Just before the Oregon football team took the field last weekend, a group of Ducks women’s basketball recruits began to dance on the sideline.
In a circle anchored by current players, they busted out moves to Autzen Stadium’s traditional pregame soundtrack.
“It might not have looked very good, but it was absolutely hilarious,” Oregon commit Lydia Giomi said. “All the parents were cracking up.”
That moment was indicative of a loose and action-packed weekend, Giomi said.
This past weekend, the future core of the women’s basketball program came together as a class for the recruits’ official visits to Oregon. The group included five of Oregon’s six 2016 verbal commits: Giomi, Jayde Woods, Sierra Campisano, Mallory McGwire and Ruthy Heard.
Oregon’s sixth commit, Morgan Yaeger of Adelaide, South Australia, could not attend due to her recent Women’s National Basketball League debut as a member of the Adelaide Lightning.
The Ducks also hosted ESPN’s overall No. 4-ranked prospect Sabrina Ionescu, who is deciding between Oregon, Cal, Texas and Oregon State.
The women attended the team’s practice at Matthew Knight Arena Friday and visited Kelly Graves’ house for a team dinner that evening. Afterward, they watched TV as a group.
“It made me feel like, ‘Wow. I’m going to be a part of this team,” Hebard said. “I’ll be able to crack jokes and have fun. I couldn’t be happier.”
Over the weekend, the recruits also played bubble soccer with the current team and went bowling with the entire program.
“It was so much fun,” Giomi said. “We all know that in a few years we’re going to be best friends and it was nice because everyone knows that they’re welcome. We could just jump in. We all seemed to click really well.”
Giomi said the coaching staff created a balance between basketball time and social events. She roomed with Campisano, who recently jumped to No. 14 overall from No. 77 in ESPN’s rankings.
The weekend also included a look at UO’s academic majors, McGwire said. She and Hebard toured Allen Hall, as both are considering studying broadcast journalism.
“Being able to meet some journalism people really helped me,” Hebard said.
The class, which is set to sign Letters-of-Intent next month, has caught the eyes of analysts across the country. Chris Hansen of ProspectsNation.com, which ranked Oregon’s recruiting class No. 4 nationally last June, said: “This is the class [Kelly] Graves needed to get things rolling there.”
Graves and his staff focused on their visitors both as a team and individually, Giomi said. The recruits had plenty of chances to meet the current players in formal and informal settings.
“They accepted us so fast and made us feel welcome,” Hebard said of the current players. “I just feel like I’ve been a part of the team for a while.”
After talking with her teammates on social media for months, McGwire said it was extra special to spend the weekend together. She always chose a different staff member to drive with during her visit, in effort to get to know them better and become more comfortable with her new home next summer.
“I remember when I got back to Reno, it was like back to reality,” McGwire said. “[The weekend] made me a ton more excited to get there.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
2016 women’s basketball recruits bond during official visits
Jonathan Hawthorne
October 12, 2015
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