Is Sabrina the G.O.A.T?

[WestCoast]

Trying to put it nicely, the undertone is OSU fans truly believe Pivec is the better player, both in the message boards of their own, and in social media.
I do like to pick the brains of the fans because it sounds like a resounding, solid campaign from Beavernation, as we saw them attack Sabrina in character, game, and as a person, when it came to the that lowes award they wanted so badly.

I read Benny's House, the sports message board for OSU. Although Pivec is beloved on that board and respected for her contributions to the Corvallis community, Ionescu is given her due by the majority of Beaver Nation for her many accomplishments and how she has elevated the women's collegiate game with her celebrity. It is easy to understand potential jealousy from a rival fan base, but the fact is that the Beaver fans gave Ionescu hearty applause when the two teams met at Gill Coliseum in January.

The "personal" attack on Ionescu that I have read on that board seems to be related to when she had the tantrum as a junior and pushed teammate Oti Gildon before throwing a water bottle in anger. Ionescu and her teammates have seemingly moved past those incidents, but Beaver fans will continue to bring that up on occasion.

 

[azfan]

I'm watching ESPN and the college basketball greatest of all-time special. Jay Bilas just said it in his humble opinion Cheryl Miller is the greatest female basketball player - she is the GOAT. I really have high regard for Jay bilas and it's a shame he's wrong on this one. He does make a compelling case for Miller which just underscores Diana's greatness.

 

[Plebe]

I'm watching ESPN and the college basketball greatest of all-time special. Jay Bilas just said it in his humble opinion Cheryl Miller is the greatest female basketball player - she is the GOAT. I really have high regard for Jay bilas and it's a shame he's wrong on this one. He does make a compelling case for Miller which just underscores Diana's greatness.

Bilas is around the same age as Miller. I think it's common to idealize the people we grew up around.

I tend not to partake in the GOAT debates, but there's no question that Cheryl Miller was far ahead of her time and raised the bar of athleticism in women's basketball by several notches.

 

[JonathanXIV]

I'm watching ESPN and the college basketball greatest of all-time special. Jay Bilas just said it in his humble opinion Cheryl Miller is the greatest female basketball player - she is the GOAT. I really have high regard for Jay bilas and it's a shame he's wrong on this one. He does make a compelling case for Miller which just underscores Diana's greatness.

Honestly, not a silly response. Legitimately in the discussion, along with three UConn players (and a few others), Diana, Maya and Stewie.

 

[npignatjr]

A real contender for GOAT, 4 Time National Champion, 4 Time FF MOP.
UConn Tid-Bit: On March 21, 2016, Breanna Stewart set records in a win during the 2nd round tournament win vs Duquesne in Storrs. Her five blocks allowed her to become the first player in NCAA history with at least 400 assists and 400 blocked shots.

 

[Shades]

 

[Waquoit]

The title of this thread brings out my inner Mr. Hand. Is everyone on dope?

 

[triaddukefan]

Without a NCAA title.... Im not sure that Ms. Ionescu would rate as a better college player than Alana Beard.

 

[EricSD]

IMHO Sabrina deserves a ton of respect. Her record of triple-doubles should stand for many many years. Having said that, she's not even in the top 10 as GOAT's. Going back over time, she wasn't as good in college as Tina
Thompson, Lisa Leslie, Cheryl Swoopes, Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw, Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Brit Griner, Aja Wilson, Tamika Catchings, and then of course the UCONN greats of Taurasi, Moore and Stewie.

Some of those players simply had better numbers, but no NC's. Other players helped lead their team to at least 1 NC.

Then there's a whole next level of "who's better" - players like Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Jackie Stiles, Kelsey Plum, Sveta Abrosimova, Kelsey Mitchell, Kelly Mazzante, Jantel Lavender, etc. You'd have to compare how many AA's? What sort of national accolades did they get?

As @MilfordHusky said, top 15-20 all time. I just listed 13 players I believe are better. I'm sure I'm missing a few others.

