Haley Ison is a junior at Chico State and is one of the rising stars on the basketball team. She grew up in Laguna Niguel, California and quickly developed a passion for the game of basketball.

“I actually started when I was really young,” Ison said. “I think I was about 5 or 6 years old when I was in preschool or kindergarten. My dad is a huge basketball fan, so he got me and my twin brother into basketball as soon as he could and ever since then I’ve really fallen in love with it and really dedicated myself to it.”

Ison comes from a strong family background where she maintains positive relationships with her parents and three siblings.

“I have three brothers in total,” Ison said. “I’m the only girl. I have a twin brother and two younger brothers. We’re all pretty close. My family and I spend a lot of time together. We have really good relationships with each other and we love to hang out and have family dinners when we can.”

While Ison maintains strong family relationships, she is working hard to graduate and land a productive and stable career.

“I’m a psychology major,” Ison said. “I’m studying to hopefully become a marriage and family therapist.”

Outside of school and her family life, Ison enjoys outdoor activities. She also maintains a strong workout routine to stay in great physical shape.

“I like to go to the beach a lot,” Ison said. “My roommates and I actually do a lot of at home workouts in our living room. We also have been playing some basketball.”

During the previous season, she averaged 20.5 minutes per game and scored 201 points for her team in a season where they had a record of 18-11.

One thing Ison is known for is not just scoring points, but being a reliable teammate, showing support and being someone who brings positive vibes to the team.

“Haley is one of the greatest teammates you could ever ask for,” said senior guard Vanessa Holland. “She’s every quality that you could ever want in a teammate. She’s one of the most hard working people that I’ve ever played with. She’s so dedicated. She’s the most selfless person and she leads by example every single day whether that’s in practice, off the court, in games or anything.”

With COVID-19 still around, it’s tough to maintain strong in-person relationships but Ison still does what she can to keep those relationships strong and have everlasting memories.

“I consider Haley a lifelong friend and honestly a sister,” Holland said. “We are like family and I would do anything for her and I know she would do anything for me as well as anyone else on the team.”

While Holland maintains a strong relationship with Ison, other teammates of hers look up to her and are willing to take every word of advice from her.

“She’s a great listener and a great friend,” said sophomore forward Caylee Hermanson. “Anything that you need to get off your chest, Haley is more than willing to sit down and talk with you about it. I remember last year I was struggling a little bit freshman year and she was always willing to sit down and talk to you.”

Recently, the women’s basketball team acquired four new players to be on the roster. They are India Starr, Stella Rollo, Morgan Mathis and Jazmyne Lillie. While they may not be playing right now, the women are excited to join other players on the team.

“I’m super excited to get on the court with all of them,” Hermanson said. “I have only had the chance to meet Stella and India. From hanging out with Stella and India, I think that they blend perfectly into the team already. I really like hanging out with them.”

Alex Martin can be reached at [email protected] or @alexmartinjour on Twitter.