Sabrina Ionescu

[Bajan Best]

I did not watch her last game in which she netted another triple double. But from what I gather she was still in the game with less than 2 mins remaining to obtain her 10th rebound with a significant lead. Her team won by 20 pts (102-82). Is that her coaches attempt to push or further solidify her status for player of the year?

Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu notches 12th career triple-double despite making only 1 field goal

I remember watching so many UCONN games where players were relatively close to obtain a triple double or double/double etc and were removed from the game with significant amount of time left in the game.. If i am being honest with myself I have mixed feeling about it, because i remember feeling somewhat dissapointed when the players were removed and at the same time I totally respect a coach who preserves the health of his star players or who is looking for the opportunity to further develop other players off the bench..

What do you guys think about this?

 

[DEpup]

I think the coach feels like she has to be on the floor for them to be successful and that should trouble them. That many minutes can take its toll game after game by the end of the season when it really counts. The other possibility is that she wants to play that much and Graves doesn't have the guts to pull her out. Either way it isn't good for the team long term in my opinion.

 

[LoTrader]

It is obvious to me while watching the games, the coaches track Sabrina's stats during the game. I've seen her coaches pull her after she hits the triple double. Also, the fans are also the UO fans at home games are also fully aware.

 

[bballnut90]

I personally dont like it if too much emphasis is made on it. She gets triple doubles all of the time so no need to keep her out there until she hits her numbers. It cheapens the accomplishment IMO. If she was going for her first triple double ever or if it were a rare thing, i'd be okay with it.

Reminds me of when Oklahoma would keep Courtney Paris on the floor during blowouts until she'd get her double double, and I always thought that was in poor taste.

 

[jonson]

Since this seems to be an increasingly frequent refrain here, I'd like to provide a different perspective by pointing out that context matters.

Oregon has a 9-player roster this year and 4 of the 9 either did not play last year (Boley, Chavez, Yaeger) or played very limited minutes due to injury (Giomi). There are only 4 guards--one of them a freshman (Chavez), another a redshirt sophomore (Yaeger), who was out for all of 2017-18 due to a back injury. They played 29 minutes between them Sunday, with the team that was on the floor for most of the 4th quarter consisting of one veteran guard (either Cazorla or Ionescu) and 4 "newbies." That seems to me entirely reasonable if one wants to develop a bench without inviting chaos on the court. Graves is in fact much more inclined to use (and forgiving of) his bench than Geno

There are also aspects of Ionescu’s situation that probably make it somewhat easier for her to accomplish what she's accomplished. If she played on a team with the talent level of, say, UCONN, or even one full of MacDonald's All-Americans, her minutes would obviously be less and the team less dependent upon her overall. And although she is a terrific rebounder for her size, there would surely be fewer rebounds for her to gather if she were on a team that was stronger on the boards than the Ducks. Her assist totals would likely also be lower if her teammates didn't shoot as well from 3 and/or someone with Ruthy Hebard’s hands and accuracy weren't around inside.

The coaches and fans do keep tabs on her stats—and why wouldn't they? I have a hazy memory of another coach even bringing a star player out on crutches so that she could establish a scoring record. I suspect that same coach might not have done that had his program (at that point) had a longer track record of excellence, but during those (relatively) early years he seems to have felt that it was important to pay tribute in a very public way to what that player had done during her career. At this point Oregon hardly has any track record at all, and giving Ionescu some extra minutes when she’s over the hump in two areas and very close in another (surely a major accomplishment in itself) is one way of saying “thank you” for what she has done/is doing for the program in Eugene.

But the above is finally, I believe, not the whole story. Although there are a lot of players who play a lot of minutes—and in blowouts—there don’t seem to be a lot of triple doubles being recorded. (For example,Asia Durr played 38 minutes in Louisville's recent 19 pt. victory over Boise State.) Ionescu averaged about 35 minutes last year and 33 the year before. That’s a lot, but there were others in the ballpark. During UCONN’s 2017-18 season Kia Nurse averaged 32 minutes--less than Ionescu but also during a season involving a greater number of blowouts--and by greater margins I suspect--than Ionescu’s. Now, before someone jumps in, I don't say this to denigrate Kia's accomplishments and contributions (defense, for one thing, hardly one of Ionescu’s strong suits); there were obviously very good reasons for keeping her on the court for that many minutes. But I do think it's important to recognize that Ionescu has a skill set that is remarkable, worthy of recognition, and, more importantly, crucial to the success of her team.

