Charlie Litchfield/Associated Press
The No. 2 Oregon Ducks fell to the No. 1 Baylor Bears in the Final Four of the NCAA women’s tournament on Friday, and star junior guard Sabrina Ionescu wasted no time in assuring Ducks Nation she’ll be back for one more season through an open letter published Saturday on the Players’ Tribune:
“Because those people saying we’ve peaked — they don’t know this program and they don’t know me. And they don’t know the mission we’re on, together, as a group. … I came to the University of Oregon as a freshman in 2016-17. We made the Elite Eight (and lost big).
“I came back to the University of Oregon as a sophomore in 2017-18. We made the Elite Eight (and lost close.).
“I came back to the University of Oregon as a junior in 2018-19. We made the Final Four. And now I couldn’t be happier to announce that I’m coming back to the University of Oregon for the 2019-2020 basketball season. I won’t predict how far we’ll go….. but I’ll just say this.
“We have unfinished business.”
Ionescu has broken several NCAA records in her three seasons at Oregon:
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
What a year for @sabrina_i20 as she led @OregonWBB to its 1st Final 4
– P12 POTY
– NCAA-record 7 triple-doubles in a season
– Broke NCAA all-time (men’s and women’s) triple-double record
– Led Ducks to 2nd straight P12 regular season titleStats: 19.9 PPG | 8.2 APG | 7.4 RPG https://t.co/zigaTDIAMi
In the 72-67 Final Four loss to Baylor, Ionescu scored 18 points, grabbed four boards and dished six assists.
Ionescu was projected by many to go as high as No. 1 overall in the 2019 WNBA draft, which will be on Wednesday at Nike New York Headquarters.
The 21-year-old California native has received hefty praise from NBA stars such as Stephen Curry and Dwyane Wade, as well as projected lottery pick in the 2019 NBA draft Ja Morant:
AJ McCord @AJ_McCord
“She’s a legend in her own right.”
Hey @sabrina_i20 – this one’s for you & the rest of #GoDucks, from @StephenCurry30 as you chase and keep making history #WFinalFour https://t.co/eZj39UMPwO
However, when people started polluting her comment sections on social media with discriminatory disses, she clapped back at critics, “Comment section doesn’t phase me. They’re talking about cooking?! I’ve been serving triple doubles lately.”
Baller.
In an Ionescu profile written by Bleacher Report’s Mirin Fader, 2014 WNBA No. 1 overall pick Chiney Ogwumike likened the 5’11” phenomenon to Sue Bird.
Bird was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 WNBA draft. Since then, the Seattle Storm legend has compiled too many accolades to list here. Among them: winning three championships, becoming the all-time WNBA assist leader and notching the most career starts in league history.
Bird has been professionally what Ionescu has been collegiately, representing what Ionescu can accomplish once she does enter the WNBA.
In the meantime, there are more NCAA records for her to break.
from Update News Topic http://bit.ly/2OVGbJ6
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