And the Sabrina legend continues...
- Thread starter kiddman32
- Start date
Yup, I've been calling her just that for a couple years now.
Not to take anything away from what she has accomplished - which is more than I expected when she came out of Miramonte. You can't disrespect the game and miss a shot on purpose to get a triple double. I respect her as a player and know this was a spur of the moment decision without thought but you can't do things like that to get a stat. Just does not feel right to me. Before everyone has a fit and slams me - let me repeat - I think she is a great player, has done great things and did not have time to think through the "optics" of her act. Stat padding is not what she is about and not how a player of her stature should respect the game.
If memory serves back in the day wasn't it George McGinnis (with the 76ers) that used to do the ole "missed" breakway layup grab his own rebound and put back trick to pad his stats?
obviously we will see what happens in the WNBA and if Sabrina can carry over her greatness to the next level...
with that being said I think Sabrina will be better than Jason Kidd (Kidd to NBA vs Sabrina to WNBA) when its all said and done.
She has the Kidd court vision and unselfishness but is a million times better shooter.
I hope she kicks ass in Las Vegas....
I never had a clue how good she was going to be. I thought she'd have a good career but nothing like she's been doing. She is absolutely amazing. How do you think she compares to B. Stewart, Maya Moore, Catchings, Candice Parker or even Taurasi? With her career being what it is now, she has to definitely be in the conversation. Could she get left out of the conversation without a final 4 or a national championship??
One big difference between her moment of stat-padding and most of the others mentioned above is that she came correct right away in the post-game interview. I have an idea everyone on the floor was just fine with her act on that play. Looked to me like at least her teammates were laughing with her about the incident right after it happened.
Actually, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if it came out that that last play was designed for her to do exactly what she did.
Actually, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if it came out that that last play was designed for her to do exactly what she did.
I did not see it, but I was told she missed a three and got the rebound. I can understand missing a point blank layup just to get a rebound, but missing a three with enough control to send the rebound back your way is a pretty impressive display of skill.
Or she could have just missed it and gotten lucky ...
Or she could have just missed it and gotten lucky ...
If you watched this game or any game that she played in, she always aggressively follows her shot. To claim she purposely missed her 3 pt shot to get a rebound is ridiculous.
Here's what Sabrina said after the game:
"ESPN’s Dave Pasch and LaChina Robinson asked her during the postgame on-air interview if that miss, a rarity, was on purpose.
“A little bit, a little bit,” she said with a big smile. “I knew exactly where it was going to go, so let me just add a little bit more rotation on this shot so I can get it back.” Hard to say she didn't do it on purpose when she hinted as much herself...
I'm not denigrating Ionescu at all and have no problem with what she did in this situation... Just don't make a habit of it...
Final home game of the year and maybe her Oregon career, game already in hand, a great way to shut 'er down. Besides, the girl guarding her didn't box out, let Sabrina waltz right past her to the ball.
"ESPN’s Dave Pasch and LaChina Robinson asked her during the postgame on-air interview if that miss, a rarity, was on purpose.
“A little bit, a little bit,” she said with a big smile. “I knew exactly where it was going to go, so let me just add a little bit more rotation on this shot so I can get it back.” Hard to say she didn't do it on purpose when she hinted as much herself...
I'm not denigrating Ionescu at all and have no problem with what she did in this situation... Just don't make a habit of it...
Final home game of the year and maybe her Oregon career, game already in hand, a great way to shut 'er down. Besides, the girl guarding her didn't box out, let Sabrina waltz right past her to the ball.
Sabrina was just responding to a tongue in cheek remark made by the interviewer. She ask her if she missed that shot on purpose and Sabrina also replied tongue in cheek. Neither of them were serious. If she can miss a three on purpose and hit the rim just correctly to get the rebound she is beyond talented. There was still plenty of time left for her to get the rebound to complete the triple. It's not like it was desperation time.
What some people will believe now days is unreal. It was a three not a lay up people. You don't know what the ball is going to do. She only joked and said maybe she put some extra spin on it. In that case you do not want extra spin. It was a humorous question that was answered in kind.
What some people will believe now days is unreal. It was a three not a lay up people. You don't know what the ball is going to do. She only joked and said maybe she put some extra spin on it. In that case you do not want extra spin. It was a humorous question that was answered in kind.
If she shot a three and put a certain spin on the ball to make sure it missed and bounce in a direction that would not only allow her to get the rebound but to also confuse the other nine players on the floor then she is pretty special.
The thing about Sabrina is that there's a chance -- not necessarily a big chance, but a chance -- that she could be in the conversation with Taurasi. They are the same kind of player in many ways.
Maya Moore, Brianna Stewart, Candice Parker are so different from Sabrina the comparisons would be hard to make.
Maya Moore, Brianna Stewart, Candice Parker are so different from Sabrina the comparisons would be hard to make.
Man, I don't know...The way she plays and the passion...I agree with Clay, she's a lot like Taurasi. I was gonna say it, but Taurasi is in a world of her own. She's had the impact on Oregon as Lobos had on UConn and it could mean a lot of good things for the Ducks moving forward!
Kind of like saying Zion Williamson is like Jordan, or even better, you'll like this...Christian Laettner. Love him or hate him, he was one of the greatest college basketball players of all time.
Here is the recent SI article on Sabrina:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.si...rina-ionescu-oregon-women-ncaa-triple-doubles
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.si...rina-ionescu-oregon-women-ncaa-triple-doubles
And of course named AP 1st team All-American today.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sf...headlines-AP-women-s-All-America-13732116.php
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sf...headlines-AP-women-s-All-America-13732116.php
If she played for UConn, Baylor or Notre Dame, she would have been national player of the year as well. But she's out there in the Far West. So it's no dice.
By spurning Connecticut, she pretty much had to know she wasn’t going to win the national championship or the consensus player of the year. But she still played the game at the highest level, got to go to school with her twin brother and play on the west coast in front of her family and friends. I think she still comes out the winner.
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I don't think she SPURNED uconn.. Maybe clay has insight but I'm not even confident she was offered by geno. Worked out regardless
I heard she didn't have UConn in her top 5. I"d be shocked Geno didn't show interest-he was in their gym for open gym and attended a ton of her games sophomore and junior year.
I don't see HOW she didn't get AP player of the year....simply amazing how west coast players don't get any love. smdh
Baylor had a great game plan and stuck to it. It was hard as hell for Sabrina to get an open look... Hell, at times it was hard for her to even get a touch in the frontcourt.
She went 6-24 from the floor, nearly all of her shots were well-contested. Baylor did a good job plugging up the passing lanes when Sabrina had the ball, too.
She went 6-24 from the floor, nearly all of her shots were well-contested. Baylor did a good job plugging up the passing lanes when Sabrina had the ball, too.
I would gladly pay to watch Sabrina play over most of the men who are often over hyped and not nearly as skilled. BTW, what happened to Decosta? Did her game just not translate to this elite level?
Getting anything consistent to the rim vs. Baylor's long, tall defenders was nearly impossible. Ionescu could not convert inside. She had some shots blocked and several others altered. It was a very rough opponent for her. She couldn't blow by them and couldn't make much happen inside. That left only long-distance attempts. But her ball-handling and passing skills were on full display. She has limitations and Baylor exploited them. A very nice job of preparation/execution by the Bears. And, still, Oregon came within an eyelash of winning.
