The WNBA season gets underway this weekend, but women’s basketball fans in Eugene will get an advance look, as WNBA players take to the floor at Matthew Knight Arena Monday.
The reigning WNBA Champion New York Liberty, which includes Oregon alums Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally, are in town for an exhibition match. It’s part of the WNBA’s slate of preseason contests, giving the league a chance to capitalize on the popularity of some of their players. The league sees the outreach as a way to bring new fans to the game.
Ionescu, Oregon’s all-time leader in triple-doubles, double-digit scoring, assists, and 3-pointers was the number one pick in the 2020 draft. She was the first NCAA basketball player, male or female, to reach the milestone of 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in a career.
Tonight’s game is Ionescu's first time playing at Matthew Knight Arena since she cut the nets after winning the Pac-12 Championship in March 2020, and her final season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In advance of the game, while Ionescu was hosting a youth basketball clinic Sunday, Ionescu's teammates cheered loudly as Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudsen declared Monday, May 12 as "Sabrina Ionescu Day" in honor of her encore return to the MKA court.
Speaking to reporters Monday morning, Ionescu reflected on the growth she saw in the Oregon Women’s Basketball program during her time in Eugene.
“Even when I was getting recruited here, there were only a couple thousand fans in attendance at the game,” she said. “And to be able to turn the program around and see how, by my senior year, every game, I feel like was near [a] sellout to sell out crowd. Being able to see the growth in the community and kind of how we put women's basketball on the map, and now it's kind of been the standard and the trend that has kind of set, of showing up and supporting your team through the highs and lows.”
As for this exhibition game, Ionescu said she’s thrilled to be able to introduce her teammates to Ducks fans, and to some Ducks rituals.
“Obviously, there's a huge buzz in the city around us coming back and playing,” said Ionescu. “I'm just super thankful for everything this university has provided me, but also just the fan base here and how they support me, but they support our whole team and they continue to cheer us on, and they're going to do so tonight.
Just hearing ‘Shout’- that for sure is going to be something that's super exciting and I think what makes Oregon special.”
Sabally, the 5th overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, said she’s been looking forward to coming back to Eugene:
“I’m excited to be back here, [and to] be playing in front of the Ducks fans, especially with the New York Liberty team,” she said. “I think it’s going to be a really cool event and we’re all just really excited.”
Ionescu added that with a large crowd in store, Ducks fans will be on full display. “This crowd is just so fun. They're so bought into women's basketball and sports. I'm excited to kind of bring that energy back to life here tonight.”
Monday’s game between the New York Liberty and the Toyota Antelopes is at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on FOX Sports.
Ruby Wool of the University of Oregon's Ascend Magazine contributed to this story.
