It was last March when it was officially announced by a unanimous vote from the Acalanes Union High School District governing board that the Miramonte High School gymnasium would be officially renamed the Sabrina Ionescu Gymnasium. However, it was not until June 26th when Miramonte, its Booster Club and Mats Nation hosted the “Celebrating a Champion” event for Ionescu, which followed a Youth Basketball Clinic put on by Ionescu and her former Miramonte Coach Kelly Sopak. 

    It was Sopak’s daughter, Lauren, a former teammate at Miramonte, that initiated the drive to get the gym named after Ionescu. 

    By themselves, Ionescu’s numbers speak volumes – a 119 and 9 won lost record at Miramonte, setting school records for most points, steals, assists and triple doubles, being named USA Today’s girls basketball player of the year, Gatorade State Player of the Year and named to the McDonald’s and Jordan Brand All-American teams.

    At the University of Oregon, she became the first player in NCAA history to have at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 10 assists in a career along with being named AP, Naismith, and USBWA Player of the Year and winning the Wooden Award and Wade Trophy. 

    After being named the first pick in the WNBA by the New York Liberty, she has been a four-time WNBA all-star and All-WNBA selection and led the Liberty to their first WNBA championship in 2024 and then took home gold for the USA team at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

    Miramonte Principal Ben Campopiano set the tone for the afternoon: “What makes this so extra special, is that Sabrina really embodies that spirit, that community, and that bond, and it is so exciting to have her here today.”

    AUHSD Superintendent John Nickerson shared what was so unique about the naming of the gym. “The district has never named a facility after a former student. It's always been after a coach or after a staff member, but this is different. Sabrina is different, her impact is different and she made it clear as to what type of affair this should be when she said, ‘I don't want a bunch of suits talking about me; I want to play with the kids, I want everybody to have fun.’”

    Ever the academician, Nickerson saw the naming of the gym after Ionescu as more than just the recognition of a great athlete. “Sabrina’s story reminds us of the importance of high school athletics, as it's one of the most powerful classrooms that we have in our high schools. 

    “Kids are learning things on the court, on the field and in the pool that they're not learning in a textbook. They're learning how to handle adversity, and how team is stronger than one, how to work with others, how to celebrate wins and how to handle the disappointment of a loss and grow stronger as an individual and as a team. From that, they're learning discipline, resilience and team play, and all things that are going to help them when they go to college. And then beyond college, in their career, as a family member, in life, and a lot of that develops through athletics. Only a small number of athletic gymnasiums or facilities in this country are named after a woman and it’s long overdue in this district, and it matters. Excellence is excellence. As a community, we recognize that."

    The naming of the gym also allows the student body to identify with Ionescu. “That name is going to tell them something. It will say that a girl who played in this gym, ran on these floors, sat in these classrooms, competed as a Matador, became one of the best in the world and became a champion. It's the power of the role model. It's a real person with real roots in this community and in this high school.”

    Kelly Sopak, who coached every game Ionescu played in high school, brought up one last statistic about Ionescu’s career at Miramonte. “Most importantly, this gym, formerly the Matadome, soon to be Sabrina Ionescu Gymnasium was where Sabrina and her teammates were undefeated. It’s pretty amazing to never lose a game in your home gym, and she was able to accomplish that with the help of her teammates.”

    Sopak shared something his father told him and how it related to Ionescu. “He said there are three types of people: people that make things happen, people that watch things happen, and people that wake up the next day and say, what the hell just happened. Well, Sabrina makes things happen, that's her whole life. It just didn't happen by accident. Everything she did, whether it was improving her jump shot, improving her ball handling, improving her defense, or learning how to somehow to be athletic enough to play in a league where people like her could not compete athletically and she managed to do that, and that's not an accident. So, with Sabrina making things happen, I'm glad that we all can make something happen for her.”

    Orinda Mayor Brandyn Iverson made the official proclamation to rename the gym before Ionescu than took the stage, speaking with great appreciation about the day and thanking everyone involved. “I couldn't have imagined when I was going to school here as a student athlete, that this would ever be an opportunity that I would have, knowing that I'm standing up here today now in front of so many young girls and young boys, hopefully just being that mentor and that role model that they can look up to and say I can do this one day as well, while also attending, in my opinion, one of the best high schools in the world, playing games professionally all around the world and there will always be someone up in the stands that will yell, ‘Go Mats!’ … I'm excited for what's to come here and hopefully continue to make kids' dreams come true.”

    Special thanks to Mark Bell for his help with this story.