Santa Cruz native Haley Jones was waived by the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury on Sunday, one week after the WNBA team signed the 6-foot-1 guard/forward to a hardship contract. The move signals that key Mercury players are ready to return from injury.

It’s the second time this season that Jones, selected sixth overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream, has been waived. The Dream waived the former All-American for Stanford University in training camp on May 14.

Jones appeared in four games for the Mercury and averaged 2.3 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per game.

She appeared in all 40 games for Atlanta last year and averaged 3.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 17.8 minutes per game.

College basketball

Weiser commits >> Santa Cruz native Tariq Weiser, a 6-3 sophomore guard, committed to University of Alaska Fairbanks, the NCAA Division II program announced on social media.

Weiser prepped at Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose and played the past two years at San Jose City College. He was an All-Coast Conference South Division second-team selection this season after helping the Jaguars (23-7, 10-2) take second place and qualify for the CCCAA NorCal Regional playoffs.

He finished with 361 points in 30 games, all starts, and shot 39.5% (51 of 129) on 3-point attempts.

The Nanooks went 14-14 overall under head coach Frank Ostanik last season, 10-8 in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.

Beach volleyball

No Attitudes >> Santa Cruz’s Deb McArthur and Dan Kalamani took first in the Century Coed division — they players’ ages have to add to at least 100 years — at the No Attitudes tournament at Main Beach in Santa Cruz on Saturday.

Scotts Valley’s Katie Mooney and Aaron Slosberg took first in the Coed Novice division.

Other division winners include: San Martin’s Keoni Simon and Kaleb Pattawi (Men’s), San Jose’s Taylor Reed and David Mondragon (Coed Intermediate), and San Leandro’s Zachary Livingston and Cian Hogrefe (Teens).