Photo by: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Ionescu Wins Senior CLASS Award
03/31/20 | Women's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon women's basketball superstar Sabrina Ionescu has been selected as the winner of the 2019-20 Senior CLASS Award in NCAA Division I women's basketball, Premiere Sports Management announced on Tuesday morning.
The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I women's basketball coaches, national basketball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I women's basketball. Ionescu is the first student-athlete from Oregon to win the Senior CLASS Award.
As the winner, Ionescu was also named a Senior CLASS Award first-team all-American. Fellow senior Ruthy Hebard was a finalist for the award along with Ionescu and has been named a Senior CLASS Award second-team all-American. Also on Tuesday, Ionescu was named to the Pac-12 winter term academic honor roll along with Erin Boley, Taylor Chavez, Lydia Giomi, Minyon Moore, Nyara Sabally and Satou Sabally.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, community, character and competition.
"Being able to play the game I love with people that I love has been nothing short of amazing," said Ionescu. "It has taught me life lessons that I wouldn't have been able to learn doing anything else. Attending the University of Oregon and getting my undergraduate degree, and now working towards my Masters, has prepared me for life after basketball and has shaped me into the person that I am."
The first player in NCAA history to record 2,000 career points (2,562), 1,000 assists (1,091) and 1,000 rebounds (1,040), Ionescu closed her incredible career with another tremendous season as a senior. The NCAA all-time leader with 26 career triple-doubles, Ionescu matc, Ionescu has dominated the end-of-season national awards since her senior season ended abruptly due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Ionescu became just the second player ever to unanimously win Associated Press national player of the year and she has also been named the national player of the year by both the USBWA and ESPN.com, with more honors such as the Naismith Trophy, Wade Trophy and Wooden Award still yet to be announced.
A first-team all-American for the third year in a row, Ionescu averaged 17.5 points, a career-high 8.6 rebounds and an NCAA-leading 9.1 assists per game as a senior en route to winning Pac-12 player of the year for the third straight season. A four-time all-Pac-12 selection, Ionescu matched her own NCAA single-season record with eight triple-doubles in 2019-20 to finish with 26 for her career, 14 more than any other female or male in NCAA history.
Ionescu was breaking records all season long, becoming the Oregon all-time leader in points, three-pointers (329) and double-figure scoring games (134) while breaking the Pac-12 men's and women's all-time record for assists. Ionescu closes her career at No. 4 on the NCAA women's basketball all-time assists list, and she is only the second player in history with 2,000 points and 1,000 assists (Courtney Vandersloot).
Ionescu led the Ducks to a 31-2 overall record and a third straight Pac-12 regular-season title, as well as a conference tournament championship for the second time in the last three seasons. The Walnut Creek, Calif., native was the face of college basketball all season long, serving as a role model for young fans throughout the country, and her ability to rise to the occasion was tested like never before on an incredibly emotional day on Feb. 24 in California.
"Sabrina is the consummate team player in every aspect and I think she exemplifies everything that is good about intercollegiate athletics," said head coach Kelly Graves. "Her class and poise were personified on the day she spoke at Kobe Bryant and (his daughter) Gianna's memorial. To deliver such an elegant eulogy in the morning, and then turn around and fly up to the Bay Area to record a triple-double against Stanford on national television later that evening just shows what an extraordinary young woman she is to accomplish all of that in one day. She is a great person, teammate, player, citizen and student."
In the classroom, Ionescu needed just three years to earn her bachelor's degree in general social sciences before making her decision to return to Oregon for her senior season. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Advertising and Brand Responsibility as one of 18 students enrolled in the second-year degree program.
"Sabrina Ionescu is an exceptional student-athlete that exemplifies all the qualities necessary for the Senior CLASS Award," said Erik Miner, Executive Director of the Senior CLASS Award. "She has displayed great poise and determination by balancing her record-breaking performances on the court at Oregon with her classroom studies. Her strong character and involvement within the Eugene community has enabled Sabrina to be a true champion and well-deserving of this prestigious award. We offer our congratulations to Sabrina Ionescu and the University of Oregon."
2019-20 Senior CLASS Award First-Team All-Americans
Lauren Cox – Baylor
Ellie Harmeyer – Belmont
Sabrina Ionescu – Oregon
Micayla Pivec – Oregon State
Brenna Wise – Indiana
2019-20 Senior CLASS Award Second-Team All-Americans
Chelsea Brackmann – Bradley
Kaila Charles – Maryland
Bailey Greenberg – Drexel
Ruthy Hebard – Oregon
Stella Johnson – Rider
Peyton Williams – Kansas State
The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I women's basketball coaches, national basketball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I women's basketball. Ionescu is the first student-athlete from Oregon to win the Senior CLASS Award.
