Oregon Women Sign Best Class In Program History

Kelly Graves said 2016 was the recruiting class he was most focused on when he was hired by Oregon in 2014.

That focus netted Graves the highest rated class in Oregon women’s basketball history, as well as the highest rated player to ever sign with Oregon, Sabrina Ionescu.

“This class, from day one, was the class we wanted to crush,” Graves told The Oregonian. “We focused on the 2016 recruiting class and knew it was the class that could define our program. It’s great to see it come through.

“I think Sabrina will be the glue that will make this an incredible basketball team and an incredible freshman class.”

The cherry on top of the class is Ionescu, who is the No. 4 rated player in the country on ESPN, won the MVP award in the McDonald’s All-American Game, and was named USA TODAY’s National Player of the Year. She averaged 25.3 points, 8.8 assists, 7.6 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game last season, leading Miramonte High School to a 32-1 record and a California Open Division state championship game loss to Chaminade. She has also won gold twice playing for team USA.

We are excited to announce the addition of @sabrina_i20 to our basketball family! #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/GpJTHV8oHB

— Oregon Ducks WBB (@OregonWBB) June 20, 2016

Oregon associate head coach Mark Campbell was the key to landing her, according to Ionescu.

“He’s recruited me since I was in the sixth or seventh grade when he was at Oregon State,” Ionescu said. “Just always seeing him at my games and seeing that familiar face in the crowd helped, and then obviously as I got older, talking to him… all of that helped.”

Campbell joined the Oregon program in 2014 after spending four seasons on the staff at Oregon State, where he helped build them into a Final Four team last season.

“I decided to really explore my options and weigh everything thoroughly before deciding on Oregon,” Ionescu told ESPNW. “I wanted to see those programs that just didn’t tell me what they were about [but] show me as well. Oregon certainly did that.”

Ionescu’s twin brother, Eddy, is also set to attend Oregon this fall as a walk-on basketball player, according to ESPNW.

In addition to Ionescu, the Ducks also signed six other elite players to this year’s class, including five-stars Sierra Campisano, ESPN’s No. 14 prospect in country, Team USA selection and three-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Alaska, Ruthy Hebard, along with four-stars Mallory McGwire, Jayde Woods, Lydia Giomi, and Australian point guard Morgan Yaeger.

McGwire is the daughter of former Seahawks QB Dan McGwire and the niece of MLB slugger Mark McGwire, and was Nevada’s player of the year three times.

Here’s Steve Tannen’s chat with coach Graves: