#1 guard of 2012 Moriah Jefferson--- New youtube video--Compilations of her games..

[Replicant]

to be accurate, while she was cut from the USA team she tried out for, she was one of the last 3 cut and made the final 15 players. additionally, she was not only competing against kids her own age, but kids 1 and 2 years older. i'm not sure that being one of the final 15 but being cut says much about the type of player she is or how coachable she is. i don't know enough about who she played for or what kind of coaching/experience she has received, but...

1. I find it difficult to believe Geno would make an error of that magnitude in recruiting the next great PG to UCONN
2. i saw a player who took pride in her defense, found open players to pass to, and wasn't afraid to take the ball to the basket.

i can see where some fans might be concerned about her experience (being home schooled and not having as much national experience), but does this kid look like someone who will have trouble fitting in with her teammates?!

Great pic Eric. The word "TEAM" immediately comes to mind Second word that comes to mind is "ALL-STAR TEAM"!

 

[bruinbball]

Who would win in the Blue vs. White game here?? Hmmmmmm.....

 

[Kevin G]

Thanks for posting. Mo is going to be very very special. I agree this class can make some history

 

[EricLA]

Who would win in the Blue vs. White game here?? Hmmmmmm.....

ooh that's a good question. 3 on 3... honestly, too close to call!!

 

[RoyDodger]

Just to clarify my post: for the record:

1. I am a former basketball player / Doing my masters at NYU in Sports Business Management
2. Moriah and I are friends on FB, and those two videos i posted here, she created them herself, she created her own youtube account, and she posted her videos to the public.
3. I would only reference Moriah, Breanna, and Morgan as big east candidates until they sign their letter of intent.

#3 is excellent advice. Remember that these girls are still in high school and could change their mind. Let's hope that doesn't happen, but in the meantime we shouldn't count our chickens before they hatch.

 

[Husky68]

There's obviously a lot of talent there for Geno and Shea to work with, but I wouldn't be surprised if her transition to UConn has its difficulties. That's mostly because I don't think she has had enough experience playing with other great players in a structured environment. She's been cut twice from USA Basketball, although she was playing through an injury the first time around. And while Hoopgurlz went nuts over Moriah getting cut, but based on what I have seen of Moriah which isn't just these two videos I could see how USA Basketball would decide to cut her. That doesn't mean I think Moriah won't play significant minutes as a freshman or have success. I felt somewhat similarly about Bria Hartley, but I thought playing for Jenn in USA Basketball prior to her freshman year helped as well as her experience playing multiple positions besides PG. Geno is just going to be looking to change her style of play and mindset more than other players whose style of play more naturally suits UConn's and/or have experience playing in a structured system for established powerhouse high school teams with other DI teammates. How public those difficulties become will depend on how Geno gauges Mo's personality.

I would be surprised if any player didn't have difficulties in transition to Uconn. I double it for PG's. What helped Hartle wasn't so much playing for Jen, it was playing with a senior who happened to be one of the top players in the history of WCBB.

 

[wbfree]

Flat out she is better than Skylar Diggins...So as far as the Big East goes, the best point guard will be Moriah.. Her speedy, agility, discipline with the ball is second to none in this class (2012), and the next three classes coming. What's great about her is her basketball ethics. Some scoring pg's like to score first, then pass, or shoot, then pass. Geno, being notorious for taking his elite recruits out of their comfort zone on the court, will definitely challenge Moriah to rebound more, play better defense (like if she doesn't play superior defense already..lol) Moriah will be the Chris Paul or John Wall on college basketball.. Anyone can really score, but her overall skills are just too raw for me to see any other pg challenge her in the college ranks.. can't freaakkiinn wait...

 

[wbfree]

No doubt she's very talented, but to say she's better than Skylar Diggins is a little bit too enthusiastic.

