Tag: ducks in the wnba

How Nyara Sabally will fit with New York Liberty in 2023

The Liberty inked Nyara Sabally to a rookie scale contract, but will the 2022 fifth overall pick make New York’s crowded roster out of training camp?

The New York Liberty announced that former Oregon forward Nyara Sabally signed her rookie scale contract, securing the 2022 fifth overall pick a $71,300 salary for 2023 if she makes the final roster.

Sabally was drafted last year by New York with the knowledge that she might end up sitting for the entire year, and that ended up being the case as she took a job as an assistant coach at Sacramento State while rehabbing and preparing to make her WNBA debut in 2023.

Now Sabally is ready to go, but she faces a New York roster that was completely overhauled this offseason. Former Oregon teammate Sabrina Ionescu is still in tow, but she is now joined by former MVP Jonquel Jones, former Seattle Storm superstar Breanna Stewart, and point guard Courtney Vandersloot – forming an absolute superteam in the Big Apple.

Sabally will compete for backup post minutes behind Jones, although she will face stiff competition from Stef Dolson and Han Xu – who emerged as a dynamic bench threat last season for the Liberty.

Sabally absolutely has the skills as a passing big to play real minutes in New York, but the significant talent influx this offseason could also push the Liberty to try dealing Sabally if they don’t believe she will secure one of the few available roster spots when training camp gets going this spring.

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Satou Sabally and Dallas Wings eliminated from WNBA playoffs Wednesday

The Dallas Wings were eliminated by the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA playoffs on Wednesday, ending Satou Sabally’s season prematurely.

A Satou Sabally vs. Ruthy Hebard matchup in the second round of the WNBA playoffs was not meant to be, as Sabally’s Dallas Wings were defeated by the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday by a score of 73-58, eliminating them from postseason competition.

The Wings shot an abysmal 20-55 from the field in the loss, with Marina Mabrey (20 points) and Veronic Burton (10) the only players in double-figures.

Sabally played 20 minutes and finished with six points, three assists, and one rebound, closing out an injury-riddled season where she only managed to appear in 11 regular season games, averaging 11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds.

Dallas and New York both getting eliminated on back-to-back days means the only Oregon alumni still fighting for a WNBA championship is Hebard, whose Chicago squad is going to face Connecticut while they look to become the first team to repeat as WNBA champions since the Los Angeles Sparks did it back in 2001 and 2002.

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Sabrina Ionescu and New York Liberty eliminated from WNBA playoffs Tuesday

Former Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty were eliminated by the Chicago Sky in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.

After a resounding victory in Game 1, Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty were dispatched in the next two games by the Chicago Sky, eliminating the former Oregon star from the playoffs.

New York was trailing by just three points early in the fourth quarter, and they looked primed to make a comeback and potentially eliminate the defending champions before Chicago went on a 22-7 run to close out the game, led by Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot.

Ionescu finished her final game of the season with 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists.

Ruthy Hebard advanced with the Sky, although she does not look like she will be part of the rotation much as the playoffs continue. She played 90 seconds in Chicago’s win over New York on Tuesday, going 0-1 from deep.

Nyara Sabally is also rostered by the Liberty, although a knee injury prevented her from suiting up as a rookie this season. She’ll add reinforcements to Ionescu’s squad as they look to make the playoffs again next season, and hopefully stave off early elimination.

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Sabrina Ionescu named WNBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week

For the third time this season, former Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu was named the WNBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

The 2022 WNBA season is coming to a close, but former Oregon Ducks star Sabrina Ionescu made sure to leave her mark one last time before the regular season finale.

Ionescu was once again named the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week last week after she averaged 23.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and five assists over the last three games for the New York Liberty.

Ionescu began the week with a 31 point effort in a blowout victory over Las Vegas. She shot 11-16 from the field and tacked on six boards, four assists, and three steals all in less than 24 minutes of work.

She added two more 20 point performances to cap off another excellent week, although she was less efficient from the field (12-33) and the three point line (4-17) in those two contests.

Ionescu earned the honor alongside Teaira McCowan of the Dallas Wings. It is Ionescu’s third Player of the Week honor this season, in addition to being named Player of the Month in June, and making her first career All-Star Game appearance back in July.

New York has four games remaining in the regular season, starting Monday against fellow Oregon alumni Satou Sabally and the Dallas Wings.

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Satou Sabally and Jordan Brand design basketball court in Germany

Former Oregon Ducks star Satou Sabally worked with Jordan Brand to refurbish a basketball court in Germany for young girls to use.

Former Oregon Ducks women’s basketball star Satou Sabally, now with the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, worked with Nike’s Jordan Brand and artist Bahar Bambi to create a basketball court for young girls in Germany to shoot hoops.

The courts are refurbished and located at Tempelhofer Feld, a public park in Berlin that used to be an airport.

“I’m very interested in the concept of intersectionality,” says Sabally. “As a woman, you have to constantly fight battles that other people never have to think of. Refurbishing the court is a small step in giving marginalized groups like young girls the same chance to play basketball, have fun and stay safe.”

Sabally, who is German, took to Twitter to share about the new courts; saying “This means everything to me”.

Sabally was an All-Star in 2021 but injuries have continued to impact her in 2022, as she’s only appeared in 11 games this season – with her last appearance back on July 12.