Sabrina's PPG numbers don't even put her in the top 25 all time. In spite of being surrounded by tons of talent, she was never able to win a NC. Sadly we will never know what might have happened this year, but Diana, for example, did much more with a lot less in 2 out of her 3 NC's.

I look forward to seeing her play in the pros. I think she's got a great shot to be an Olympian. But there are a lot of other really really good players out there so time will tell for sure. Best of luck to her - she's a terrific player who will be a lot of fun to watch!!

 

[bballnut90]

IMHO Sabrina deserves a ton of respect. Her record of triple-doubles should stand for many many years. Having said that, she's not even in the top 10 as GOAT's. Going back over time, she wasn't as good in college as Tina
Thompson, Lisa Leslie, Cheryl Swoopes, Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw, Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne, Brit Griner, Aja Wilson, Tamika Catchings, and then of course the UCONN greats of Taurasi, Moore and Stewie.

Some of those players simply had better numbers, but no NC's. Other players helped lead their team to at least 1 NC.

Then there's a whole next level of "who's better" - players like Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Jackie Stiles, Kelsey Plum, Sveta Abrosimova, Kelsey Mitchell, Kelly Mazzante, Jantel Lavender, etc. You'd have to compare how many AA's? What sort of national accolades did they get?

As @MilfordHusky said, top 15-20 all time. I just listed 13 players I believe are better. I'm sure I'm missing a few others.

Sabrina's PPG numbers don't even put her in the top 25 all time. In spite of being surrounded by tons of talent, she was never able to win a NC. Sadly we will never know what might have happened this year, but Diana, for example, did much more with a lot less in 2 out of her 3 NC's.

I look forward to seeing her play in the pros. I think she's got a great shot to be an Olympian. But there are a lot of other really really good players out there so time will tell for sure. Best of luck to her - she's a terrific player who will be a lot of fun to watch!!

I'd take her collegiate career hands down over Thompson, Leslie, Delle Donne, Wilson or Catchings. Other players have scored more points, no one had better numbers. Sabrina finished her career with over 2400 points, 1000 assists and 1000 rebounds and still had likely 5-6 games to play. No one else has come close to filling a stat sheet like she did.

She completely transformed an Oregon program that hadn't been to a tournament in 12 years and took them to two Elite 8s, a Final Four, and was primed to make a title run as a consensus top 2 team in the country entering the tournament this year. She won 3 PAC 12 titles and was a 3x Pac 12 POY when the PAC was at its peak. She also was a 2x National Player of the Year. No one else besides maybe A'ja Wilson has a resume close to that out of the 5 players listed above, and A'ja joined an established team that was a #1 seed the year before she arrived.

It's hard to find a good spot for Sabrina in the discussion of best collegiate career ever due to the tournament being vacated this year, but she's easily in the top 10 as it stands. She doesn't get credit for winning a title, but she also doesn't lose credit for not winning one given the circumstances. It's a weird spot. That said, I'd put her in the same mix as Sheryl Swoopes since Swoopes was electric in 2 years of collegiate play but ultimately only played 2 years. Can't rank her above Holdsclaw, Parker, Griner, or the UCONN 3, but I'd rank her above the rest. 7th or 8th all time.

 

[TheFarmFan]

I'd take her collegiate career hands down over Thompson, Leslie, Delle Donne, Wilson or Catchings. Other players have scored more points, no one had better numbers. Sabrina finished her career with over 2400 points, 1000 assists and 1000 rebounds and still had likely 5-6 games to play. No one else has come close to filling a stat sheet like she did.

She completely transformed an Oregon program that hadn't been to a tournament in 12 years and took them to two Elite 8s, a Final Four, and was primed to make a title run as a consensus top 2 team in the country entering the tournament this year. She won 3 PAC 12 titles and was a 3x Pac 12 POY when the PAC was at its peak. She also was a 2x National Player of the Year. No one else besides maybe A'ja Wilson has a resume close to that out of the 5 players listed above, and A'ja joined an established team that was a #1 seed the year before she arrived.

