Moriah - The UConn Highlight Reel

[Lurker]

The athleticism, control, and speed/quickness of this young women are amazing, and the lasting images she is creating are really noteworthy. From tonight (with a couple others from the last couple games):

• She is the sole defender against 2 opposing players. It looks like a certain score. She turns, leaps, and blocks. A person near me says out loud in awe: "and she's the shortest person on the court"
• The body control to not just get control of the ball, but to shoot and score while falling backwards at the end of the half (yea, I know, she got herself in that awkward position, but what mental poise and physical control on the recovery...)
• She gets a steal (as I recall the play) above the top of the key with opposing players even with her on each side. It looks like it may be tough for a clean breakaway, but what does she do, with both those players (guards as I recall) following at their full speed, she creates what looked like perhaps 10-15 feet of separation while dribbling in for a score.
• With all this seemingly chaotic motion going on in the paint, she flashes, somehow spots TBS, and even while moving at her quick pace, she hangs the ball up in the air perfectly still as if it is an enormous full moon ready to be thrown down the hoop. If it had been Dominique Wilkens... I suspect that MoJet will be giving TBS some good-natured grief for not capturing that moment as a dramatic 2 points.
• There were perhaps 2 of these tonight and several others from the last couple games - - pure flashes of a blur going to the hoop and scoring at incredible speed. Blink and you miss it.
• She calmly and smoothly drops three 3-pointers tonight and (I believe) all her foul shots - great form. Remember last year - what a change!
• She is on the floor one of the last couple games scrambling for the ball, and suddenly you realize she is actually dribbling while (as I recall) almost flat out on the floor, getting up without the slightest hesitation, and off. Who else does that?!?
• It goes on

Granted she got herself in a couple awkward situations with her speed, but one senses that those times are getting less and less (probably with the gentle encouragement of Geno). This young women is pure joy to watch, and she has a killer smile to go with it!!

 

[msf22b]

The athleticism, control, and speed/quickness of this young women are amazing, and the lasting images she is creating are really noteworthy.

• This young women is pure joy to watch, and she has a killer smile to go with it!!

Terrific analysis, her athleticism is over the top, her leaping ability is amazing and her highlight reel from just the last couple of games is like a career for some.

 

[doggydaddy]

I have a feeling they have completed that alley-oop with a dunk a few times in practice.

 

[bschwartz]

• [ ]With all this seemingly chaotic motion going on in the paint, she flashes, somehow spots TBS, and even while moving at her quick pace, she hangs the ball up in the air perfectly still as if it is an enormous full moon ready to be thrown down the hoop. If it had been Dominique Wilkens... I suspect that MoJet will be giving TBS some good-natured grief for not capturing that moment as a dramatic 2 points.

Funny you mentioned that play. I laughed when I saw it. I wonder MJ expected TBS to dunk it. I'm a little disappointed there was a defender in the way just to see what would have happened. I have seen Stewie with a few wide open layups this season. I wonder if she and Geno have discussed dunking and he'd prefer she not do it. I suppose during blowouts it is a bit disrespectful. I am not one to care either way whether she does or doesn't. I just want no injuries. Never-the-less, I am curious about these little details. If there had been no defender on that play to foul, there is certainly the possibility on instinct for Stewie to try to catch and dunk it. We'll never know. Interesting (to me).

 

[UcMiami]

That defensive play on the 2 on 1 break ending in her block was just amazing - reminded me of the time last year when a much bigger guard drove to the basket with a staggered screen and she was able to go under the screens and appearing out of nowhere complete an in-your-face emphatic block. The mixture of her leaping ability and incredible speed and incredible quickness is a joy to watch. I love her defensive on ball pressure - she is constantly moving her feet to be where the dribble has just started to go and she is so smart with her hands - never on the player or coming down on the arm but sweeping in from the side to deflect the ball on its way to the floor or on the bounce back off the floor.
And with the exception of the Stanford game her shooting has been very good. Her stats through 7 games:
58.9% shooting, 41.7% on threes, 2.1 feb/game, almost 4 assists vs. 2TO/game and 2 steals per game - scoring average at 11.3
If you drop out the Stanford game - her percentages are 65.3% and 55.6% from 3 at 13 points per game.
So ... I don't think she is giving up the starting guard position without a fight!

Just to put those shooting percentages in perspective - overall she is second on the team behind Kiah who is shooting 60.7% and just in front of Stef who is at 57.4%. On three pointers she is trailing only KML who is at 50%. I know it is early in the season, but out of the box, MoJeff is more than holding her own on the scoring front.

 

[reno tony]

I like a great passer. She made a beautiful bounce pass to a driving Chong for a bucket exactly like the one Chong made to her the night before. Those two seem to be in sync.