Archbishop Mitty High senior and Santa Cruz native Haley Jones committed to Stanford Tuesday to give head coach Tara VanDerveer a game-changing star to lead the No. 2 class in the country.

Jones chose Stanford over finalists UConn, South Carolina, Notre Dame and Oregon. And for the first time ESPN televised the signing ceremony of a female athlete.

“I think that Coach VanDerveer, and the rest of the coaching staff, and the players made me feel so comfortable since the very beginning,” she said. “Their whole thing is being a sisterhood and it really feels like one. I think that’s what appeals to me about their program. And they’re so good every year that I want to be part of that. I get to play in the Pac-12, which is one of the best leagues in the nation. I’m going to get pushed every night and pushed in practice because they have some of the best players from across the nation.”

Before Wednesday morning the only people outside of Jones’ immediate family who knew what Jones would do were VanDerveer and her dog.

Jones called VanDerveer Monday night and the Hall of Fame coach promised to keep the secret, assuring Jones that only her dog was overhearing the call and that he is a “vault” from which no news would escape. The rest of the Stanford coaching staff heard the news at the same time Jones announced it to a gym full of friends, family, coaches, teachers and staff at Archbishop Mitty High in San Jose.

“That was the best experience,” Jones said of the call. “My mom might have it on video. She was so ecstatic and I was so excited. It was a phone call that I was smiling the entire time.”

The reaction of associate head coach Kate Paye, and assistant coaches Tempie Brown and Lindy La Rocque, was probably similar to the loud cheer that erupted from Jones’ supporters.

Jones’ recruiting process started in the eighth grade and her connection to Stanford goes back before then as a fifth grader at a camp hosted by the Cardinal coaches.

“I also think Haley’s decision is a great compliment to our current team,” VanDerveer said in a Stanford press release. “Haley could have played anywhere, but I think our team really welcomed her and will help her adjust to college life at Stanford. She came to basketball camp here when she was 10 years old and it will be fun for her family to come watch her play. Haley is going to love her four years here and we’re going to love having her here. We’re absolutely thrilled.”

Jones joins a class that was already held in high regard. Ashten Prechtel (No. 16 overall), Fran Belibi (No. 23) and Hannah Jump (No. 50) have been committed for months.

Jump and Jones both live in Santa Cruz but attend school at Pinewood (Los Altos) and Archbishop Mitty, respectively. They are close friends and rivals on the court who have competed in some of the best high school girls basketball games in the state the past two years.

Jump couldn’t even get a hint from Jones about her club teammate's college choice. The carpool buddies will attend a college next year that is closer to their high schools than their homes are to their current schools.

Distance was a helpful factor for Jones, who laughed when she said that her grandparents were thrilled about her staying close to home. But it was the culture at Stanford and the “sisterhood” among the current players that was the greatest factor.

Her father, Patrick, knew that would be the focus from the start.

“All the schools have great culture but she felt a strong connection with the players (at Stanford),” he said shortly before donning a Stanford ball cap. “They did a great job of bringing her into the family and reaching out to her. They have a lot of fun together when she’s up there.”

Jones’ charisma with her peers was evident in the large number of students who showed up before school to support her. It was a "late start" day, so classes didn’t start until about 9 a.m., but instead of sleeping in they showed up watch Jones’ ceremony. Her teammates stood behind her when she picked up the Stanford hat and helped with some of logistics of the event, even making sure Jones had her favorite coffee order.

Jones' magnetic personality is a fit in Stanford’s locker room.

“I’m a people person and all the teams I’ve been on in the past those girls have become some of my best friends,” she said. “So, the appeal of the sisterhood and being able to continue that tradition, and being close to my teammates because they’re who I’ll be spending most of my time with … played such a big role for me.”

Associate principal Keith Matthews was Jones' AP English literature teacher last year. He also helped proofread her essays for Stanford's application. He spoke to the crowd about one definition of genius is someone who learns something faster than at the pace it's being taught to them.

"She shows genius on the court all the time. She also shows genius in her writing. You didn’t get to read her essays like I did last year. Early on they came back with a lot of red ink on them, and by the end of the year there was still the occasional grammar error, but the level of insight -- especially when she talked about her intellectual passion and her interest in clinical psychology -- really emerged the growing mind that is more than ready to go off to college and do wonderous things. From my point of view it was a year of seeing fascinating growth from Haley as she emerged."

Archbishop Mitty head coach Sue Phillips: “We are extremely proud of Haley and we’re really, really excited for her. We have grown accustomed to watching Haley play all five positions on the floor every time she steps out onto the court. Those of not familiar with the game … understand how incredibly remarkable it is to play all five positions on the court. Her versatility is remarkable. She is the epitome of today’s positionless player. We take great pride in the fact that she’s the No. 1 ranked player in the country, but more importantly that she is a selfless teammate, an incredible leader and her quality of character is second to none. Simply put, Haley is a gem."