 

[EricLA]

No doubt she's very talented, but to say she's better than Skylar Diggins is a little bit too enthusiastic.

not right now, but don't forget, not only is she the highest rated PG in her class (even tho some say Alexis Jones is better), HG has said that she's the best PG prospect EVER to be rated by them, and that includes Diggins.

i certainly admire the enthusiasm and think that once Geno gets his metaphorical hands on her, after 4 years, we may well be stating she's the best UCONN PG ever, and that's saying something given Jen Rizotti and Sue Bird and Renee Montgomery all went to UCONN!!!

 

[PacoSwede]

Wow! Thanks for sharing the videos... Can't wait to see her in UConn blue as she becomes part of the UConn point guard pedigree Rizzotti - Rita Williams - Bird - Maria - DT* - Renee - Doty - Hartley - Mo

*even though DT was a 2 guard she often had to play the point after Sue graduated.

Just want to point out that Ketia Swanier is a veteran pro, and that's a very select club, despite being primarily an off-the-bench player for Geno.
A separate comment about these nice videos: The fact that Mo put them together -- and what she decided to include -- offers a good insight about what she values. It seems that includes lots more than putting the ball through the net, and that's good. However, these videos really do not say much about her shooting, except for form and perhaps her confidence, nor much about how good she is as a passer or a defender. You can edit videos of Sue Smuck and make her look like an all-star. Edited videos are no way to judge a player's ability. They are fun for a fan to watch, though.
(I do think it is safe to assume Mo is as talented as everyone says; not intending to doubt that. These videos, however, are nothing like proof.)

 

[MilfordHusky]

Frankly, she looks better than I expected. She looks freakin' unguardable. She can hit from distance and midrange. She has a great handle. She goes left better as an 11th grader than Renee does as a 3rd year pro. She is fast. She even blocks shots. Watching her play against Jewell Loyd will be a treat. Where did she get those skills--from the Globetrotters?

One other unexpected positive: she is taller and sturdier looking than I thought.

With Breanna, Kaleena, et al. on the court with Moriah, there will be an offensive explosion. I think the UConn team scoring record is in serious jeopardy.

 

[Icebear]

I would be surprised if any player didn't have difficulties in transition to Uconn. I double it for PG's. What helped Hartley wasn't so much playing for Jen, it was playing with a senior who happened to be one of the top players in the history of WCBB.

Yes, and I think that is exactly the point Scotter was making without any big judgment. Growth and development is often accompanied by struggle in the midst of that transition. That struggle can be an asset because it strengthens and tempers character.

 

[EricLA]

Yes, and I think that is exactly the point Scotter was making without any big judgment. Growth and development is often accompanied by struggle in the midst of that transition. That struggle can be an asset because it strengthens and tempers character.

perhaps ice, but why pick her out and imply that her struggles could be worse than other freshmen and that geno will probably need to "change the way she plays the game", and how public her struggles are will depend on her mindset, and how he could see why she was cut from USA basketball etc etc etc.?

every freshman who comes in needs to have things changed, tweaked, improved, etc. in a thread where everyone else was thrilled with what they saw, that was a wet blanket.

we all know that the parents of recruits read the board (anyone remember Mary Thomas and Ernie Delle Donne?) and while it's only one wayward opinion, i'd not be thrilled as a parent to read that. IMHO, she's been referred to as the best, or one of the best, PG's EVER to come out of HS. Most UCONN fans are over the moon that she verbaled to UCONN.

I, for one, and JUST as thrilled that we landed her as i am that we landed Breanna, KML, Tina, Maya, and Diana - i think Moriah is that good and has that much potential. and that's not to take anything away from other top 10 kids we've landed (like Morgan, Samarie, Kelly, and Bria recently), but to me, getting top 10 kids helps you get to the elite 8 and final 4. getting #1/2 kids to go along with those top 10 kids is what puts you over the top...

 

[Icebear]

eric, I don't think he did what you suggest. I think that is overreaching his point and I think he made that clear by the other examples he gave. I don't think his comments concerning Moriah were negative at all. I think he clarifies his view against such overreaching several times in his three posts in this thread. All in all Scotter is very positive about Moriah and was only leavening the excess of expectations expressed by some.

