Sabrina Ionescu celebrated by Bay Area alma mater with ultimate honor

ORINDA – Sabrina Ionescu wore a coat that acted as more than just protection from the blustery Orinda winds on Friday evening.

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Standing in front of the gymnasium she once called home – and one that now bears her name as Sabrina Ionescu Gymnasium – her black letterman jacket was stitched with artistic recreations of some of her most memorable moments at Miramonte High.

“I’d just say I remember how the community rallied behind us,” Ionescu said. “Every single game felt like a big game with the sellouts, the energy, the buzz around the town.”

That article of clothing was just one part of a ceremony that served as much as a trip down memory lane as it was a celebration of Ionescu’s new honor.

Friends, family, former teammates, coaches, educators and local politicians from the East Bay town and high school flooded the campus to celebrate the returning hero, whose New York Liberty will play the hometown Valkyries on Sunday in former Warrior coach Chris DeMarco’s first game back in the Bay Area since taking the head coaching job.

Though she graduated in 2016, most in the crowd still remembered Ionescu’s all-time great high school career that saw her be named the Bay Area News Group player of the decade.

She led the Matadors to a 32-1 record as a senior, averaging 25.3 points, 8.8 assists, 7.6 rebounds, 4.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game along the way. Only an 80-71 loss to Chaminade in the state title game prevented the perfect season.

It remains the greatest season in program history.

“It means so much to me to be able to come back to this community and leave a lasting impact,” Ionescu said.

But even the building’s new namesake was having trouble calling it by its new title.

“I feel like I can’t even say it’s my name, and it feels a little bit different because when I grew up playing in it, we called it the Matadome,” Ionescu said.

Before the building officially got its new name Friday, Ionescu helped oversee a skills clinic for youngsters, where she was aided by current members of the Miramonte girls basketball team, and her former coach Kelly Sopak.

Sopak, now the head coach of Nevada, spent the afternoon drilling the boys and girls in the fundamentals that Ionescu mastered as a Matador.

More than any singular North Coast Section title, 40-point game or flashy pass, Sopak pointed to one of basketball’s most basic plays as his favorite memory of coaching Ionescu.

“I still joke about this to this day, what I miss is at the end of the game, when teams would have to foul us and Sabrina making every single free throw to put the game away,” Sopak said. “She was just automatic and clutch in those moments.”

Ionescu’s Liberty teammates were not in attendance, as she told the Bay Area News Group that she did not want to drag them to the East Bay the day after a long flight to the Bay Area.

However, several of her former Miramonte teammates surprised Ionescu by showing up to the ceremony. They were in the crowd as Orinda mayor Brandyn Iverson officially proclaimed the gymnasium be renamed.

“The dedication of the Miramonte High School gymnasium in her honor serves as a lasting tribute to her extraordinary legacy and will inspire generations of students and athletes who pass through its doors,” Iverson said.

After graduating from Miramonte, Ionescu became the best player in college basketball before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Liberty in 2020.

She has since won a WNBA title and Olympic gold medal while making four All-WNBA teams, wowing crowds from one coast to the other and in multiple other countries.

But she can never forget where she came from.

“I’m playing games professionally around the world, and there’s always somebody in the stands that yells ‘Go Mats’ and I’ll turn around and I’m like ‘yeah, go Mats,’” Ionescu said. “It’s cool.”