Sabrina Ionescu is coming back to Eugene.

Oregon coach Kelly Graves announced on Friday that the New York Liberty guard and former the No. 1 pick in the 2020 WNBA draft has joined the support staff as the program’s director of athletic culture. Ionescu is joining the team in a part-time capacity during the WNBA offseason.

“There is no better person I could think of for this position than Sabrina,” Graves said in a release. “Sabrina exemplifies what it means to be an Oregon Duck and she represents everything our program is about. Even in just a part-time capacity, she will have the ability to make an immediate impact on our student-athletes and our program as a whole. She truly is a basketball icon that will be able to connect and develop our players off the court.”

Ionescu led the Ducks to the NCAA Tournament Final Four in 2019 and then to a Pac-12 Tournament championship the following season. In 2020, the Ducks were favorites to make another deep run and possibly even cut down the nets in the NCAA Tournament before it was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ionescu enjoyed a remarkable career as a Duck and left Eugene as one of the best players in college basketball history.

She remains the only player in NCAA history with at least 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists in her college career. She’s also the all-time NCAA leader for career triple-doubles (26).

“As a kid growing up in the game, my family helped me develop my passion for basketball and all the values it rewards, “said Ionescu. “When I arrived at Oregon, I joined a new family that embraced those same values and helped me grow even more as a player and as a person. Part of my heart remains in Eugene, and I look forward to cultivating the same family atmosphere for future Ducks in the Oregon women’s basketball program.”

Oregon won its season-opener against Northwestern on Monday, 100-57. The Ducks host Seattle on Saturday.