She is averaging 11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists for Dallas, who are 8-14 on the year.

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Former Oregon Ducks forward Nyara Sabally joins coaching staff at Sacramento State

Former Oregon Duck Nyara Sabally is joining the coaching staff at Sacramento State after a knee injury kept her out for the WNBA season.

Former Oregon Ducks forward and 2022 WNBA first round pick Nyara Sabally is joining the coaching staff at Sacramento State.

Sabally was selected fifth overall by the New York Liberty – Sabrina Ionescu’s current team – but she is unable to suit up this year because of a knee injury. So instead she will join Mark Campbell’s staff at least for this season.

Campbell was previously at Oregon under coach Kelly Graves, and he released a statement regarding Sabally’s addition to the Sac State program.

“We are thrilled to add Nyara to our program,” Campbell said. “She is like family to our entire coaching staff and will have a major impact working with our current players. She has had unique experiences of competing at the highest level of college and international basketball.”

Sabally averaged 15.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals last season with Oregon. Her sister Satou is an All-Star forward for the Dallas Wings.

“I am very grateful for this amazing opportunity to join the Sacramento State coaching staff,” Sabally said in a statement. “I look forward to working alongside great coaches and mentors that I have looked up to the past few years. I can’t wait to get on campus and get to work.”

 

How Oregon alumni performed during first half of WNBA season

A look at how each of the four Oregon Ducks alumni performed during the first half of the 2022 WNBA season.

The 2022 WNBA season is at the artificial halfway point following last weekend’s All-Star Game festivities, which included a victory for Sabrina Ionescu in the skills challenge.

Ionescu has been far and away the most exciting Oregon Ducks alumni playing in the WNBA this season – and in fact she has been perhaps the most exciting player in the entire league.

Her first half included two triple-doubles and many other highlight reel performances, many which went viral on social media, and at 24 it is clear she is on her way to being the face of the league for years to come.

The season has not gone quite as well for Oregon’s three other alumni, mostly due to injuries for both the Sabally sisters and a decreased role for Chicago forward Ruthy Hebard.

Here is an overview of every Oregon alumni and how they did in the first half of the WNBA season:

Sabrina Ionescu wins WNBA Player of the Month after strong June

Former Oregon Ducks guard Sabrina Ionescu was named the WNBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month after a dominant June for New York.

Former Oregon Ducks guard Sabrina Ionescu has been named the Eastern Conference WNBA Player of the Month for June, following an outstanding month of games for the New York Liberty.

Ionescu appeared in 11 games during June, averaging 34 minutes per night and dropping 19.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 43.1% from the field, 34.1% from deep, and an astonishing 97.7% from the free throw line.

Ionescu’s incredible month helped her earn a starting nod in the WNBA All-Star game, and she wins her first ever Player of the Month Award alongside the winner from the Western Conference, Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm.

Ionescu became the youngest WNBA player to record multiple triple-doubles for her career earlier in the month, and her jaw-dropping performance against the Minnesota Lynx remains one of the best individual performances of the entire season.

Ionescu will represent the Liberty, and the Ducks, at the All-Star festivities next week before resuming the best season of her career in mid-July.

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How former Oregon Ducks performed in WNBA Week 6 action

A look at how Oregon Ducks alumni Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally, and Ruthy Hebard performed the last week of June in the WNBA season.

We are almost exactly one week out from the WNBA All-Star Game festivities, which will take place in Chicago on July 10.

Former Oregon Ducks legend Sabrina Ionescu will be in attendance, representing the New York Liberty after a ridiculously strong start to the season – notably in the early part of June when she went on a torrid, record-breaking stretch.

While she’s cooled down in recent games, she remains one of the most fun to watch and all-around talented performers in the league, and should find herself playing in the midsummer classic for years to come.

She won’t be joined by any other Oregon alumni this year, with Satou Sabally nursing injuries and missing the early part of the year while still overseas. Sabally is healthy with Dallas now, however, and she provides a big boost to this Wings squad.

Ruthy Hebard remains in a reserve role for the defending champion Chicago Sky, while Nyara Sabally remains out for the year with an injury after going No. 6 overall in the 2022 WNBA draft.

Here is a look at how the last week has gone for each Duck in the WNBA:

Twitter reacts to Sabrina Ionescu’s historic performance for New York Liberty

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu went nuts against Minnesota on Tuesday, and Twitter had plenty of thoughts.

Former Oregon Ducks guard Sabrina Ionescu had perhaps the best game of her professional career on Tuesday evening for the New York Liberty in their win over the Minnesota Lynx.

The former No. 1 overall pick dropped 26 points with eight rebounds and eight assists, on incredible 10-11 shooting from the field.

She is the only player in WNBA history to record 25 or more points, eight or more assists, and eight or more rebounds in a game while shooting 90% or more from the field – and she reached those numbers during the third quarter.

Ionescu earned her ridiculous field goal percentage, draining a half court shot at the halftime buzzer and hitting a handful of other deep three pointers in an all-around dominant performance that has never been seen before in the WNBA.

Ionescu’s performance caught the attention of seemingly everyone on Twitter during an off-day for the NBA Finals, and once again she is proving to be a catalyst for the rising interest in the WNBA around the country as the face of the team in the biggest media market in the USA.

Here are a few of the best of the best from Twitter during and after Sabrina’s dominant night: