Stanford senior guard Haley Jones operates on and off the court with an unmatched verve. She oscillates between tempos seamlessly, layering her game with fluid footwork and an array of body and head fakes. Watching her is akin to watching a great producer lay down a track in real-time. 

“I’m a smooth player, my mom would say smooth operator,” says Haley.

“I’m not playing super fast all the time, I like to go with the rhythm of the game, so RnB really fits me.”

After contemplating who musically embodies her playstyle, Haley settles on Ms. Lauryn Hill and Anthony Hamilton. It’s easy to understand why; listening to Doo Wop by Hill for the first time and watching Haley play for the first time unearth the same vibe. 

It’s a masterful blend of voice and instrument, taking pieces and parts from a multitude of machinations to work as one. That’s Haley to a T.

She pushes the ball off a rebound, skipping on the balls of her feet as she scans the court. She halts above the break and sizes up her defender, bobbing back and forth from right to left.

“She literally sometimes is dribbling the basketball like a soccer ball,” says her mother, Monique, before her father Pat chimes in that she had the same spin move on turf as she does on the hardwood. 

Haley’s first love was soccer, something still visible as she can be seen dribbling the ball with her feet in warmups. She and her brother Cam grew up playing every sport in season. 

Pat and Monique coached together at Santa Cruz High School, running the Varsity Girls’ team when Haley and Cam were growing up. 

Haley was playing on a blanket on the sidelines with her own toys until she was old enough to handle a ball herself. As she got older and further into elementary school, Monique would sub Haley into practice.

“All the girls on their team were like my babysitters every day. I got the love of the game watching my parents coach,” says Haley.

The Jones’ accredit not specializing Haley early in any sport as a significant impactor on her diverse skill set. Constantly seeking to create openings for teammates on grass gave her a unique feel for the game, making her one of the most intriguing prospects in the WNBA Draft.

Pat and Haley spent tens of hours together driving across California for soccer practices, tryouts, and tournaments. Those long drives were the vehicle of Haley’s musical education.

The two would play songs back and forth for one another. As Spotify blossomed in the early 2010s, so did Pat and Haley’s game as musical libraries expanded further. 

Music was always playing in the Jones household. Haley could identify the mood as soon as she walked in or woke up: If she heard gospel, she’d hide under the covers knowing Monique was coming with a vacuum and window cleaner. Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin signaled that someone was cooking. If Jill Scott was echoing out of the speakers, “Uh-oh dad, what’d you do? Mom’s angry.”

“Music is a big part of how we relate to certain times in our life,” says Pat.

“Haley’s always building playlists. She’s always like, ‘I’m a master at making them!’ it’s one of her skills,” says Monique, imitating Haley’s excitement in sharing a new Spotify mix.

Monique and Haley have a tight-knit bond, molded by years of a player/coach relationship alongside their mother/daughter tie.

“She’s the hardest worker I know and my idol,” says Haley, beaming. Her drive is deeply rooted in the foundation Monique instilled in her.

She was tough on Haley as a coach, but Haley is appreciative of it now.

“My attitude was always, you’re one of my more skilled players, so I preached the more positions you know, the more playing time you’ll get,” says Monique.

Haley never tried to model herself after another player. She’s always seen things she can apply to herself and will incorporate them just like she’d shamelessly Shazam a new song at the grocery store.

By the time Haley was getting ready to enter high school, she and Monique were ready to be done with the player-coach relationship: Monique and Pat just wanted to be parents and experience Haley’s high school career as supporters of their daughter.

Sue Phillips, the Head Coach at Archbishop Mitty High School, knew and was friends with the family. During the 2014-15 school year, Haley’s 8th grade year, Mitty had an open house for prospective students.

The Jones’ trusted Phillips to continue her development on and off the court. They admired her program and the academics were stellar. 

“We had this idea of her becoming one of the most complete and versatile players to graduate high school in four years,” says Phillips.

Haley started playing with the San Jose Cougars that summer, Phillips’ non-profit AAU club team that most of her Mitty players come up through.