It's hard to find a good post for Sabrina in the discussion of best collegiate career ever due to the tournament being vacated this year, but she's easily in the top 10 as it stands. She doesn't get credit for winning a title, but she also doesn't lose credit for not winning one given the circumstances. It's a weird spot. That said, I'd put her in the same mix as Sheryl Swoopes since Swoopes was electric in 2 years of collegiate play but ultimately only played 2 years. Can't rank her above Holdsclaw, Parker, Griner or the UCONN 3, but I'd rank her above the rest. 7th or 8th all time.

Well said, and about where I'd put her. It's a real tragedy that she didn't get the opportunity this final post-season to push through and claim a championship. It feels a little bit like the Monica Seles stabbing when she was at her peak and had won 7 of 8 of the past grand slams - who knows what her career would have been like had a crazed fan not changed history? We'll never know.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Apologies if I missed a post somewhere sharing this, but there was a great piece in the NY Times yesterday about Ionsecu and her (now permanently) unfinished business:

Sabrina Ionescu’s Big Moment Wasn’t the One She Expected (Published 2020)

The Oregon star had been called “the puppet master” by Kobe Bryant, but faced tragedy and canceled games in what was supposed to be a dream college season.

www.nytimes.com

 

[willtalk]

I think when the question of who the "GOAT" is, much depends on what criteria you use. Each player brings a different set of skills to the table. One thing that can be said is that Sabrina is unique in that she brings a lot of skills and certain intangibles that have helped elevate the Oregon program even beyond her obvious skills and stats she puts up.

One of those intangibles some people might see as a negative. She holds her teammates accountable for their play. Not anymore than she holds herself accountable- this accounts for her effort and desire. This often manifests itself as it did with the Oti Gildon incident. She has acknowledged that was a mistake and not the way a leader should act. Ironically she was called out on that by a teammate herself ( Sabally) in a team meeting.

However, she should have thrown the water bottle at Greaves instead of pushing Gildon. Oti messed up in not blocking out her man on the missed free-throw or hustling after the fact. It cost them an important game. Gildon was just playing like she usually does. Greaves was the one at fault for putting her in under those circumstances. Gildon came from the high school affiliated with Gonzaga- the college Graves came from. It is obvious he brought her along so Greaves favored her with respect to playing time not at all commensurate with her abilities for her time at Oregon.

That negative also has a positive side in that Sabrina's intensity rubs off on the other players and they push themselves to excel much like she does. That difference between Sabrina and Pivek was always pointed out by the posters on the Oregon St site. Pivek is nice and Sabrina is not. Nice is a good trait, but sometimes you need someone on your team to kick rear. That was a quality lacking on Oregon St. and one reason for their lack of consistency. The major difference between Sabrina and Pivek and for the most part most other college players is that Sabrina does not make bad decisions. She knows when to take the shot and when and to whom to pass the ball when it is called for. Many players are more physically talented and skilled than her, but she beats them when it comes to desire and BBIQ.

Every persons characteristic has both a positive and negative side to it. It depends on how we chose to manifest it.

 

[NWHoopFan2]

I think when the question of who the "GOAT" is, much depends on what criteria you use. Each player brings a different set of skills to the table. One thing that can be said is that Sabrina is unique in that she brings a lot of skills and certain intangibles that have helped elevate the Oregon program even beyond her obvious skills and stats she puts up.

One of those intangibles some people might see as a negative. She holds her teammates accountable for their play. Not anymore than she holds herself accountable- this accounts for her effort and desire. This often manifests itself as it did with the Oti Gildon incident. She has acknowledged that was a mistake and not the way a leader should act. Ironically she was called out on that by a teammate herself ( Sabally) in a team meeting.

