Sabrina Ionescu Showcase features national No. 1 Mitty, top girls basketball teams, players

Global WNBA superstar gives back to region she starred as prep; All-Saturday event at Carondelet and De La Salle features 15 games, top teams, players

Nobody could have possibly fathomed the global heights Sabrina Ionescu has reached. Not even her youth, club and high school coach Kelly Sopak. 

One of the most recognizable female players on the planet, Ionescu was the No. 1 pick of the 2020 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty after earning Naismith Player of the Year honors at Oregon, where she was the only player in NCAA history with career totals of at least 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds,

Since being drafted she earned two WNBA All-Star appearances, is seen in numerous national TV ads and most famously, she eulogized Kobe Bryant in a public memorial at then Staples Center on Feb. 24, 2020. 

Sabrina Ionescu (far right) celebrates with her former coach Kelly Sopak and rest of Carondelet after winning the NCS 2022 Open Division title / Photo by Doug Stringer

All came after an illustrious career playing for Sopak at Miramonte between 2012 and 2016, when she was a three-time Metro Player of the Year, averaging 25.3 points, 8.8 assists, 7.6 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game her senior season. She was the McDonald’s All-America game MVP, scoring a record 25 points to go along with seven 3-pointers and 10 rebounds. 

Asked Thursday if he foresaw all her success, Sopak said: “I can’t say I saw all of this, but in real time, every game I ever coached her, I knew she was the best player on the court, one I wouldn’t trade for anyone.” 

Ionescu is still giving back to Sopak and the greater Bay Area where she was raised. 

On Saturday, she'll host a third annual showcase that bears her name: The Sabrina Ionescu Showcase at Carondelet and De La Salle High schools in Concord. 

The adjacent gyms at the two schools that are across the street will feature 15 girls games starting at 9:30 a.m.

Seven top 25 state-ranked girls teams will be in action, including national No. 1 Mitty versus University at Carondelet (5 p.m.).

The top game at De La Salle will likely be six-time state champion Pinewood-Los Altos Hills against Sac-Joaquin Section power and eight-time state champ St. Mary’s-Stockton at 11 a.m. St. Mary’s boasts 6-foot wing Jordan Lee, a Texas-signee who is averaging 25.6 points per game. 

Ionescu isn't just supplying her name to the event. As part of her SI20 Foundation, she’ll also be running a free camp for 120 youth between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday at Power Sports Academy in Martinez. 

Sabrina Ionescu at one of her many SI20 Foundation camps.  / Courtesy photo: SI20 Foundation

“She doesn’t just want to give her name to the event, she sincerely wants to give time to it,” Sopak said. “Her family, this region, the game locally and globally, is so important to her.” 

The all-day event will give basketball fans a look at some of the top teams and players in the state and the best team in the country in Mitty (15-0), which features two of the nation's best players in UConn-bound point guard Morgan Cheli and 2022-23 SBLIVE Freshman of the Year, McKenna Woliczko.

Mitty coach Sue Phillips recently won her 800th game and in April she'll be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Besides Cheli and Woliczko, Mitty has much more including sophomore guard Emma Cook, senior forward Belle Bramer, senior wing Elena Weisman and junior guard Jordan Bowar. 

Mckenna Woliczko, Mitty, during a playoff game in 2023 / File photo by Darren Yamashita

Other state-ranked teams include: No. 5 Cardinal Newman, No. 6 Folsom, No. 10 St. Mary's, No. 13 Clovis West and No. 21 Carondelet and honorable mention Piedmont.  

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Sopak's current Cougars (18-2) have exceeded expectations, excelling on the defensive end and getting tremendous balance with four players scoring between 9-11 points per game: 5-9 senior Keshia Vitalicio, 5-8 sophomore Sophia Ross, 5-11 sophomore Layla Dixon and 6-foot senior Katie Kostolansky. At least four other girls average better than six points per game. 