“We were taking Haley in as that centerpiece, but then integrating her amongst some really good teammates,” says Phillips.

Phillips recalls raucous pregame locker rooms, music blaring, and players singing their hearts out with Haley often on aux. During her senior season of high school, Haley committed to Stanford, wanting to remain close to family. 

You’d be hard-pressed to find two more polar opposite personalities than Haley Jones and Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer. 

Haley is jovial, described by assistant coach Britney Anderson as “a genuine kid,” a jokester that’s always pulling out her best Steve Harvey impression. Anderson continues that Haley also brings a rare emotional maturity, always receptive to the situation and those around her.

“The first time I saw her play, I knew she was just special. You could tell watching her that she understood the game at a different level… She’s a basketball person, she just has a lot of things you can’t teach, and that’s the scary good part (about her potential),” says Anderson.

Practice is Tara’s sanctuary. If there were a 25th hour in the day, VanDerveer would use it to watch film and prepare for Stanford’s next opponent.

Haley is a natural foil to the vigor Tara brings to coaching. 

Their yin and yang nature has led to one of the most fruitful eras in Stanford basketball. That’s a testament to their relationship and the balance the program has found with the Funky Four; the name of Stanford’s senior class, crafted by Haley.

Hannah Jump, Ashten Prechtel, and Fran Belibi all describe Haley as the mom of the group. They recount summer nights together during their freshman year as they came to campus early for off-season workouts.

“If you saw one of us, you saw the four of us,” says Jump.

Haley’s playlist-building extended to Stanford, making playlists for everyone on the team. Belibi was in the car with Haley and another teammate who pulled up their playlist.

“Well… uhhh…. I want one!” said Belibi.

Belibi had a playlist tailored for her, a laid-back RnB set, within the hour. Haley’s the team curator. The music matters, but her attention to detail makes them a staple amongst Stanford athletics.

People revolve around Haley. Her natural presence isn’t a persona, says Jump. What you see on TV and social media, that’s Haley. Basketball is her greatest passion; she’s just doing what she loves, often with a big grin on her face.

“She has an incredible gravity,” says Tara.

“People gravitate to her because she has a beautiful big heart. She’s a team player and a really passionate person.”

Suffering a knee injury in the middle of her freshman season, Haley wasn’t traveling with the team as she recovered. The uncertainty of whether or not the season would continue and if there would be a 2021 season due to COVID was an added stressor. 

Haley committed to doing whatever she needed to be back and fully healthy by summer.

“It reshaped why I continue to play. It helped me get away without all the pressure for a little bit,” says Haley.

Her ability to remain present in all walks of life stands out, but particularly with basketball. She’s not afraid to make mistakes; she embraces the opportunity to make them because that’s how she learns and grows. Missing another shot at a National Title and the Final Four stings in the moment, but Jones takes losses in stride and will be better from it.

When she goes pro, she wants to continue to impact the next generation. A hair care line may be in her future, and she’d love to start a non-profit to work with underprivileged youth. 

She makes it clear, however; basketball is first.

Haley beams when talking about what she wants to do at the next level. She lists off her top goals: The Olympics, WNBA Championships, and traveling the world playing ball. She wants to be great and is ready to put the work in. 

Stanford Associate Head Coach Kate Paye encompasses the thoughts of everyone in Haley’s atmosphere.

“The first thing I think of Haley…The best is yet to come. She’s accomplished so much, and she’s just scratching the surface with a great and growing legacy.”

She remembers the national title win with Kirk Franklin’s Love Theory. Jason Aldean’s Big Green Tractor makes her think back to driving around Palo Alto with the Hull twins. When Monique calls her a smooth operator, she can hear Mr. Telephone Man by New Edition. Haley Jones keeps growing and adding new dimensions, like she adds songs to her playlists. You can’t predict her future just like you can’t predict what song she’ll play next; her possibilities are unlimited.

Jones is eligible for the 2023 WNBA Draft.

WNBA reporter Mark Schindler writes a column on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at @MG_Schindler. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.