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Sabrina Ionescu will be helping her collegiate women’s basketball program in a big way.
The former Oregon basketball star, who currently plays for the WNBA’s Liberty, will join the Ducks support staff as the director of athletic culture on a part-time capacity.
Ionescu will be responsible for developing the program’s student athletes and fostering Ducks coach Kelly Graves’s pillars of passion, integrity, unity, thankfulness, and servanthood. Graves said in a statement that there was “no better person” to serve in this role than Ionescu.
“Sabrina [Ionescu] exemplifies what it means to be an Oregon Duck and she represents everything our program is about,” Graves said. “Even in just a part-time capacity, she will have the ability to make an immediate impact on our student-athletes and our program as a whole. She truly is a basketball icon that will be able to connect and develop our players off the court.”
Ionescu had a prolific four-year career at Oregon. Ionescu was a two-time Wade and Wooden Trophy winner, the NCAA’s leader—men and women—in career triple doubles (26) and the only player in NCAA history to score at least 2,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds and 1,000 career assists.
The 24-year-old, who earned her bachelor’s degree within the first 36 months of her being on campus, was thrilled about embarking on a new opportunity.
“As a kid growing up in the game, my family helped me develop my passion for basketball and all the values it rewards, "Ionescu said in a statement. “When I arrived at Oregon, I joined a new family that embraced those same values and helped me grow even more as a player and as a person. Part of my heart remains in Eugene, and I look forward to cultivating the same family atmosphere for future Ducks in the Oregon women's basketball program.”
In the 2022 WNBA season, Ionescu became the first WNBA player to capture a 30-point triple double.