However, she should have thrown the water bottle at Greaves instead of pushing Gildon. Oti messed up in not blocking out her man on the missed free-throw or hustling after the fact. It cost them an important game. Gildon was just playing like she usually does. Greaves was the one at fault for putting her in under those circumstances. Gildon came from the high school affiliated with Gonzaga- the college Graves came from. It is obvious he brought her along so Greaves favored her with respect to playing time not at all commensurate with her abilities for her time at Oregon.

That negative also has a positive side in that Sabrina's intensity rubs off on the other players and they push themselves to excel much like she does. That difference between Sabrina and Pivek was always pointed out by the posters on the Oregon St site. Pivek is nice and Sabrina is not. Nice is a good trait, but sometimes you need someone on your team to kick rear. That was a quality lacking on Oregon St. and one reason for their lack of consistency. The major difference between Sabrina and Pivek and for the most part most other college players is that Sabrina does not make bad decisions. She knows when to take the shot and when and to whom to pass the ball when it is called for. Many players are more physically talented and skilled than her, but she beats them when it comes to desire and BBQ.

Every persons characteristic has both a positive and negative side to it. It depends on how we chose to manifest it.

I agree with almost everything you posted, except your rationale to criticize Graves in that situation. Remember, Hebard was out for that game following her injury against OSU and the only two inside players on the bench were Giomi and Gildon. Of those two Gildon was a much more dependable rebounder and defender at the time. Gildon playing in that situation had absolutely nothing to do with their mutual background in Spokane.

 

[WestCoast]

I agree with almost everything you posted, except your rationale to criticize Graves in that situation. Remember, Hebard was out for that game following her injury against OSU and the only two inside players on the bench were Giomi and Gildon. Of those two Gildon was a much more dependable rebounder and defender at the time. Gildon playing in that situation had absolutely nothing to do with their mutual background in Spokane.

NWHoopFan2 is spot on with that one. Gildon was the better option. Willtalk has long praised Giomi on the OSU Board, so his loyalty to Giomi is well documented. And thanks for spelling Graves correctly. It really isn't that hard, but Willtalk often misspells Graves and Pivec when he posts.

Ionescu was in the wrong for pushing a teammate (Gildon) and for throwing the water bottle in frustration. No excuse for either action. It reflected Ionescu's immaturity and lack of respect for Gildon and her program at that time. To her credit, I think that she handles adversity better now.

 

[Shades]

 

[willtalk]

I agree with almost everything you posted, except your rationale to criticize Graves in that situation. Remember, Hebard was out for that game following her injury against OSU and the only two inside players on the bench were Giomi and Gildon. Of those two Gildon was a much more dependable rebounder and defender at the time. Gildon playing in that situation had absolutely nothing to do with their mutual background in Spokane.

My perspective on Graves and Gildon was not restricted to that single game. It also came from the previous season and I suspect that was one reason why some players transferred out. Gildon did have a good NCAA tournament her soph year but she really did not show that level again in her Jr season. I disagree with her being a better defender and rebounder than Giomi. She might get better numbers but that is because her defensive area remains limited around the basket while Giomi stretches her defensive effort farther out. when playing a zone. I tend to focus more on defense than offense so I notice how people get their numbers. One case in point was Eric Dampier who played center for Dallas for many years.

Dampier always had good rebounding and shot-blocking numbers so everyone listed him as a good defender. Well, he got those shot-blocking numbers because he hung close to the basket and other players did not respect him so they made more attempts. He would also never challenge anyone farther out and the opposing teams scored at will from a few feet in from the key. He was not very mobile. He also got his RB numbers that way because he never challenged shots and stayed under the basket. I was criticized for my perspective until the year after they got rid of him they finally won the Championship because they had a center who would actually play defense. It's not just getting numbers but how you get them.

