Kansas City 2026 guard Ava Miles breaks down recruitment

Ava Miles of Kansas City (Missouri) Staley High School is still open, but the 6-foot guard in the 2026 recruiting class is building relationships and taking visits with programs under consideration. 

“The biggest thing I’ve noticed that people really like and that I like about myself is my passion and energy when I play,” Miles told On3. “I think energy is the biggest thing you can have… I have a big motor. I’m the one who’s yelling ‘And one,’ and the one who gets hyped if we’re playing good defense… I’m very loud and vocal and very passionate when I play.” 

Ava Miles told On3 that Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and Washington are a few of the programs she’s been in contact with most recently. Miles has visited Kansas, Iowa, Kansas State, Nebraska, Creighton, USC and Missouri and is in the process of scheduling visits to Washington and Virginia Tech. 

“The first thing I know I need is relationships,” Ava Miles said. “They’re a huge thing for me. I’m a big family person. I have three siblings and my mom is my best friend. It’s not necessarily the distance, because anywhere can be home for me, but having a coaching staff and teammates who are going to be there for me and a coaching staff that’ll push me and hold me accountable is a big thing for me.”

Ava Miles talked to On3 about some of the programs involved in her recruitment. 

Nebraska

“I’ve known that coaching staff for a while, especially the head coach. I’ve gone to their camps since sixth grade, so I’ve been in contact with them for a while, and I love their head coach. She’s a really nice person. Their values there are so cool and so amazing, and something that I really liked. Also, just how they treat their school is pretty big, and I like the environment too.” 

Pittsburgh

“It’s been pretty good with them. It’s just like a get-to-know-you talk. Kind of just like ‘How’s your day going?’ and giving me information about their school, which I like a lot.”

Virginia Tech

“I’d say it’s still in that get-to-know-you phase. But we’ve also talked about the program a little bit, so it’s kind of that in-between right now, and we plan on visiting them later this year, hopefully, if we can make that happen. It’s been good learning about the program. I definitely feel like I can see how close their coaching staff is. They do have an all-women’s coaching staff, which I think is pretty special.”

Washington

“It’s been kind of the same as Virginia Tech or Nebraska, just the fact that they’re wanting to get to know me. The conversations with them are so light and easy. It feels like I’m just talking to my friends or my family. So I really enjoy that, and then also getting some feedback from them. I think it’s huge because it helps me learn about some things I can grow on, and then some things I’m doing really well. Just talking to me as a human and not trying to sell me on a program has been pretty big, and they’ve been doing pretty well with that.”

Kansas

“Obviously, they’re really close to home, so I’ve been with my dad. He grew up as a men’s basketball KU fan, so being able to go and have that in my back door is something huge. I’m still really close with all of them and have a relationship with them too. They’re definitely one of the schools I like. So I’d say it’s been pretty good. I like the coaching staff. It stayed pretty much the same. The head coach was a great guy, so I like all of it so far.”

Iowa

“I haven’t talked to them as much. I think they’re very good people, but I haven’t got the chance to talk to them as much because obviously, they’re doing big things, but I still think they’re pretty great and pretty open people.”

Kansas State

“That’s another one that’s kind of in our backyard – just two hours away. So it’s definitely nice having it close to home. I love it because they have a hard-working coach. He is very intentional with what he does. He really enjoys just talking to the girls and coaching them, and he’s going to be hard on them when they need it, and then he’s also going to be that dad for them. So I think that’s pretty good. And just being able to keep a relationship – they’re really funny. I like the coaching staff, the area, and the fan base is awesome.”

Creighton

“They have a beautiful campus. I really like it. The coaching staff, again, is huge. Their girls are all really close. The campus itself is quite gorgeous, one of the prettiest I’ve probably visited. But I definitely enjoy talking to their coaching staff too. They always check up on me. They always talk to me and kind of give me feedback on my game.”

Missouri

“That’s definitely close to home. The majority of my mom’s family are Missouri fans, so they all definitely like that. I’m getting recruited by them. And then just also talking to that coaching staff, I’ve known them for a little bit, and have gotten to grow with them and continue to have a relationship with them.”

USC

“It was awesome. Honestly, I definitely didn’t know what it would be like because I’m not a huge big city girl, but their campus is beautiful – probably one of the most beautiful. The coaching staff is really fun. The girls are close. They’re very involved with their community, which I like. It was one of my first times really talking to the entire coach staff, and just getting to talk to them and getting to know them. They were definitely talking to me as a person, rather than trying to sell me on the program, which was pretty huge – and they did a pretty good job at that. Again, it was just a really fun visit, and I really enjoyed it.”