“Small country, big dream” is the title Irina Macovei would give a book or movie about her life, and it fittingly describes the journey that has brought her from Constanța, Romania, to Vincennes University. One of the proudest moments of Irina's basketball career came when she earned the Top Scorer award in Romania, an accomplishment that reflects the scoring ability she brings to the Trailblazers. The 5-foot-9 shooting guard attended Colegiul Național “Mircea cel Bătrân” before making the move to Vincennes, where she believes she has found the perfect place to develop both as a player and person. Irina enters her first season at VU with ambitious goals for herself and the team. She wants to help the Trailblazers “win it all,” while her personal goal is to prove that she belongs at this level. Her mother serves as her biggest source of motivation, and Irina hopes her basketball journey will eventually lead to playing professionally in the WNBA or EuroLeague. She carries with her the advice that “tough times never last, but tough people do,” while encouraging younger athletes to always follow their dreams. Her favorite part of being a VU athlete is the culture surrounding the program. Away from the court, Irina is studying Business Management and enjoys playing the guitar, listening to R&B and, perhaps more than most people realize, drinking coffee. Kobe Bryant is her favorite athlete, while pasta, How to Get Away with Murder and The Inner Game of Tennis are among her other favorites. Irina also has a game-day superstition of always stepping with her right foot first. Although she says people sometimes think she is mean when they first meet her, her sense of humor comes through when asked what she would do as coach for a day — she jokes that she would kick everyone off the team because she does not have enough patience for the job. Coach Johnson on Irina... “Irina is a player who brings a great work ethic and competitive spirit to everything she does. She has the ability to really stretch the floor with her shooting, but what I love most is how hard she works to get better. She competes every day, embraces the work, and I’m excited to see her confidence continue to grow throughout this season.”

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