Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu Counsels Injured Star Rookie
BROOKLYN-With the conference effectively defunct, yet another Pac-12 staple has vanished as the Los Angeles Sparks prepare to do battle with the New York Liberty on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET, WWOR/Amazon Prime Video).
Los Angeles rookie sensation Cameron Brink has been lost for the year, as the Stanford alumna sustained an ACL injury in a Tuesday tilt in Connecticut that will sideline her indefinitely. Brink was the second overall pick of this spring's draft behind only Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark.
If anyone in the W could sympathize with Brink's predicament, it's Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who saw her own rookie campaign end after just three games due to an ankle injury she endured in the league's Bradenton bubble in 2020. As the Liberty warmed up for Thursday's interconference tilt, Ionescu offered some advice for Brink as she prepares to enter rehab.
"It kind of takes me back to what I went through and obviously it's not what you ever picture or envision," Ionescu, who played club basketball with Brink, said. "But it's all part of your journey and it's all supposed to help you later on. The lessons that she's going to learn going through this now is going to set her up for many years in the W and many years of success."
At the time of her injury, Brink ranked third in the WNBA with 2.3 blocks per game. She was set to join Ionescu at the Paris Olympics this summer as a member of the United States' women's 3x3 team.
It's safe to say that Ionescu, a former Oregon Duck, has ensured that her injury only delayed the inevitable: the top pick of the 2020 draft has lived up to her billing through three-plus seasons, setting the Association's all-time single-season three-point tally last year. Entering Thursday night, Ionescu was averaging 17.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.
Ionescu's unexpected and unavoidable down time, she claimed, partly set her up for her ongoing success and she seemed to hope that Brink would traverse down a similar path.
"When I was injured, I learned to stay true to myself and not let anyone else write (my) story," Ionescu said. "Continue to tell your story and who you are, trust in the work that's gotten you there. You're going to have just activate this new part of you that you might not have gone through in terms of rehab and finding a way to better your game during a time that you can't be on the court."
Brink isn't the only headliner missing the first of four meetings between the Liberty and Sparks this season: New York (12-3) is also missing Nyara Sabally (back) and Courtney Vandersloot (personal) while Betnijah Laney-Hamilton will likewise sit out due to a knee ailment.
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks