts join four incoming freshmen who signed with Indiana State in November as part of this season's signing class.
 
Indiana State Women's Basketball 2023-24 Newcomers
Asia Donald // 5-9 // G // Hobart, Ind. // Hobart HS
Deja Jones // 5-9 // G // San Antonio, Texas // East Centra HS/Cochise College
Olivia Medford // 5-11 // G // Rockville Centre, N.Y. // Long Island Lutheran HS/Monroe College
Jailah Pelly // 5-9 // G // Belleville, Ill. // O'Fallon Township HS
Keslyn Secrist // 5-10 // G // Draper, Va. // Pulaski County HS
Saige Stahl // 6-1 // F // Seymour, Ind. // Columbus East HS
 
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