Carondelet's only two losses were to out-of-area powers in Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.) 44-36 and La Jolla Country Day (53-50), two teams with a combined record of 36-8. The Cougars' lockdown defense allows a scant 34.15 points per game. 

"We lost two Division 1 players to graduation last season so it's been a very good season thus far," Sopak said. "We're young in key spots, but we're just getting better every day." 

Kelly Sopak, Carondelet

As usual, the Cougars can shoot. They made a school-record 20 3-pointers in an 88-35 win over Liberty-Brentwood on Jan. 2. 

One of the more intriguing players in the showcase, is Cardinal Newman 6-1 junior guard Taissa Queiroz, a transfer from Brazil who made her debut last week by scoring 27 points in a 57-49 win over Folsom. That helped shoot the Cardinals straight up the rankings to No. 25 nationally, according to SBLive Sports. 

More top players

• Nina Cain (McClatchy), a 6-1 junior wing

• Ashanti Dias (Riordan), a 5-2 senior guard

• Joyln Ding (Pinewood), a 5-8 junior guard

• Alex Facelo (Pinewood), a 5-3 senior guard

• Jhai Johnson (Oakland Tech), the 6-3 sophomore wing is daughter of NFL QB Josh Johnson

• Madalyn Kanazawa (Salesian), a 5-3 senior guard who leads the defending state D1 champions in scoring (12.7 ppg)

Madalyn Kanazawa, Salesian / Photo: Brian Kimoto

• Gabriella Kelly (University), the 6-1 senior wing is the leading scorer and rebounder for the Red Devils. 

• Vallory Kuelker (Pinewood), a 5-7 junior guard

• Kamryn Mafua (Folsom), a 6-2 senior just broke the 1,000-point career mark

• Leah Martinez (Cardinal Newman), a 5-8 senior guard

• Natalie Martinez (Piedmont), a 5-7 senior guard

• Isabelle McFadden (Marin Catholic), a 5-8 junior guard

• Janelle Pena (Cardinal Newman), a 5-10 senior forward

• Ayla Rege (Salesian), a 5-7 senior guard averages 11.7 ppg

• Janiya Sawyer (Salesian), a junior shooting guard averages 11.1 points, 5.3 rebounds per game

• Kate Schat (Cardinal Newman), a 5-8 junior guard

• Athena Tomlinson (Clovis West), the 5-3 senior point guard scored 25 last week in a 71-59 win over Centennial (Las Vegas) last week. 

Athena Tomlinson, Clovis West / Photo: Leon Neuschwander

• Riley Walls (Clovis West), the 5-8 junior co-captain had 16 in win over Centennial.

GAME SCHEDULE 

(At De La Salle-Concord)

9:30 a.m. — Pinole Valley (8-11) vs. Dublin (13-5)

11 a.m. — Piedmont (11-3) vs. Lincoln-Stockton (16-3)

12:30 p.m. — Liberty-Brentwood (9-9) vs. Caruthers (11-5)

2 p.m. — Carondelet-Concord (17-2) vs. St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo (13-5)

3:30 p.m. — Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa (14-5) vs. Clovis West (19-2)

5 p.m. — Mitty (15-0) vs. University (13-3)

6:30 p.m. — Riordan (10-3) vs. Folsom (15-4)

8 p.m. — Marin Catholic-Kentfield (11-9) vs. Cornerstone Christian (14-5)

(At Carondelet)

11 a.m. — St. Mary’s-Stockton (14-5) vs. Pinewood-Los Altos Hills (9-3)

12:30 p.m. — Clayton Valley-Concord (11-7) vs. Granada-Livermore (6-13)

2 p.m. — Oakland Tech (10-9) vs. McClatchy-Sacramento (12-5)

3:30 p.m. — Miramonte-Orinda (11-8) vs. Washington-Fremont (9-7)

5 p.m. — Branson-Ross (6-12) vs. Campolindo-Moraga (11-8)

6:30 p.m. — Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa (18-2) vs. Priory-Woodside (7-6)

8 p.m. — Redwood-Larkspur (14-6) vs. Salesian-Richmond (9-8)