Both Dan and Sabrina Ionescu had early wake up calls on Sunday morning.
Dan arose at 4 a.m., and more than 500 miles away, Sabrina couldn’t help but wake up at 4:45 a.m. the morning of her first collegiate game.
Dan was out the door by 5 a.m., hitting the road to catch his daughter’s Oregon debut. The Ducks cruised to a 84-67 win over visiting Lamar, thanks in large part to Lexi Bando’s team-high 20 points.
He said it wouldn’t miss it. Dan plans to make several more trips from Walnut Creek, California, a Bay Area suburb, in the coming months. It’s a roughly 500-mile, 8-hour drive up I-5. In addition, he’s already booked flights for Oregon’s games in Arizona and Hawaii.
He plans to make just about every home game in Eugene this year.
“If a trucker can do it with an 18-wheeler, then I can definitely do it with my smaller car,” Dan said. “There’s no effort too big when you do something for family. Driving is probably the least you can do.”
Dan, who drives professionally for work, doesn’t mind the journey to Eugene. He said he enjoys the mountains and scenery. Supporting his family remains his No. 1 priority, no matter the distance.
Sabrina said she feels the warmth from her father and mother, both of whom were present for Oregon’s season-opening win.
“I just have a lot of support from the people who are close to me in my life,” Sabrina said. “It’s always nice seeing a familiar face in the crowd. That’s very reassuring.”
Oregon’s highest ranked recruit in program history — No. 4 overall — didn’t have quite the debut she had hoped for, going 4-of-16 from the field. She finished 3-of-12 from 3-point range for 11 total points.
“I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s nice getting the butterflies out and the jitters out of the first game,” Sabrina said. “I’m ready to bounce back and play better next week.”
Dan said doesn’t mind the drive because he wants to be front row for his daughter’s games.
“There’s one thing you can’t get — it’s time,” he said. “You want to be part of their achievement as much as possible. Family is important. You have to support the family.”
Sabrina’s family did lots of traveling during her final year of high school. They traveled to Chicago for the McDonald’s All-American Games and Brooklyn for the Jordan Brand Classic. She was named the MVP of the McDonald’s game last March after a record 25-point performance.
Sitting courtside on Sunday, Dan was hard to miss in his neon “O” shirt. Sabrina, who had her pick of colleges, ultimtaely picked Oregon over Washington, but distance wasn’t a barrier for Dan.
“I would have followed her no matter where she went,” Dan said. “In Eugene I have options with driving. But even if she had been further, I would have made it.”
Dan said seeing his daughter in her signature No. 20 jersey on Sunday was well worth the drive.
“It’s all the years of hard work and achievement,” he said. “Sometimes you can’t put into words how you feel, especially as a parent.
“It’s really awesome to see her in her environment and happy and doing what she loves most.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne
