Our 2012 recruiting class of Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson, Morgan Tuck, and possibly Xylina McDaniel is extremely talented. How would a hypothetical 2013 class of Mercedes Russell, Taya Reimer, and Diamond DeShields compare to that?
lol. hmm. i bet you have no idea what i think about that! (Milford and i just had a conversation about this)... seriously it sure is fun to fantasize. i think you'd have to add a 4th name to the hypothetical 2013 class. so just going with 3 from each class - Breanna, Moriah, and Morgan - you have 3 kids that are probably top 5 in the class. with Morgan, most have her in their top 8. so comparing that to Mercedes, Diamond, and Taya - how on earth do you say one is better than the other? During her 4 years at UCONN, i'm betting Breanna is referred to more than once as the best 4 in the nation (probably the best player in the nation). i'm betting Moriah is referred to as the best PG in the nation. Morgan as one of the best wing/forwards in the nation. then you've got Mercedes who has the potential to be the best center in the nation. Diamond will potentially be called the best wing in the nation. and Taya as one of the best forwards in the nation. i'd say it's fairly impossible to say which class would be better. on paper, probably 2012 as that class pretty much averages 1,2 and 8. the 2013 kids you are referring to average 2,3, and 6. it's like saying "choose between a Rolls and a Bentley"...
If you are going to think like this Milford we are going to label you Tony 2.0, of course, your spelling and grammer will need to go to pot. . . . . . Yes, I know that I spelled grammar incorrectly, it was for effect.
By the way, where is Tony??? I don't think I have seen much of him on the new board... And it's not tax season!!!
Ok, Russell looks like a longshot, but CD is the #4 recruiter in the universe. How about Jannah Tucker??
Dolson is class of 2014. Stokes is class of 2015. Stewart is class of 2016. Russell is class of 2017. Plus, Breanna can play any position. She will not play the 5 much, if at all. I don't think that affects Russell. She should look to see how Stefanie has developed and how much UConn helped Tina.
One thing to keep in mind is that Stef will be a senior. Centers almost always take longer to develop than other positions, so having a year behind senior Stef is not a bad thing. then at that point she'd be competing with Kiah. they are 2 years apart so i'm betting at the start of her sophomore year, Mercedes would be right in the mix fighting it out for the starting 5 spot. Kiah would be a senior that year so even if Mercedes didn't earn the starting spot, she'd certainly earn it her junior year. nothing wrong with coming off the bench for 2 years if Kiah ends up being better, then starting her last 2 years. most UCONN Kids don't start as freshmen no matter how good. they only start if necessity dictates it due to injuries or lack of other players at their position... as for Breanna, i think they certainly could coexist. put them on the floor together - Stewart at the 5 and Russell at the 5. Can you seriously imagine a starting lineup of Jefferson, KML, Deshields, Stewart, and Russell? pretty much a cadre of top recruits and all potential NPOY contenders. heck, that could be the 2020 Olympic starting lineup!!!! you may be right, but if she's not a team player, her recruitment won't last long. it really depends on what her goals are and what she wants out of a college experience. with the way UCONN has been recruiting, her freshman year UCONN will be the favorite to win the NC. no reason to think she couldn't win 2-3 NC's here, and frankly, that's something right now that no other program can say.
I believe that players like Asjha Jones, Swin Cash, Diana Taurasi, and Maya Moore came off the bench part of their careers at UConn. They have done well for themselves.
Note the picture of Reimer and Mavunga. Reimer is listed at 6'3" and Mavunga at 6'2". Reimer is noticeably taller. She is also reportedly far more versatile. Edit: I found another picture in which Mavunga is taller. As we know, height is difficult to measure.
Don't forget Tony's never-to-be-forgotten and indisputable observation (re the UT "sixpack, but hopefully applicable here); "If he starts them all, the rest are going to have to sit!" Let's all hope so.
Heck, Brer Bear, Tony isn't a basketball fan; he's a collecter of players. . . . Yes,I know that I spelled collector incorrectly, it was for affect .
