Sabrina Ionescu | The Boneyard

Sabrina Ionescu

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blaqtech

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With Sabrina Ionescu being ranked in the top 5 of 2016 recruits, does anyone know why she hasn't decided on a school yet. Not saying she needs to be in a rush just interested in possible hold up.
 
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With Sabrina Ionescu being ranked in the top 5 of 2016 recruits, does anyone know why she hasn't decided on a school yet. Not saying she needs to be in a rush just interested in possible hold up.

Obviously she is taking her time to choose among the three West Coast college's, Oregon, Oregon State, and Cal.
 
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Originally, it was assumed that Cal, just a BART ride away from her home in Walnut Creek, had the edge. Now, with her twin brother, supposedly to be a walk on at Oregon, the thinking is she will probably choose Oregon. She is a great player and her team-Miramonte H.S.- is undefeated and ranked 7th in the country. I plan on seeing her play tonight in the first round of the state playoffs.
 

JordyG

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I don't want to sound cruel, but no matter which school she chooses they're going to have a problem making the NCAA in each of her 4 years. Following her walk on brother to Oregon over Cal to me just seems doubly foolish.
 

Dillon77

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I don't want to sound cruel, but no matter which school she chooses they're going to have a problem making the NCAA in each of her 4 years. Following her walk on brother to Oregon over Cal to me just seems doubly foolish.

Assuming these three schools are still top of mind, perhaps she wants to make her mark at them?
- California has vaunted Frosh Center Kristine Anigwe coming back (20.8 ppg), as well as the next two leading scorers, so there's a base to build on.
- At Oregon State, Scott Rueck has built a good program and asst. coach Mandy Close has done good work with guards Jamie Weisner and Sydney Weise, who is coming back, although Weisner and center Ruth Hamblin graduate. Gabby Hanson, who played well when I've seen her, also comes back.
- Oregon, where her brother is planning on walking on, only has the 3rd leading scorer coming back, Maite Cazola, who looks to play the same position as Ionescu.

And, who knows, there may be other things in play, from ideas about other schools to areas of studies. Back to the "who knows what lurks in the minds and hearts of teenagers?" We've got a poster on our ND board who raves about her play and says she's a good kid, to boot. We'll see...
 

Sluconn Husky

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Ionescu.....announced four finalists in the fall: Cal, Oregon State, Oregon and Texas. Since then, she has eliminated Texas.


“My relationship with the coaches at Texas weren’t at the level they should have been,” said Ionescu, who is averaging 26.5 points this season. “And I don’t think the relationship would’ve been built up by the time I needed to decide. I don’t think they would’ve been the best option for me.”


Ionescu said she left a voicemail for the Texas coaches in the fall, alerting them of her decision. She said she never heard back.

“They are probably a bit upset, but they have a very good recruiting class coming in, and I don’t think they are too bothered,” she said.


.....

As for Cal, Oregon State and Oregon, Ionescu said it’s not a three-way tie.

Ionescu said she has them clearly ranked in her mind, but this is not the time to announce her decision...



http://usatodayhss.com/2016/why-sab...t-uncommitted-top-25-girls-basketball-recruit
 
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I may have posted this on another thread on this board or perhaps on another board, getting old, but every time this subject comes up I think about what Rompola was talking about in her retirement press conference.
 

Nuyoika

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I think it is so silly to have this whole list thing. Either pick a school or wait till you know and just say here is where I am going. Why all the hoopla? The media makes such a big deal out of all of it. I'm sure it's tough enough already without being constantly asked about it. Also, it has to be really awkward when they make a big stink over the coarse of 18 months or more about where they are going then they transfer after a year or two years lol.
 

UcMiami

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I may have posted this on another thread on this board or perhaps on another board, getting old, but every time this subject comes up I think about what Rompola was talking about in her retirement press conference.
Well specific to what Romola was talking about - TX would have offered the most walking around money of the four finalists. She has chosen three of the closest teams to her home in the league that plays at her level that is predominantly CA, WA, and OR based. Every year she will play her home games within fairly easy travel distance and at least 10-12 road games within easy travel distance of her home (probably significantly more with WC OOC games.) Distance would seem to be part of the equation for her - never have a problem with that.
 

CocoHusky

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Wow! Sabrina is coming off in a very unflattering way in this article "Diva-ish".

But I wanted to let it play out and let the true colors of the schools play out. I wanted to see how the coaches interact with me after a win and after a loss."

It is a bit naive to believe you can see the "true colors" of any school during the recruiting process.

"Decision time looms, and Ionescu said she knows which university is in the lead for her services."

If you know where you want to go to school and want to focus on the end to your season then say nothing. This stringing along just lends credence to the rumor that she is trying to secure a scholarship for her brother also. She seems such a different/lost kid from the first time I read about her in spring of 2013 when she was "uninvited", paid her own way to USA basketball trials, and actually beat out 120+ kids to make the team.

http://www.fullcourt.com/prep/23283...ne-stunning-omission-highlight-usa-u16-roster
 

Fightin Choke

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I think it is so silly to have this whole list thing. Either pick a school or wait till you know and just say here is where I am going. Why all the hoopla? The media makes such a big deal out of all of it. I'm sure it's tough enough already without being constantly asked about it. Also, it has to be really awkward when they make a big stink over the coarse of 18 months or more about where they are going then they transfer after a year or two years lol.
The list is designed to cut down on the phone calls, texts and emails that the recruits have to field. If you eliminate teams from consideration, then you limit contact to just the teams you are still considering. It makes complete sense to me. If a student-athlete is certain which school she will choose, then I agree that they should just commit, but sometimes they THINK their mind is settled, but then doubt reappears. I believe it makes more sense to commit only after you are fairly certain that you are actually ready to commit. And for most recruits, they cannot be certain until they have taken visits to a few different schools. If some of those visits need to be financed by the school, then you have to put off making a decision until after official visits are permissible.
 

CocoHusky

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The list is designed to cut down on the phone calls, texts and emails that the recruits have to field. If you eliminate teams from consideration, then you limit contact to just the teams you are still considering. It makes complete sense to me. If a student-athlete is certain which school she will choose, then I agree that they should just commit, but sometimes they THINK their mind is settled, but then doubt reappears. I believe it makes more sense to commit only after you are fairly certain that you are actually ready to commit. And for most recruits, they cannot be certain until they have taken visits to a few different schools. If some of those visits need to be financed by the school, then you have to put off making a decision until after official visits are permissible.
This is not about official visits for Sabrina. It seems like the completion of official visits has gotten her further away from making a decision. It must be about something else. You also don't eliminate the amount of contacts by narrowing down your number of schools. You actually increase it by not making up your mind.
"Sabrina Ionescu of Walnut Creek, Calif., the No. 3 ranked prospect in the ELITE 150, made an official visit to Oregon State this past weekend. It was the fourth visit for the 6-foot senior guard and was rescheduled from an earlier date this fall.
Ionescu has made official visits to California, Oregon and Texas as well. She eliminated Texas earlier this year.

http://prospectsnation.com/story/ionescu-visits-oregon-state
 

MilfordHusky

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Sabrina is focusing on the Cal State tourney. Then hopefully she can decide. I wonder if she is torn--preferring near-home Cal but having her brother in Oregon. I'm predicting a decision before April 30.
 

cohenzone

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The recruiting process plays out way too publicly today. My kids (not high level athletes, but good students) had several schools to choose from. I can't imagine what it would have been like for them and the family to have others drooling for news of their choice, because at 17 and 18 that is usually the first big decision a kid has ever had to make. What's even more silly is kids at 14 or 15 publicly stating a verbal commitment. You'd hope no adult encouraged it. They have enough trouble adjusting to puberty.
 

Fightin Choke

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This is not about official visits for Sabrina. It seems like the completion of official visits has gotten her further away from making a decision. It must be about something else. You also don't eliminate the amount of contacts by narrowing down your number of schools. You actually increase it by not making up your mind.
"Sabrina Ionescu of Walnut Creek, Calif., the No. 3 ranked prospect in the ELITE 150, made an official visit to Oregon State this past weekend. It was the fourth visit for the 6-foot senior guard and was rescheduled from an earlier date this fall.
Ionescu has made official visits to California, Oregon and Texas as well. She eliminated Texas earlier this year.

http://prospectsnation.com/story/ionescu-visits-oregon-state
The post I quoted questioned a recruits need for lists at all. My comment was not about this specific situation, but rather about the need for lists in general. They are very useful in reducing unwanted contact from coaches representing programs the recruit is not interested in attending.
 

CocoHusky

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The post I quoted questioned a recruits need for lists at all. My comment was not about this specific situation, but rather about the need for lists in general. They are very useful in reducing unwanted contact from coaches representing programs the recruit is not interested in attending.
I hear you but the title of this particular thread was Sabrina Ionescu so we were being very specific, as in-why does Sabrina need to make a list anyway?
 
