Moriah Jefferson

[huskie joe]

Geno said on the SNY special that unless a player can make a huge jump from Freshman year to soph. year, they won't be great. I think we all agree, she has made that jump and is on her way.

 

[Waquoit]

Geno said on the SNY special that unless a player can make a huge jump from Freshman year to soph. year, they won't be great. I think we all agree, she has made that jump and is on her way.

It's actually "The Leap". And it was bluntly predicted in post #28 of this thread by a prescient poster.

 

[UConnCat]

Geno's comments on Moriah in Adamec's blog: http://snyuconn.com/uconn/notebook-jefferson-on-point-for-huskies/

“I told Moriah she played great,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “I asked a couple of the players how they played and they said, ‘OK.’ I asked Moriah and she said, ‘OK.’ I said, ‘No. You played great.’ She really did.

“This is one of the best games that’s she played since she’s been at Connecticut. I don’t know how many points she scored. But it was more the way she controlled our offense and how her composure fed off everyone else’s. For Moriah, she just wants to get better every day, every day. Today was one of her better days, her best day.”

“She’s a real good player,” Auriemma said. “What gets Moriah in trouble is when she starts questioning herself. When she starts looking around and going, ‘How was I? How was I? How was I? How did I do? How did I do? How did I do?’ That holds her back a little. All of her growth … Some will be physical to an extent. But as she grows up emotionally she is going to be a heck of a point guard.”

 

[FASTEDDY]

She will have to be amazing to be better than BIRD.

But Moriah is definitely making great strides.

 

[UcMiami]

The real point in that shot is she didn't pause to sulk about the terrible shot but rather that she competed for the rebound and was key to the team retaining possession. Many players would have stopped at the missed shot licking their wounds or distracted by personal frustration.

Or like Hartley once last night, committed a really stupid foul out of frustration.

 

[Icebear]

Brianna did that, too.

 

[Geno-ista]

Mo Jeff was credited with 3 rebounds last night. Because you were impressed with one of her rebounds does not mean she "rebounds like Faris". She will never rebound like Faris, not enough size nor strength to come close to what Faris did under the boards.

Sorry- my post was more of a generalization of her hustle, heart, and relentless play which when we witness such play, we automatically compare it to Kelly. I understand that she will never be a rebounder like Farris was. She is fast becoming a superstar in her own right!

 

[Buzzyboy]

She will have to be amazing to be better than BIRD.

But Moriah is definitely making great strides.

I agree and doubt we will see anyone who plays the point like Bird. She didn't have anywhere near Moriah's athleticism but she had more court savvy and presence and poise and was a great shooter who was at her best in the biggest games toughest moments. One of a kind!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ndmb]

I agree and doubt we will see anyone who plays the point like Bird. She didn't have anywhere near Moriah's athleticism but she had more court savvy and presence and poise and was a great shooter who was at her best in the biggest games toughest moments. One of a kind!!!!!!!!!!!

You're also comparing your memories of Sue Bird as an upper-classman to a kid who's a third of the way through her sophomore year. I'm not saying that Moriah will get to be as good as Sue Bird, but she's still very young and she's phenomenally talented. I wouldn't give her a ceiling just yet.

 

[connboy77]

She will have to be amazing to be better than BIRD.

But Moriah is definitely making great strides.

She doesn't have to be better then Sue Bird; all she has to do is play up to her potential which is very, very good.

 

[Sonny44]

She doesn't have to be better then Sue Bird; all she has to do is play up to her potential which is very, very good.

She will be a superstar for us.

 

[rocky rococo]

Moriah's also just plain fun to watch.

 

[60'sfan]

You're also comparing your memories of Sue Bird as an upper-classman to a kid who's a third of the way through her sophomore year. I'm not saying that Moriah will get to be as good as Sue Bird, but she's still very young and she's phenomenally talented. I wouldn't give her a ceiling just yet.

I looked up Sue Bird's stats for her sophomore year vs. Moriah Jefferson. Here there are:
They both started all of their team's games. Sue averaged 10.9 pts/g and Moriah is averaging 11.0
Sue was a much better three point shooter - .497 vs. .292
However Moriah shot better overall - .573 vs. .497 probably because of more lay ups.
Sue had the edge in free throws - .898 vs. .750
Moriah had the edge in rebounds per game 2.6 vs.2.5; assist per game 4.8 vs. 4.3 and steals per game 2.6 vs. 1.9.
They are both cute as a button.
NDMB is correct. You cannot compare four years of Sue Bird to 1.3 years of Moriah but through their sophomore years they are definitely comparable.

At this point the stats would suggest that Sue was the better shooter but Moriah is the better defensive player.

 

[msf22b]

At this point the stats would suggest that Sue was the better shooter but Moriah is the better defensive player.

Layups count. If she gets to the basket and scores, that counts as shooting

 

[Geno-ista]

I looked up Sue Bird's stats for her sophomore year vs. Moriah Jefferson. Here there are:
They both started all of their team's games. Sue averaged 10.9 pts/g and Moriah is averaging 11.0
Sue was a much better three point shooter - .497 vs. .292
However Moriah shot better overall - .573 vs. .497 probably because of more lay ups.
Sue had the edge in free throws - .898 vs. .750
Moriah had the edge in rebounds per game 2.6 vs.2.5; assist per game 4.8 vs. 4.3 and steals per game 2.6 vs. 1.9.
They are both cute as a button.
NDMB is correct. You cannot compare four years of Sue Bird to 1.3 years of Moriah but through their sophomore years they are definitely comparable.

At this point the stats would suggest that Sue was the better shooter but Moriah is the better defensive player.

Love that line- they are both cute as a button! Classic and True!!!!

 

[Huskyforlife]

I can't believe no one in this thread has mentioned her defense! She's our best guard defender by far imo. She is going to be a stud, trust me I've never watched a Wcbb player as fast/quick as she is with her defensive skill. If she got the shots I guarantee you she could average over 15 easily, heck we might get to see it this year.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Moriah's potential may be beyond Sue's. Though smaller, she has physical gifts of speed and elevation superior to those of Sue. Geno notes that she can already make all the plays. Sue is extremely smart, determined, and clutch. If Moriah can come close to matching those gifts, she will be great. Odyssey Sims will win the Lieberman Award this year. Next year, look for Moriah and Alexis Jones to be the top two PGs.

 

[Wally East]

I looked up Sue Bird's stats for her sophomore year vs. Moriah Jefferson.

Thank you for a fact-based comparison

 

[DaddyChoc]

watching the game AGAIN right now (saturday 3am est)... I was like wow watching Moriah in the 1st half (I was about to start a Moriah is the Bomb thread, then I saw this lol)

 

[Icebear]

Or like Hartley once last night, committed a really stupid foul out of frustration.

As did Banks on a turnover when she went back and for no logical reason on the resulting breakaway layup.

 

[Tonyc]

She does the unexpected when you unexpect it.