Gildon dominated in high school but at her height, she was a tweener. Too short to be consistently effective in the post and too slow to play on the perimeter. Against the right match up players like her are often effective, but they need those matchups. A lot also depends on how well a player is playing and what the team needs at any point in time. She was not moving or playing that well in that game. So you tell me that under those circumstances a slow and questionable 6'1" was a better option to get that rebound than 6'6" Giomi? Graves played her just because she was a senior and he was used to giving her minutes, not because of her actual play in that game. If you watch what happened, not only did she not block out but she did not even hustle after her man got around her. It was Sabrina who came from the other side who ended up fighting for the ball. That was totally on Graves for leaving her in. Her lack of execution and lack of hustle was reflective of her play in the game long before that final play. She had not shown she was focused either on that play or her other time on the floor. Coaches should notice that.

What is true is that I am not a real fan of playing tweeners unless they are in a good matchup or having a good game.

 

[WestCoast]

My perspective on Graves and Gildon was not restricted to that single game. It also came from the previous season and I suspect that was one reason why some players transferred out. Gildon did have a good NCAA tournament her soph year but she really did not show that level again in her Jr season. I disagree with her being a better defender and rebounder than Giomi. She might get better numbers but that is because her defensive area remains limited around the basket while Giomi stretches her defensive effort farther out. when playing a zone. I tend to focus more on defense than offense so I notice how people get their numbers. One case in point was Eric Dampier who played center for Dallas for many years.

Dampier always had good rebounding and shot-blocking numbers so everyone listed him as a good defender. Well, he got those shot-blocking numbers because he hung close to the basket and other players did not respect him so they made more attempts. He would also never challenge anyone farther out and the opposing teams scored at will from a few feet in from the key. He was not very mobile. He also got his RB numbers that way because he never challenged shots and stayed under the basket. I was criticized for my perspective until the year after they got rid of him they finally won the Championship because they had a center who would actually play defense. It's not just getting numbers but how you get them.

Oti dominated in high school but at her height, she was a tweener. Too short to be consistently effective in the post and too slow to play on the perimeter. Against the right match up players like her are often effective, but they need those matchups. A lot also depends on how well a player is playing and what the team needs at any point in time. She was not moving or playing that well in that game. So you tell me that under those circumstances a slow and questionable 6'1" was a better option to get that rebound than 6'6" Giomi? Graves played her just because she was a senior and he was used to giving her minutes, not because of her actual play in that game. If you watch what happened, not only did she not block out but she did not even hustle after her man got around her. It was Sabrina who came from the other side who ended up fighting for the ball. That was totally on Graves for leaving her in. Her lack of execution and lack of hustle was reflective of her play in the game long before that final play. She was not focused before and during that play.

What is true is that I am not a real fan of playing tweeners unless they are in a good matchup or having a good game.

You have spent a lot of words trying to convince people that the little-used Giomi should have played ahead of Gildon. I saw a lot of Oregon games and would agree with Graves and others who believe that Gildon was a better option at that time. Gildon was a solid role player for Oregon. She was significantly stronger than Giomi. Gildon missed a block out on that missed free throw. She deserves better than the "tweener" belittlement that you have given her above.

I like Giomi and hope that she can earn more minutes during her final season in '20-'21 despite the fact that two quality redshirt bigs will eligible and physically able to play for the Ducks next season.

 

[jonson]

My perspective on Graves and Gildon was not restricted to that single game. It also came from the previous season and I suspect that was one reason why some players transferred out. Gildon did have a good NCAA tournament her soph year but she really did not show that level again in her Jr season. I disagree with her being a better defender and rebounder than Giomi. She might get better numbers but that is because her defensive area remains limited around the basket while Giomi stretches her defensive effort farther out. when playing a zone. I tend to focus more on defense than offense so I notice how people get their numbers. One case in point was Eric Dampier who played center for Dallas for many years.