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One reason for waiting could be if a player suspects that one or more of the coaches may leave.
 
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I saw Sabrina play in the semifinals of the Northern CA Regionals on Tuesday night. Miramonte remained undefeated winning 74-61. Last Thurs. Sabrina was named Gatorade Player of the Year in CA. She did not disappoint. Sabrina scored 31 of Miramonte's 44 second half points. She would not let the team lose. She was the point guard in the 4th quarter and never turned the ball over. For the game Ionescu was 17 0f 19 on free throws. Paraphrasing Geno, Miramonte has Sabrina and they don't. She would have been a great addition to the Huskies.
 
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Perhaps one product of this type of intensely public decision-making is that the emphasis on "making the perfect choice" more often means disappointment, because it rarely turns out to be the "perfect choice." Most "regular" kids apply to college and are delighted when they get into one of their top choices. These athletes have been guaranteed their top choices up front and now want more: they want the perfect fit. But college is a lot about growing up, and being a grown up means accepting compromises. That's a much harder lesson for the highly recruited athlete, who, discovering that all is not perfect where they end up, once again seek perfect happiness by transferring--an increasingly use strategy. Good luck finding that perfect happiness at the next stop.
 

Nuyoika

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The list is designed to cut down on the phone calls, texts and emails that the recruits have to field. If you eliminate teams from consideration, then you limit contact to just the teams you are still considering. It makes complete sense to me. If a student-athlete is certain which school she will choose, then I agree that they should just commit, but sometimes they THINK their mind is settled, but then doubt reappears. I believe it makes more sense to commit only after you are fairly certain that you are actually ready to commit. And for most recruits, they cannot be certain until they have taken visits to a few different schools. If some of those visits need to be financed by the school, then you have to put off making a decision until after official visits are permissible.
The only reason kids have a public list is for the media. There is literally no other reason to have a public list. The schools they are interested in likely have been in contact with them for years in most cases. Based on her own admission she was in contact directly with the coaches by phone and let the ones who she wasn't interested in know by voice mail so her having a public list at this point literally serves no one but the media. The 3 coaches left on the list obviously know they are still in the running as she continues to "build the relationship up" and figures out their "true colors". Her words not mine. Also, if the concern is so great about being contacted that can easily be rectified by a parent but based on this interview it seems like she kind of wants to do her own thing.
 

UcMiami

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We put 15-17 year olds in really strange positions when they are athletically gifted, and their parents as well. First a bunch of adults all start hanging around trying to recruit them to a specific school and telling them truths, half truths, and lies about what the experience will be like if they attend _____ school in two years time. And then depending on how good they are the media start circling as well. After every game the questions are asked, and then the phone calls start happening. If the player is in the top 25 of some ranking it becomes more intense. If the schools recruiting are national powers, the pressures mount.

Not every family or every kid is ready for that type of attention, and not every coach of a HS team or a AAU team is great at helping - I thought Wilson's coach during her recruitment for example was causing more issues than helping. If you want to be helpful to these nice reporters you try to give them information, and then you see articles that sound a lot different from what you actually said or thought you said. We have public figures who have been doing this for decades that get it wrong as often as they get it right, and we are surprised when these kids aren't pitch perfect. They are in unreal situations and trying to do the best they can.

Lets all just give them a break.
 

CamrnCrz1974

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Wow! Sabrina is coming off in a very unflattering way in this article "Diva-ish".

But I wanted to let it play out and let the true colors of the schools play out. I wanted to see how the coaches interact with me after a win and after a loss."

It is a bit naive to believe you can see the "true colors" of any school during the recruiting process.

"Decision time looms, and Ionescu said she knows which university is in the lead for her services."

If you know where you want to go to school and want to focus on the end to your season then say nothing.

I have heard multiple coaches say the exact same thing about players they recruit - how they interact with teammates, etc. after a win and after a loss.

"Diva-ish?" Not by any stretch of the imagination, from my vantage point. She will be playing for a coach, presumably, for four years. The coach will be a mentor/parental figure in college, the transition from her parents and family. She wants to get to know the schools (the coaches, the players, the program) , not just from the standpoint of what they present on a visit (where the school/coaches can control the environment and direct the recruit to see what the school/coaches want her to see), but to see how things are on a day-to-day basis.

You are entitled to your opinion, certainly. My interpretation, however, is that we are seeing a 17/18 year old kid trying to make an informed and intelligent decision by gathering all of the necessary information she believes she needs to make such a choice, while doing so under the media glare of being a top-five recruit in the most visible women's collegiate sport. I would say she is handling herself quite nicely.

As an aside, this happens in men's basketball all the time, where the players wait to commit. But many are one-and-done types and are only waiting it out for the media attention to build their respective profiles and brands for their inevitable (in their minds) NBA career. She is discussing making an informed decision for the next four years.

And finally, this was the quote from her coach, at the end of the article:
“She doesn’t want the fanfare,” Sopak said. “If she could just drive to whatever school she picks and show up on the first day of school, that would be her choice.”

"Diva-ish?" Far from it, from where I am sitting, but that is just my analysis.
 

CocoHusky

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I have heard multiple coaches say the exact same thing about players they recruit - how they interact with teammates, etc. after a win and after a loss.

"Diva-ish?" Not by any stretch of the imagination, from my vantage point. She will be playing for a coach, presumably, for four years. The coach will be a mentor/parental figure in college, the transition from her parents and family. She wants to get to know the schools (the coaches, the players, the program) , not just from the standpoint of what they present on a visit (where the school/coaches can control the environment and direct the recruit to see what the school/coaches want her to see), but to see how things are on a day-to-day basis.

You are entitled to your opinion, certainly. My interpretation, however, is that we are seeing a 17/18 year old kid trying to make an informed and intelligent decision by gathering all of the necessary information she believes she needs to make such a choice, while doing so under the media glare of being a top-five recruit in the most visible women's collegiate sport. I would say she is handling herself quite nicely.

As an aside, this happens in men's basketball all the time, where the players wait to commit. But many are one-and-done types and are only waiting it out for the media attention to build their respective profiles and brands for their inevitable (in their minds) NBA career. She is discussing making an informed decision for the next four years.

And finally, this was the quote from her coach, at the end of the article:
“She doesn’t want the fanfare,” Sopak said. “If she could just drive to whatever school she picks and show up on the first day of school, that would be her choice.”

"Diva-ish?" Far from it, from where I am sitting, but that is just my analysis.
Cam, always good to have you chime in on these matters. As on other occasions we will have to "respectfully" (always) agree to disagree on this specific issue. I very much respect Sabrina's & her families right to take as long as they wish to use whatever parameters they decide in making this decision. If Sabrina truly knows, as stated in the article, were she wants to go to school and "is just not saying" then that IMO is Diva-ish because that leaves two coaches unnecessarily twisting in the wind. Her quote about Texas "They are probably a bit upset, but they have a very good recruiting class coming in, and I don’t think they are too bothered,” is also very ungrateful and again IMO a simple: Thanks very much to all the coaches who have recruited me" would have been far more grateful=less Diva-ish.
 

CamrnCrz1974

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Cam, always good to have you chime in on these matters. As on other occasions we will have to "respectfully" (always) agree to disagree on this specific issue. I very much respect Sabrina's & her families right to take as long as they wish to use whatever parameters they decide in making this decision. If Sabrina truly knows, as stated in the article, were she wants to go to school and "is just not saying" then that IMO is Diva-ish because that leaves two coaches unnecessarily twisting in the wind. Her quote about Texas "They are probably a bit upset, but they have a very good recruiting class coming in, and I don’t think they are too bothered,” is also very ungrateful and again IMO a simple: Thanks very much to all the coaches who have recruited me" would have been far more grateful=less Diva-ish.

CocoHusky, good to hear back from you!

The quote you provide is one that is truly respectful. We can all agree. But it strikes me as something an adult would say to a child to convey (though something a very precocious teenager might also say). As a teenager, we all said things and did things that our parents and the adults in our lives may not have liked or they may have preferred we worded things a different.

My take on Sabrina's comment was that Texas might be upset to lose a recruited player to another school, but that Texas also has a very good recruiting class coming in, so they will be fine with or without her. I took that as showing respect for the Texas recruiting class and the state of the program. I did not take it as "diva-ish," but as one showing that with or without Sabrina, Texas will continue to be a very good program.

I try not to put too much stock into what recruits say or judge them so harshly (unless it is truly reprehensible or offensive or goes beyond the bounds of good taste) because they are teenagers having to grow up in the glare of the media. I certainly would not want everything I said or did as a teenager magnified and discussed on message boards or by fans. Then again, I do not have kids (not sure if you do); perhaps I would feel differently if I had children.

But again, like you said, we can agree to disagree on this specific issue.
 
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