As the winner, Ionescu was also named a Senior CLASS Award first-team all-American. Fellow senior Ruthy Hebard was a finalist for the award along with Ionescu and has been named a Senior CLASS Award second-team all-American. Also on Tuesday, Ionescu was named to the Pac-12 winter term academic honor roll along with Erin Boley, Taylor Chavez, Lydia Giomi, Minyon Moore, Nyara Sabally and Satou Sabally.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, community, character and competition.
"Being able to play the game I love with people that I love has been nothing short of amazing," said Ionescu. "It has taught me life lessons that I wouldn't have been able to learn doing anything else. Attending the University of Oregon and getting my undergraduate degree, and now working towards my Masters, has prepared me for life after basketball and has shaped me into the person that I am."
The first player in NCAA history to record 2,000 career points (2,562), 1,000 assists (1,091) and 1,000 rebounds (1,040), Ionescu closed her incredible career with another tremendous season as a senior. The NCAA all-time leader with 26 career triple-doubles, Ionescu matc, Ionescu has dominated the end-of-season national awards since her senior season ended abruptly due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Ionescu became just the second player ever to unanimously win Associated Press national player of the year and she has also been named the national player of the year by both the USBWA and ESPN.com, with more honors such as the Naismith Trophy, Wade Trophy and Wooden Award still yet to be announced.
A first-team all-American for the third year in a row, Ionescu averaged 17.5 points, a career-high 8.6 rebounds and an NCAA-leading 9.1 assists per game as a senior en route to winning Pac-12 player of the year for the third straight season. A four-time all-Pac-12 selection, Ionescu matched her own NCAA single-season record with eight triple-doubles in 2019-20 to finish with 26 for her career, 14 more than any other female or male in NCAA history.
Ionescu was breaking records all season long, becoming the Oregon all-time leader in points, three-pointers (329) and double-figure scoring games (134) while breaking the Pac-12 men's and women's all-time record for assists. Ionescu closes her career at No. 4 on the NCAA women's basketball all-time assists list, and she is only the second player in history with 2,000 points and 1,000 assists (Courtney Vandersloot).
Ionescu led the Ducks to a 31-2 overall record and a third straight Pac-12 regular-season title, as well as a conference tournament championship for the second time in the last three seasons. The Walnut Creek, Calif., native was the face of college basketball all season long, serving as a role model for young fans throughout the country, and her ability to rise to the occasion was tested like never before on an incredibly emotional day on Feb. 24 in California.
"Sabrina is the consummate team player in every aspect and I think she exemplifies everything that is good about intercollegiate athletics," said head coach Kelly Graves. "Her class and poise were personified on the day she spoke at Kobe Bryant and (his daughter) Gianna's memorial. To deliver such an elegant eulogy in the morning, and then turn around and fly up to the Bay Area to record a triple-double against Stanford on national television later that evening just shows what an extraordinary young woman she is to accomplish all of that in one day. She is a great person, teammate, player, citizen and student."
In the classroom, Ionescu needed just three years to earn her bachelor's degree in general social sciences before making her decision to return to Oregon for her senior season. She is currently pursuing her Master's degree in Advertising and Brand Responsibility as one of 18 students enrolled in the second-year degree program.
"Sabrina Ionescu is an exceptional student-athlete that exemplifies all the qualities necessary for the Senior CLASS Award," said Erik Miner, Executive Director of the Senior CLASS Award. "She has displayed great poise and determination by balancing her record-breaking performances on the court at Oregon with her classroom studies. Her strong character and involvement within the Eugene community has enabled Sabrina to be a true champion and well-deserving of this prestigious award. We offer our congratulations to Sabrina Ionescu and the University of Oregon."
2019-20 Senior CLASS Award First-Team All-Americans
Lauren Cox – Baylor
Ellie Harmeyer – Belmont
Sabrina Ionescu – Oregon
Micayla Pivec – Oregon State
Brenna Wise – Indiana
2019-20 Senior CLASS Award Second-Team All-Americans
Chelsea Brackmann – Bradley
Kaila Charles – Maryland
Bailey Greenberg – Drexel
Ruthy Hebard – Oregon
Stella Johnson – Rider
Peyton Williams – Kansas State
Players Mentioned
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