As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to affect the world, basketball players across the globe are reconciling how to train for the eventual return of sports. In the case of Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu, the process has affected her preparation in the days leading up to the 2020 WNBA Draft.
"It's been hard just because there's not really a timeline, so you're trying to peak, and get enough rest, and then amp up your training, but you don't really know when that date is to when you're going to be out there," Ionescu said on the Runnin' Plays Podcast. "And so it's been a little bit of a challenge trying to figure out, OK, I should take some time off. Or now I need to start back up."
While the WNBA is expected to hold a virtual draft Friday, the league, like its NBA counterpart, has an uncertain future. Ionescu, who widely is presumed to be selected by the New York Liberty with the No. 1 overall pick, has been relegated to home workouts and occasional sessions in private gyms.
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Nonetheless, Ionescu is staying vigilant during the process.
"I'm following the NBA's lead right now and they're projected, I guess June-ish as of now, the earliest," Ionescu said. "And so the WNBA probably can't start before that, and a lot of professional leagues probably are going to be starting around the same time. And so with that in mind, just kind of trying to figure out like, now I need to be working out, start getting in shape.
"And I did take a little while off right after the season to just let my body rest, because I'm not going to have this much time ever again. So it is kind of a blessing in disguise."
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The Liberty were a constant presence during Ionescu's final season at Oregon. New York coach Walt Hopkins, along with Liberty guard Layshia Clarendon, attended a win over UC Berkeley in February. At the moment, New York City is one of the hardest-hit areas in the wake of the coronavirus. As of Tuesday, more than 10,000 people have died as a result of the virus, according to the New York Times.
While Ionescu acknowledges the likelihood of playing in New York, she admitted she might not suit up for a while.
"I do definitely keep an open mind just so I don't get disappointed," Ionescu said. "So if there's a trade or anything happens, I'm more than willing to go anywhere," she said. "I do know that the likelihood will probably be Brooklyn, but at the same time, I understand that we probably won't be in Brooklyn for a very long time due to what's going on there right now.
"And so I'm obviously just very excited for the draft and I know it's not really how I had expected it to go, but just being alongside my family, and still being able to share a day that I had dreamed about for so long is exciting. And so really whatever team picks me, I'm excited to be able to be a part of that organization because they believe in me."
Ionescu also had a say on the network the draft would be broadcast on. Initially, cable giant ESPN opted to put the virtual draft on its sister station ESPN2, causing an uproar from many around women's basketball, including Ionescu, who sent a since-deleted tweet criticizing the decision.
The criticism led the network to change course, as the event is slated to take place on ESPN.
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"When they came out with it being -- it said ESPN2 in the ESPN app -- I was like, I was very confused. Like, what could possibly be on TV right now? There's like games from the 90s on right now," she said. "So I was like, this has to be a joke. And so I kind of was quiet. And then I was talking to people like, 'Did you hear?' Then I was like, 'All right, maybe I'll tweet something.'
"It's kind of always an adrenaline rush to tweet something like that. And they might've been in the works already. I would assume that they were trying to get it to ESPN. And I was like whatever, a tweet's not going to hurt.
"And so then tweeting it and then seeing that they ... it might've been in the works or they came out with it on ESPN was cool because I think it's deserving to be on ESPN."