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Mechelle VoepelespnW.com
TAMPA, Fla. — Sabrina Ionescu, who led Oregon to its first appearance in the Women’s Final Four, is staying for her senior season.
The 5-foot-11 junior guard announced via The Players’ Tribune on Saturday night that she will not declare for the WNBA draft. Her return means the Ducks, who won the Pac-12 regular-season title, will bring back four of their five starters next season.
Ionescu already holds the NCAA career record for triple-doubles with 18.
“I came to the University of Oregon as a freshman in 2016-2017,” Ionescu wrote. “We made the Elite Eight (and lost big). I came back to the University of Oregon as a sophomore in 2017-2018. We made the Elite Eight (and lost close). I came back to the University of Oregon as a junior in 2018-2019. We made the Final Four. And now I couldn’t be happier to announce that I’m coming back to the University of Oregon for the 2019-2020 basketball season. I won’t predict exactly how far we’re going to go … but I’ll just say this. We have unfinished business.”
Because she turns 22 later this year, Ionescu is eligible for this year’s WNBA draft. She was projected to be the No. 1 pick in espnW’s mock draft.
The AP All-American had 24 hours after the Ducks’ season-ending loss to Baylor in the Final Four on Friday night to declare.
About Oregon’s “unfinished business,” Ionescu wrote: “And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. My teammates and I, our coaches, our fans, this program — we’re not going on a ‘run,’ you know what I mean? We’re not doing one of those things where, like, a team appears out of the blue, on the backs of a few good players, and then makes some noise for a season or two before heading back underground. Nah. This isn’t that. We’re building something here in Eugene. We’re building something — together — that’s going to last for a long time after we’ve all graduated.”
The WNBA draft is Wednesday in New York.
Source:ESPN