Dampier always had good rebounding and shot-blocking numbers so everyone listed him as a good defender. Well, he got those shot-blocking numbers because he hung close to the basket and other players did not respect him so they made more attempts. He would also never challenge anyone farther out and the opposing teams scored at will from a few feet in from the key. He was not very mobile. He also got his RB numbers that way because he never challenged shots and stayed under the basket. I was criticized for my perspective until the year after they got rid of him they finally won the Championship because they had a center who would actually play defense. It's not just getting numbers but how you get them.

Gildon dominated in high school but at her height, she was a tweener. Too short to be consistently effective in the post and too slow to play on the perimeter. Against the right match up players like her are often effective, but they need those matchups. A lot also depends on how well a player is playing and what the team needs at any point in time. She was not moving or playing that well in that game. So you tell me that under those circumstances a slow and questionable 6'1" was a better option to get that rebound than 6'6" Giomi? Graves played her just because she was a senior and he was used to giving her minutes, not because of her actual play in that game. If you watch what happened, not only did she not block out but she did not even hustle after her man got around her. It was Sabrina who came from the other side who ended up fighting for the ball. That was totally on Graves for leaving her in. Her lack of execution and lack of hustle was reflective of her play in the game long before that final play. She had not shown she was focused either on that play or her other time on the floor. Coaches should notice that.

What is true is that I am not a real fan of playing tweeners unless they are in a good matchup or having a good game.

I almost always appreciate your posts, but find the last couple more than a little problematic. It's one thing to believe that Giomi was the better choice against UCLA when Hebard was out--I don't, and I've seen every home game since their arrivals on campus. It's quite another to say that Graves's choice was not simply a mistake, but the result of some sort of gratitude toward Gildon or sentimental attachment to his time in Spokane. I think he's smarter, and more ruthless, than that.

And, if by previous season you mean 2017-18, here are some stats: among the available front court players, Mallory McGwire averaged 15.6 minutes, Gildon 13.9, Anneli Maley 8.1, Sierra Campisano 6.1, and Giomi 5.5. McGwire averaged 4.9 pts./game; Gildon 4.1, the other 3 between 2.5 and 0.8. McGwire lost her staring spot to Satou Sabally in November, a change that turned the season around for Oregon. Her transfer was a direct result of Satou's emergence, as was, I believe, Campisano's, who struggled for two years in the program despite having game after game in which to prove herself. On the other hand, Maley seems never to have be comfortable playing in the US, since she didn't even last a season at the school to which she transferred and is now back in Australia. In short, none of these transfers had anything to do with Gildon's minutes.

 

[Figurehead]

I almost always appreciate your posts, but find the last couple more than a little problematic. It's one thing to believe that Giomi was the better choice against UCLA when Hebard was out--I don't, and I've seen every home game since their arrivals on campus. It's quite another to say that Graves's choice was not simply a mistake, but the result of some sort of gratitude toward Gildon or sentimental attachment to his time in Spokane. I think he's smarter, and more ruthless, than that.

And, if by previous season you mean 2017-18, here are some stats: among the available front court players, Mallory McGwire averaged 15.6 minutes, Gildon 13.9, Anneli Maley 8.1, Sierra Campisano 6.1, and Giomi 5.5. McGwire averaged 4.9 pts./game; Gildon 4.1, the other 3 between 2.5 and 0.8. McGwire lost her staring spot to Satou Sabally in November, a change that turned the season around for Oregon. Her transfer was a direct result of Satou's emergence, as was, I believe, Campisano's, who struggled for two years in the program despite having game after game in which to prove herself. On the other hand, Maley seems never to have be comfortable playing in the US, since she didn't even last a season at the school to which she transferred and is now back in Australia. In short, none of these transfers had anything to do with Gildon's minutes.

That is all true. Campisano was given ample opportunity but mentally could not adjust to big time college basketball scene. I think it was all in her head. Sometimes players don't make the transition well, too much pressure from her mom is my guess if you followed her from high school to Oregon you would see that. Maley you are right about, she went back to Australia. McQwire was the only one out of the three that had the most potential. And Winterburn was a star in UK but she probably saw that getting enough playing time at oregon was not going to happen. Especially with McDonalds all Americans coming in.

Winterburn would do well at the right school. As far as the other mentioned above anything else on why they left is just fake news made up by a poster that hates the Ducks.

 

[domerduck]

She may not be the goat (ESPN just said it was Catchings...at least with the WNBA over Taurasi), but U bet she will get the biggest endorsement contract ever for a woman basketball player. She's negotiating between Nike, Under Armour, & Puma. The Canzano interview was great if you click the link in the article tohear it.

Sabrina Ionescu sneaker endorsement decision down to Nike, Under Armour and Puma

Oregon Ducks women's basketball star sounds off.

www.oregonlive.com

 

[bballnut90]

She may not be the goat (ESPN just said it was Catchings...at least with the WNBA over Taurasi), but U bet she will get the biggest endorsement contract ever for a woman basketball player. She's negotiating between Nike, Under Armour, & Puma. The Canzano interview was great if you click the link in the article tohear it.

Sabrina Ionescu sneaker endorsement decision down to Nike, Under Armour and Puma

Oregon Ducks women's basketball star sounds off.

www.oregonlive.com

Good for her, that is awesome.

 

[Shades]

but U bet she will get the biggest endorsement contract ever for a woman basketball player. She's negotiating between Nike, Under Armour, & Puma.

Not unless she signs with Jordan Brand. It doesn’t look it’s listed as an option.

 

[NWHoopFan2]

Not unless she signs with Jordan Brand. It doesn’t look it’s listed as an option.

Jordan Brand is Nike.

 

[domerduck]

Not unless she signs with Jordan Brand. It doesn’t look it’s listed as an option.

Nike signed Jordan for 500K a year out of college, then created Air Jordans and then the Jordan Brand. Maybe they are making a Sabrina Brand. I bet she'll get more than 500k/year.

 

[nwhoopfan]

She's negotiating between Nike, Under Armour, & Puma.

Nike doesn't already have her locked up? How is that possible after she spent 4 years at the Nike flagship?

 

[Shades]

Jordan Brand is Nike.

It’s a premium division of Nike. Lots of players sign with Nike, but only a few sign with Jordan. It may not be as exclusive as when Maya was the first female athlete to sign with Jordan Brand in 2011 (for millions). Recently, Kia Nurse and Asia Durr signed with Jordan.

While Jordan started as part of Nike and remains a subsidiary, it now has its own identity. It has its own designers, marketing, and corporate structure, with Jordan himself actively involved on the advisory board, and its own roster of sponsored athletes, such as the NBA’s Zion Williamson and the NFL’s Jimmy Garoppolo.

 

[Gamecockfan77]

I just wish I had seen her play South Carolina.

 

[domerduck]

It’s a premium division of Nike. Lots of players sign with Nike, but only a few sign with Jordan. It may not be as exclusive as when Maya was the first female athlete to sign with Jordan Brand in 2011 (for millions). Recently, Kia Nurse and Asia Durr signed with Jordan.

I understand, but the info on the negotiation was from Sabrina's interview where she named the 3 companies. We dont know what subgroup of Nike (Jordan Brand, Nike Bball, Women's Sports) is negotiating, but I doubt they would have 2 internal groups competing. My guess the choice is part of the negotiation strategy. I am sure we will learn when it gets announced, probably around WNBA draft time.

 

[uconnfan68]

Today is a more competitive environment than the UConn glory years. More parity and greater spread nationally in talent. NC’s are a measure of team wide talent and level of competition. But whatever...
A better reply to this question might be “No (this person) was because she (did this)”. But it’s okay fandom is about opinion and loyalty. All I know is NO D-1 player has ever done what she has done. So there’s that....

And there are more than a few that didn’t have the minutes to accumulate those numbers.