 

[MikeBlue]

I'm sure many student-athletes have goals and accomplishments they wish to achieve within the sport. I get it and respect it. Is it really a team sport when one girl takes 30 shots to help her team win a game? Is it overkill when you're up 30+ points at the half and your starters start the 3rd quarter? I think it's up to the coach and his player, if they have that as an accomplishment within the context of winning the game, more power to them. Draft stock, livelihood are affected by these accomplishments... Let them do what they do. You have a right to disagree and they have a right to pursue their objectives. Go Huskies!

 

[BobbyJ]

Since this seems to be an increasingly frequent refrain here, I'd like to provide a different perspective by pointing out that context matters.

Oregon has a 9-player roster this year and 4 of the 9 either did not play last year (Boley, Chavez, Yaeger) or played very limited minutes due to injury (Giomi). There are only 4 guards--one of them a freshman (Chavez), another a redshirt sophomore (Yaeger), who was out for all of 2017-18 due to a back injury. They played 29 minutes between them Sunday, with the team that was on the floor for most of the 4th quarter consisting of one veteran guard (either Cazorla or Ionescu) and 4 "newbies." That seems to me entirely reasonable if one wants to develop a bench without inviting chaos on the court. Graves is in fact much more inclined to use (and forgiving of) his bench than Geno

There are also aspects of Ionescu’s situation that probably make it somewhat easier for her to accomplish what she's accomplished. If she played on a team with the talent level of, say, UCONN, or even one full of MacDonald's All-Americans, her minutes would obviously be less and the team less dependent upon her overall. And although she is a terrific rebounder for her size, there would surely be fewer rebounds for her to gather if she were on a team that was stronger on the boards than the Ducks. Her assist totals would likely also be lower if her teammates didn't shoot as well from 3 and/or someone with Ruthy Hebard’s hands and accuracy weren't around inside.

The coaches and fans do keep tabs on her stats—and why wouldn't they? I have a hazy memory of another coach even bringing a star player out on crutches so that she could establish a scoring record. I suspect that same coach might not have done that had his program (at that point) had a longer track record of excellence, but during those (relatively) early years he seems to have felt that it was important to pay tribute in a very public way to what that player had done during her career. At this point Oregon hardly has any track record at all, and giving Ionescu some extra minutes when she’s over the hump in two areas and very close in another (surely a major accomplishment in itself) is one way of saying “thank you” for what she has done/is doing for the program in Eugene.

But the above is finally, I believe, not the whole story. Although there are a lot of players who play a lot of minutes—and in blowouts—there don’t seem to be a lot of triple doubles being recorded. (For example,Asia Durr played 38 minutes in Louisville's recent 19 pt. victory over Boise State.) Ionescu averaged about 35 minutes last year and 33 the year before. That’s a lot, but there were others in the ballpark. During UCONN’s 2017-18 season Kia Nurse averaged 32 minutes--less than Ionescu but also during a season involving a greater number of blowouts--and by greater margins I suspect--than Ionescu’s. Now, before someone jumps in, I don't say this to denigrate Kia's accomplishments and contributions (defense, for one thing, hardly one of Ionescu’s strong suits); there were obviously very good reasons for keeping her on the court for that many minutes. But I do think it's important to recognize that Ionescu has a skill set that is remarkable, worthy of recognition, and, more importantly, crucial to the success of her team.

How does Graves get himself into a situation like a 9 player roster? Doesn't anybody want to play there for a free education?

 

[Go/huskies]

I personally dont like it if too much emphasis is made on it. She gets triple doubles all of the time so no need to keep her out there until she hits her numbers. It cheapens the accomplishment IMO. If she was going for her first triple double ever or if it were a rare thing, i'd be okay with it.

Reminds me of when Oklahoma would keep Courtney Paris on the floor during blowouts until she'd get her double double, and I always thought that was in poor taste.

That part about Paris isn’t true, the only time she was kept in the game to try and get a double double was vs Tennessee her Sr year, Bob Knight was calling the game and made a comment about it, but she was pulled with about a minute and a half left, and OU up by 10 or 12 points ending her record at 112.

 

[Justavisitor]

I personally dont like it if too much emphasis is made on it. She gets triple doubles all of the time so no need to keep her out there until she hits her numbers. It cheapens the accomplishment IMO. If she was going for her first triple double ever or if it were a rare thing, i'd be okay with it.

Reminds me of when Oklahoma would keep Courtney Paris on the floor during blowouts until she'd get her double double, and I always thought that was in poor taste.

This is so true. I was also thinking that it reminds me of the Courtney Paris double/doubles. I remember when Paris didn't get a double/double, so they went back and corrected the stats after game review and stated there had been an error by the official score keeper.

 

[jennyo70]

Player of the Year Title is also nice marketing for the school and recruiting. I am not saying that is what Graves is doing, I am saying it is mutually beneficial.

 

[Justavisitor]

Good point, Jenny. A little marketing won't hurt. They are going to need some staying power after she graduates.

 

[bbballfan23]

Hopefully the media takes note of this by the time choosing POY rolls around. More factors should go into POY than just whom had the best stats.

 

[willtalk]

I do remember one game last year when she was close with plenty of time to go when she was pulled out. I thought then they should have left her in. Perhaps in that game no one kept track so they decided to not let that happen again.

 

[jonson]

How does Graves get himself into a situation like a 9 player roster? Doesn't anybody want to play there for a free education?

4 relatively late transfers and a season ending injury.

 

[bballnut90]

That part about Paris isn’t true, the only time she was kept in the game to try and get a double double was vs Tennessee her Sr year, Bob Knight was calling the game and made a comment about it, but she was pulled with about a minute and a half left, and OU up by 10 or 12 points ending her record at 112.

Whoops--misread your post, hence why it's being edited. You may be right that it was just one time, but that's the game I'm referring to...Paris fouled out, hence why she was pulled from the game. In the last 3 minutes, Oklahoma pounded it in to her every possession to try and get her to 10+ points. It was very blatant they were trying to keep the record going. Here's the official recap from OU's athletic site:

Paris' Streak Ends in OU's Victory

"The crowd started chanting "Courtney! Courtney!" as Oklahoma (19-2) tried to pound the ball in to Paris to extend her streak. But she turned it over twice under the basket and also missed a reverse layup in the final 2 minutes, and then had to leave early. "

I thought it was in poor taste. They also requested someone review the box score for a different game to make sure she got credit for the double/double. That I don't have as much of an issue with, but in reading the post game and how it was handled, it felt like OU cared too much about the streak IMO. It was incredible on its own, but no need to force it like they tried to against Tennessee. Cheapens the accomplishment.

 

[Go/huskies]

You're wrong--Paris fouled out, hence why she was pulled from the game. In the last 3 minutes, Oklahoma pounded it in to her every possession to try and get her to 10+ points. It was very blatant they were trying to keep the record going. Here's the official recap from OU's athletic site:

Paris' Streak Ends in OU's Victory

"The crowd started chanting "Courtney! Courtney!" as Oklahoma (19-2) tried to pound the ball in to Paris to extend her streak. But she turned it over twice under the basket and also missed a reverse layup in the final 2 minutes, and then had to leave early. "

Ok like I said it was one game, not saying it should have been that way, it not like they were keeping her in all the time to get points and rebounds.

 

[bballnut90]

Ok like I said it was one game, not saying it should have been that way, it not like they were keeping her in all the time to get points and rebounds.

I misread your post and edited it....that was the one game that stuck out. I don't recall if there were others, but that left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[Go/huskies]

I misread your post and edited it....that was the one game that stuck out. I don't recall if there were others, but that left a bad taste in my mouth.

Trust me as a OU and Paris fan, it was a bit embarrassing to me.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I may be wrong, but I don't thing Graves sees himself at Oregon 'til Soc Security hits. Nothing wrong with that, but he may be pushing more for himself than for his star.

 

[DaBball]

I recall recently watching a video where her she said her coaches would say “Sabrina start passing the ball” if she needed assists, or “Start helping out on the glass” if she needed rebounds. She said it was always indirect ways of letting her know what she needed to get the triple double.

Having 9 players certainly helps Graves’s case. One starter must be on the floor at all times is a pretty easy way to justify her getting a lot of minutes. I also recall hearing her get an attitude with Graves if she was close but then taken out.

 

[bballnut90]

Player of the Year Title is also nice marketing for the school and recruiting. I am not saying that is what Graves is doing, I am saying it is mutually beneficial.

Louisville made a website this year for Asia Durr, promoting her for awards. I think South Carolina did something similar for A'ja last year, but I could be wrong. I think it's fine to promote your players, but it's quite different from trying to rack up their stats outside of the flow of the game so they'll be more likely to win awards.

 

[BobbyJ]

Louisville made a website this year for Asia Durr, promoting her for awards. I think South Carolina did something similar for A'ja last year, but I could be wrong. I think it's fine to promote your players, but it's quite different from trying to rack up their stats outside of the flow of the game so they'll be more likely to win awards.

As an athlete, that's just what I'd want. To win an award because my school promoted me the best. Pathetic.

 

[Gus Mahler]

It cheapens the accomplishment IMO. If she was going for her first triple double ever or if it were a rare thing, i'd be okay with it.

Agree

 

[Carnac]

I did not watch her last game in which she netted another triple double. But from what I gather she was still in the game with less than 2 mins remaining to obtain her 10th rebound with a significant lead. Her team won by 20 pts (102-82). Is that her coaches attempt to push or further solidify her status for player of the year?

Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu notches 12th career triple-double despite making only 1 field goal

I remember watching so many UCONN games where players were relatively close to obtain a triple double or double/double etc and were removed from the game with significant amount of time left in the game.. If i am being honest with myself I have mixed feeling about it, because i remember feeling somewhat disappointed when the players were removed and at the same time I totally respect a coach who preserves the health of his star players or who is looking for the opportunity to further develop other players off the bench..

What do you guys think about this?

Two observations here.....which I wrote without reading any of the other comments here which may or may not mirror mine.

1. Ionescu is a rare talent. The kind that comes along once every 10 years or so. She's not your average female basketball player. She's very no non-sense in her approach to playing the game. She was a recognized leader on the team as a freshman. She's in a class of her own. Her double-double record proves that. She's a team player, always wanting to include her teammates and get them going in the flow of the game.

2. Some players and coaches care about individual records, some don't. To my knowledge, Geno does not. If someone is teetering on setting or breaking a record, he'll act accordingly, IF the player wants to go for it.
Stewie could have had a lot of individual records if that was important to her.

She seldom played in the later stages of most games because the outcome had already been determined, and she was removed. Some players are team oriented, and don't really care about individual milestones or accomplishments, as long as the team wins. I would not be surprised by anything Ionescu does this year.

Look for her to go very high in the WNBA draft in April of 2020. She will have a long and profitable career playing professionally. She is the type of player that will make whatever team she plays for better........immediately.

 

[jonson]

Ionescu is a rare talent. The kind that comes along once every 10 years or so. She's not your average female basketball player. She's very no non-sense in her approach to playing the game. She was a recognized leader on the team as a freshman. She's in a class of her own. Her double-double record proves that. She's a team player, always wanting to include her teammates and get them going in the flow of the game.

Exactly. It's difficult for me to understand how anyone who has watched Ionescu game after game throughout her career (as I have) doesn't see this. In a recent poll of Division One coaches Ionescu was the leading choice as the current player around whom to build a team from scratch. That wasn't an accident. There is no one playing women's college basketball today who does more for her team.