Scotter wrote:
There's obviously a lot of talent there for Geno and Shea to work with, but I wouldn't be surprised if her transition to UConn has its difficulties. That's mostly because I don't think she has had enough experience playing with other great players in a structured environment. She's been cut twice from USA Basketball, although she was playing through an injury the first time around. And while Hoopgurlz went nuts over Moriah getting cut, but based on what I have seen of Moriah which isn't just these two videos I could see how USA Basketball would decide to cut her. That doesn't mean I think Moriah won't play significant minutes as a freshman or have success. I felt somewhat similarly about Bria Hartley, but I thought playing for Jenn in USA Basketball prior to her freshman year helped as well as her experience playing multiple positions besides PG. Geno is just going to be looking to change her style of play and mindset more than other players whose style of play more naturally suits UConn's and/or have experience playing in a structured system for established powerhouse high school teams with other DI teammates. How public those difficulties become will depend on how Geno gauges Mo's personality.

AND

Did Geno not worked to change Shea Ralph? Did he not battle to change Svetlana Abrosimova? Did he not try to change Diana Taurasi? Did he not try to alter things Maya did? I hoped my reference to Bria Hartley would prevent Charde's name from immediately coming up, but that was naive on my part. Watching Moriah play you can see that she has the skills to do the things the UConn offense demands of guards, but there is going to be a transition. How easily she can alter her habits to play in a passing/cutting orientated offense we won't know until she has do it? But there's no reason to assume the worst case scenario. Even while she is adapting she will play significant minutes and be great in transition.

UConn produces great point guards, but it is not an easy place to play for players that grow up playing point guard because Geno takes the ball out of their hands and makes them be a well rounded offensive basketball player. And with good reason Geno almost always tries to teach a basketball player to be a point guard, rather than a point guard to be a basketball player. I wouldn't be surprised if Moriah doesn't play much point guard during the early part of her UConn career as she learns how to play in the system.

AND

I never said it was an error in recruiting. She's someone that Geno absolutely should have pursued and I'm thrilled she wanted to be a Husky. I also did not say anything about her not being coachable or even imply anything negative about her character. I saw all the qualities you list, which is why she's a great fit for UConn. It was just a simple observation about a challenge she'll likely face when she puts on the UConn uniform. She'll hardly be the first player to face similar challenges at UConn, and she'll likely be far from the first player to meet those challenges successfully. I was simply offering an observation that may help to calibrate expectations for the few that may see value in my opinions.

 

[EricLA]

eric, I don't think he did what you suggest. I think that is overreaching his point and I think he made that clear by the other examples he gave. I don't think his comments concerning Moriah were negative at all.

ice, in my first sentence i pretty much quoted verbatim what he said. if he meant something different, he should have said something different. and while i'm glad you took it upon yourself to defend him, it appears that most every other poster in the thread disagrees with you and him.

in a thread showing some of the first videos we've seen of her, where every other poster was metaphorically jumping up and down thinking about he prospect of her joining the team, he was the one who not only offered a negative slant, but went on with about 4 criticisms.

so i guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. you think it was fine with no negativity or criticism, most everyone else disagrees.

 

[Icebear]

Scotter never implied that her struggles would be worse than anyone else's. He went out of his way to use positive examples of the best of Huskies, Shea, Svet, Diana, Maya to talk about their transitions and their challenges to playing for Geno to make it clear that it is the norm at UConn.

He didn't need to say anything different since it was very understandable to me if not to you. Note all the qualifiers I highlighted across three posts that gave shape to his comments adding clarity. It not like defining structure of his comments wasn't there.

I pointed out something I think Geno will be all over her about. As Geno said of Lauren last year Moriah has a tendency to use too much flash with the ball when it isn't necessary. Ex. See when she dribbles under her leg extended straight out in the first video. A completely unnecessary more that adds nothing to playing basketball and running a offense. