Is Sabrina the G.O.A.T?

[WestCoast]

This entire thread just keeps cracking me up. I like Sabrina-well let me clarify that- I like her a lot less since she put that last curb stomping on UCONN. But she is not in the GOAT conversation. To paraphrase @meyers7 in a different GOAT discussion-How can you be considered the GOAT when you are not even the best to play in that conference?
If Sabrina has a comparable professional and Olympic career to LIndsay Whalen she would have had a great career and would still not be in the discussion for GOAT.

I agree with CocoHusky in that this thread lives on unnecessarily as DomerDuck and others refuse to let it go. Anything somewhat relevant to the original thread gets tacked on to keep it alive.

If the WNBA is able to play this season, Sabrina's fans can get back on here and remind us again of how good she is. I would like a break from reading about that until she is able to show what she can do as a pro.....

 

[Shades]

 

[domerduck]

DUNK

Thanks Shades for keeping the Sabrina thread going as she does cool things and risk CocoHusky and WestCoast's admonsihing posts. I am sure that is a regulation hoop and now that puts her at the Fran Belibi level, another player that I wouldn't vote as GOAT (which I didn't for Sabrina either-but do consider her the Oregon GOAT). I am still trying to figure out if there is consensus on the UConn GOAT-considering Taurasi, Moore, & Stewart all have legitimate claims. I missed that thread.

Still in the Sabrina GOAT category, I did find it interesting that her fellow classmates and University President asked her to be their commencement speaker for their upcoming June 14 graduation (even if on-line). She certyainly handled herself well for the Kobe memorial. Not sure how many other "GOATs" have been given that honor as commnecment speaker, but there may be a few. She certainly made her impact on Oregon, even if she didn't have a chance to win that National Title with her team, her senior year.

Oregon Ducks basketball great Sabrina Ionescu chosen as UO's 2020 commencement speaker

Sabrina Ionescu, who spoke so eloquently during the memorial service for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna earlier this year, will be the commencement

www.registerguard.com

 

[IrishTiger]

In my opinion you have to win a National Championship to be in the conversation She didn’t do that. I’d say it’s a conversation between Stewart, Moore, Taurasi, and Parker.

 

[bballnut90]

Thanks Shades for keeping the Sabrina thread going as she does cool things and risk CocoHusky and WestCoast's admonsihing posts. I am sure that is a regulation hoop and now that puts her at the Fran Belibi level, another player that I wouldn't vote as GOAT (which I didn't for Sabrina either-but do consider her the Oregon GOAT). I am still trying to figure out if there is consensus on the UConn GOAT-considering Taurasi, Moore, & Stewart all have legitimate claims. I missed that thread.

Still in the Sabrina GOAT category, I did find it interesting that her fellow classmates and University President asked her to be their commencement speaker for their upcoming June 14 graduation (even if on-line). She certyainly handled herself well for the Kobe memorial. Not sure how many other "GOATs" have been given that honor as commnecment speaker, but there may be a few. She certainly made her impact on Oregon, even if she didn't have a chance to win that National Title with her team, her senior year.

Oregon Ducks basketball great Sabrina Ionescu chosen as UO's 2020 commencement speaker

Sabrina Ionescu, who spoke so eloquently during the memorial service for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna earlier this year, will be the commencement

www.registerguard.com

Being a class commencement speaker has zero relation to her claim as being the greatest of all time.

There isnt a consensus among UCONN fans for who is the best collegiate Husky ever. All 3 had illustrious careers with their own unique strengths that give them an argument for best UCONN player of all time. It isnt cut and dry like it is for a lot of other programs (ex. Tennessee, Baylor, South Carolina, Oregon, etc.)

 

[shiverz45]

I truly doubt that is regulation size goal. With all her accolades and attributes, freakish athleticism was not one of them. Show me a video of her dunking in a gym or grabbing the rim.

 

[WestCoast]

Thanks Shades for keeping the Sabrina thread going as she does cool things and risk CocoHusky and WestCoast's admonsihing posts. I am sure that is a regulation hoop and now that puts her at the Fran Belibi level, another player that I wouldn't vote as GOAT (which I didn't for Sabrina either-but do consider her the Oregon GOAT). I am still trying to figure out if there is consensus on the UConn GOAT-considering Taurasi, Moore, & Stewart all have legitimate claims. I missed that thread.

Still in the Sabrina GOAT category, I did find it interesting that her fellow classmates and University President asked her to be their commencement speaker for their upcoming June 14 graduation (even if on-line). She certyainly handled herself well for the Kobe memorial. Not sure how many other "GOATs" have been given that honor as commnecment speaker, but there may be a few. She certainly made her impact on Oregon, even if she didn't have a chance to win that National Title with her team, her senior year.

Oregon Ducks basketball great Sabrina Ionescu chosen as UO's 2020 commencement speaker

Sabrina Ionescu, who spoke so eloquently during the memorial service for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna earlier this year, will be the commencement

www.registerguard.com

DomerDuck was fooled by the video.
I am guessing that the rim is 9'6" to 9'9". Ionescu does many things very well and has been recognized as the best player again in women's collegiate basketball, but to compare her to Belibi with respect to dunking is not well-informed. Unless Ionescu gets on an explosive/dynamic workout regimen and transforms her athleticism significantly, she will never be able to dunk on a regulation hoop. And she doesn't need to...

 

[nwhoopfan]

I am guessing that the rim is 9'6" to 9'9".

I'm guessing even lower. Maybe a 9 ft rim. Nothing during her career indicated she was even remotely close to being able to dunk on a regulation rim.

 

[Plebe]

So now we're now being asked to believe that Sabrina is dunking on regulation rims.

Can she cure coronavirus while she's at it?

 

[WestCoast]

So now we're now being asked to believe that Sabrina is dunking on regulation rims.

View attachment 54710

Can she cure coronavirus while she's at it?

As DomerDuck might suggest, give Ionescu a few more months and complete access to the University of Oregon medical labs and she would. Anything to further cement her GOAT status....

 

[domerduck]

So now we're now being asked to believe that Sabrina is dunking on regulation rims.

Can she cure coronavirus while she's at it?

She should have worn a mask when dunking.

 

[Bigboote]

DomerDuck was fooled by the video.
I am guessing that the rim is 9'6" to 9'9".

It wasn’t a regulation basketball either, not much bigger than her hand.

 

[eebmg]

Just a weird hypothetical entering my head.

Suppose Sabrina came to UConn (in place of Crystal). Would she have been enough of a difference to
overcome those semifinal defeats and lead us to 3NC (Covid 19 is still in my hypothetical )

Would she then be considered a real challenger for the GOAT position?

My feeling is yes and yes.

Others?

 

[domerduck]

Just a weird hypothetical entering my head.

Suppose Sabrina came to UConn (in place of Crystal). Would she have been enough of a difference to
overcome those semifinal defeats and lead us to 3NC (Covid 19 is still in my hypothetical )

Would she then be considered a real challenger for the GOAT position?

My feeling is yes and yes.

Others?

Since this is a pandemic all we have is hypotheticals, but your supposition is the one that has been in my head for a while. There is no doubt that a UConn player with their 11 championships owns the WCBB GOAT, whether you pick DT, MM, or Breanna. That is why I did not vote for her as the G.O.A.T. as one of the 150 posters who voted above.

Still I do believe Sabrina's leadership, vision, assist making skills, and competitiveness would have taken those great UConn teams to 3 NCs and this year, they'd be on their way to their 8th straight. Her Freshman year when she played her first game ever in Connecticut in the Elite 8 March 27, 2017, it was against a UConn team that won that game for their 111 straight win right before they got upset by MSU in the Final 4.

If Sabrina had been on that team instead of Crystal, it would have been her 22nd game in Connecticut that year not her first. My guess is she would have worked her way into replacing Chong as starting guard or at least be the first off the bench for Geno if he kept Chong as starter. Still she would have never had the stats she had at Oregon as Geno had so many players to play. She certainly wouldn't have been the 1st player ever to have 2k, 1k, 1k or scored over 2500 points. It would have been interesting, but I totally agree with your supposition, she would have been a 3x champion as she is completely coachable and Geno's type of player.

 

[eebmg]

Since this is a pandemic all we have is hypotheticals, but your supposition is the one that has been in my head for a while. There is no doubt that a UConn player with their 11 championships owns the WCBB GOAT, whether you pick DT, MM, or Breanna. That is why I did not vote for her as the G.O.A.T. as one of the 150 posters who voted above.

Still I do believe Sabrina's leadership, vision, assist making skills, and competitiveness would have taken those great UConn teams to 3 NCs and this year, they'd be on their way to their 8th straight. Her Freshman year when she played her first game ever in Connecticut in the Elite 8 March 27, 2017, it was against a UConn team that won that game for their 111 straight win right before they got upset by MSU in the Final 4.

If Sabrina had been on that team instead of Crystal, it would have been her 22nd game in Connecticut that year not her first. My guess is she would have worked her way into replacing Chong as starting guard or at least be the first off the bench for Geno if he kept Chong as starter. Still she would have never had the stats she had at Oregon as Geno had so many players to play. She certainly wouldn't have been the 1st player ever to have 2k, 1k, 1k or scored over 2500 points. It would have been interesting, but I totally agree with your supposition, she would have been a 3x champion as she is completely coachable and Geno's type of player.

She may not have had 2500 points but she would probably have as many triple doubles along the way,

 

[Bigboote]

She may not have had 2500 points but she would probably have as many triple doubles along the way,

I think it's unlikely she would have had even half as many. UConn doesn't generally play through one player, which is why a forward often leads them in assists. So she'd have a lot fewer ten-assist games. Also, they had some prodigious rebounders over the past four years, so I think she'd miss double-digit rebounds many times, too.

I agree with you and Domerduck that it would have been really interesting if she'd chosen UConn. I think multiple championships are more likely than however-many triple-doubles.

 

[WestCoast]

She may not have had 2500 points but she would probably have as many triple doubles along the way,

Not sure that Geno would have kept her in the games of major blowouts long enough to accumulate 26 triple-doubles like Graves did. Graves and the Oregon system proved to be the perfect collegiate situation for Ionescu to achieve the great statistical milestones that she did.

I do think that Ionescu would have won at least one national title at UConn during her first two collegiate seasons with the other talent at UConn in '16-'17 and '17-'18.

 

[hoophuskee]

Just a weird hypothetical entering my head.

Suppose Sabrina came to UConn (in place of Crystal). Would she have been enough of a difference to
overcome those semifinal defeats and lead us to 3NC (Covid 19 is still in my hypothetical )

Would she then be considered a real challenger for the GOAT position?

My feeling is yes and yes.

Others?

OFC yes and yes but that's a tall order isn't it?

She wasn't even an A/A her frosh year so she would be "leading" the other 3 A/A's to an undefeated season as a frosh? And then as a soph? Back-to-back undefeated seasons in which she is a leader and leads them in the Final Four?

So overall, three straight titles where she is the leader?

If you give that "supposed hypothetical" to any other A/A caliber player then they would be in the discussion for GOAT too.

 

[CocoHusky]

Thanks Shades for keeping the Sabrina thread going as she does cool things and risk CocoHusky and WestCoast's admonsihing posts.

As I have said before, I like Sabrina and don't mind hearing good things about what she is doing. My ire is strictly related to the use of the GOAT in the title of the thread which especially on this board feels like you are using a sharp stick to poke us in the eye. BTW Sabrina stands a good chance at locking down a spot on the US Olympic team next summer. If she does it will only be her third appearance on a USA basketball (5 X 5) age group team for her entire college and HS years. In this same time span THE TRUE GOATS dominated not just their USA age groups but also the international competition. ALL were named USA Basketball Female Athlete of the year.

 

[Shades]

Sabrina Ionescu Changed Women’s Basketball. And She Hasn’t Even Played Her First Pro Game

The 22-year-old point guard is one of the most buzzed-about basketball players in a generation.

www.glamour.com

Once in a generation, there’s an athlete whose game is so great, it literally changes their sport. Sabrina Ionescu, 22, is that athlete. While playing at the University of Oregon, Ionescu became the first college basketball player—male or female—in the history of the NCAA to score 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists.

 

[CocoHusky]

Just a weird hypothetical entering my head.

Suppose Sabrina came to UConn (in place of Crystal). Would she have been enough of a difference to
overcome those semifinal defeats and lead us to 3NC (Covid 19 is still in my hypothetical )

Would she then be considered a real challenger for the GOAT position?

My feeling is yes and yes.

Others?

Yes & Hell Nah!

 

[eebmg]

Hell Nah!

Which part?? Care to elaborate?

 

[CocoHusky]

Which part?? Care to elaborate?

If you replaced Sabrina with Crystal in the offense it would only have have been a slight uptick and not enough to overcome the 3 consecutive FF defeats. In each of her 4 season in Oregon Sabrina led the team in FGA, sometimes by a fairly wide margin. Contrast that with UCONN who had 3 different players KLS, Napheesa, and Megan Walker leading the team in FGA while Sabrina was playing. In summary I agree with the last paragraph of @domerduck post. Those UCONN teams were too talented and would have relegated Sabrina to at best 3rd offensive option until after KLS and Napheesa graduated. Having Sabrina and not Crystal also does not help with the UCONN flaws which proved to be fatal-lack of bulk & skill in the post position and the absence of a third guard to help the rotation after Saniya graduated.

 

[eebmg]

If you replaced Sabrina with Crystal in the offense it would only have have been a slight uptick and not enough to overcome the 3 consecutive FF defeats. In each of her 4 season in Oregon Sabrina led the team in FGA, sometimes by a fairly wide margin. Contrast that with UCONN who had 3 different players KLS, Napheesa, and Megan Walker leading the team in FGA while Sabrina was playing. In summary I agree with the last paragraph of @domerduck post. Those UCONN teams were too talented and would have relegated Sabrina to at best 3rd offensive option until after KLS and Napheesa graduated. Having Sabrina and not Crystal also does not help with the UCONN flaws which proved to be fatal-lack of bulk & skill in the post position and the absence of a third guard to help the rotation after Saniya graduated.

Not sure I agree but will think about it.

 

[domerduck]

Not too many seniors do the commencement speech for their graduating class, and by the way one of her employers, Phil Knight received an honorary doctorate at the same commencement.

‘Keep dreaming’: Sabrina Ionescu delivers commencement address at University of Oregon graduation

Ionescu gives a message of growth and perseverance through the coronavirus pandemic in her speech.

www.oregonlive.com

Scenes from University of Oregon’s virtual commencement

Scenes from University of Oregon’s virtual commencement

www.registerguard.com