Petro Gazz Angels’ Brooke Van Sickle n the PVL All-Filipino Conference.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Brooke Van Sickle used to be WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu’s classmate during her time at University of Oregon.
Van Sickle, who is rocking Ionescu’s signature shoes Sabrina 1, shared that the New York Liberty guard was an acquaintance and she witnessed her growth before emerging as one of the top players in women’s basketball.
“My freshman year of college, 2016, I believe. One of my fellow classmates was Sabrina Ionescu and just seeing how she grew as a player throughout college was something super awesome to watch,” said the Filipino-American spiker after dropping 23 points in Petro Gazz’s 25-16, 25-23, 25-21 win over PLDT in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Saturday.
“We’re not like best friends, we’re maybe really good acquaintances. Just Oregon, it was a big school and everything. But just to be able have some like conversations with her here and there, it was cool,” she added.
The former US NCAA Division I volleyball athlete only played for the Oregon Ducks for one year but she won’t forget Ionescu’s passion and dedication on and off the court.
“Just how she would carry herself off the court, on the court. She’s the most humble person I’ve ever met. She is a true leader, she works consistently hard, even when we were in the classroom, in training, in everything she does,” Van Sickle said.
READ: Brooke Van Sickle helps Petro Gazz bounce back, beat PLDT
After one year, Van Sickle transferred to University of Hawaii, where her volleyball career flourished after emerging as the NCAA Big West Conference MVP, Best Scorer, and Best Outside Spiker.
She also excelled in Beach Volleyball at the University of Hawaii, while Ionescu finished her four years at Oregon with a school-record of 2,606 points scored and the all-time leader in assists (769), steals (549), and triple-doubles (21).
FILE – New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu shoots a 3-point basket during the first half of Game 3 of a WNB playoffs. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
Van Sickle may be making a name for he own now in the Philippines as Petro Gazz’s prized recruit in the PVL but she will always admire her former classmate, who has been making waves in the WNBA.
READ: NBA All-Star: Steph Curry bests Sabrina Ionescu in 3-point Challenge
“It was just really cool to be able to meet an athlete like that’s like super successful. She’s getting what she deserves, right? She’s extremely humble like when the cameras are off and behind the scenes and you just talk to her, such a great person. It was really cool to be able to meet her and go to school with her so it was an awesome experience,” she said.