
Former Oregon Duck Sabrina Ionescu wins WNBA 3-point Contest
Sporting her New York Liberty jersey, Ionescu scored 30 out of a possible 40 points in the second round, defeating reigning champion Allisha Gray, who scored 22.
Ionesco's 30 points tied her with Allie Quigley for the second-most in the contest's history. Ionescu owns the record with an unthinkable 37 points, set in 2023.
Prior to her six seasons with the New York Liberty in the WNBA, Ionescu was one of the top players in the nation when she donned the Oregon Ducks uniform from 2016-2020.
She racked up the accolades, winning the Naismith Trophy in 2020 and the Wooden and Wade Awards in 2019 and 2020. She was also the Pac-12 Player of the Year in each of her sophomore, junior and senior seasons and was named the Pac-12 Tournament's Most Outstanding Player in both 2018 and 2020.
It's safe to say that Ionescu left her mark at Oregon, leaving as arguably the most accomplished Duck women's basketball player of all-time and becoming a beloved figure in Eugene.
Now in the WNBA, she continues to excel on the national stage.
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USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
'Freak of Nature;' Freshman Tobi Haastrup looks like an Oregon Ducks' diamond in the rough
Oregon's Incoming DE is absolute unit !Tobi Haastrup… #Goducks When you look up and down the Oregon Ducks sideline at Autzen Stadium this fall, several players are going to stand out at first glance. There are some massive guys on the roster, from the likes of Isaiah World, who stands at 6-foot-8, 320 pounds, to Jericho Johnson, at 6-foot-4, 345 pounds. These are NFL-type bodies; guys who have the stature to play on Sundays and compete with the best athletes in the nation. Many on Oregon's roster have the makeup necessary to play at the next level and will likely be able to do so down the road. Among them is true freshman Tobi Haastrup. Looking at him, you'd think he was a diamond, ready to step into the league next year. He stands at 6-foot-4, weighing 241 pounds of pure muscle. His workouts are the stuff of legend, and his ceiling is sky-high. It's not hard to see No. 19 in pads and think that a long career in the pros is ahead of him. Considering that he has just a single year of football experience under his belt, though, his story of being found in the rough becomes that much more interesting. Haastrup was raised outside of London until he was nine years old, where he spent his time mostly playing soccer. After moving to Texas and trying football in junior high, Haastrup gave up the sport to focus on another love: track and field. He was fast and strong, running a 10.93 100-meter, a 21.89 200-meter, and throwing 52 feet in the shot put. But ahead of his senior season, Haastrup was convinced to give football another try. He came around and, in his first game, posted five sacks and picked up 20 scholarship offers in a single week. Ultimately, Haastrup would end his senior season with 48 tackles, 20 TFL, 9 sacks, and 23 hurries in 10 games. He quickly became a hot commodity on the recruiting trail, coveted for his raw talent and untapped potential. It was the Oregon Ducks who landed a commitment from him, picking up the No. 223-ranked player and No. 24 EDGE in the 2025 class, on paper. What they see in Haastrup is much more than that, though. "Tobi athletically is exactly what we thought," defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi said early in fall camp. "We take a lot of pride in our evaluations. We felt strong about who we were getting there from an athletic standpoint." While he may be as athletically gifted as anyone on the team, Haastrup has years of catching up to do when it comes to learning the game. It's one thing to be able to bull-rush a passer, try to get home, but figuring out alignment, assignment, and the complex defensive scheme of Dan Lanning is something else entirely. "Tobi is still new to the game, so sometimes those are the funnest guys to be coaching and kind of mold their technique," Lupoi said. "But I think the guys got the right mentality, certainly got the right athleticism. He has a freakish explosive capability, and now it's just directing that in the right technique." After missing the spring season, Haastrup was thrown into the deep end this summer. Early accounts are that he's doing a great job of treading water, and he's certainly turning heads while doing it. "Freak of nature. Like really swoll," said linebacker Devon Jackson. "I thought he was a transfer at first, to be honest with you. I'm like, 'Why are you bigger than me, and you're like 12 years old?' Like that's crazy." 'That guy right there, he came in here real built," said defensive end Ashton Porter. "We grew up in the same area, so I kinda knew about him, but when he got here, man… I like to say his head was on fire. He's gonna go 110% every play.' While there is still a lot of room to grow in understanding why he does everything he does on the field, Lupoi says that early on, Haastrup has the effort part of football figured out. Whether he's running in the right direction or not, he's doing so with everything he has in him. "He's playing hard and physical," Lupoi said. "So we want that first, and then we're gonna get the alignments and assignments down. And so it's cool to see some growth there in this last week. That's what's been cool to see about him answering that bell, just playing with some relentless effort that we're requiring.' Whether that relentless effort leads to production this year or not is yet to be seen, but it's clear early on in his career that Haastrup has the physical attributes to be a really special player for the Ducks. After rising from a zero-star athlete a year ago to where he is now, Oregon undoubtedly feels like it found its diamond in the rough. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.


USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Jason McCourty comments on Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco's future
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
There's a cool WNBA doubleheader on tonight. Here's how to watch Lynx-Liberty, then Dream-Aces
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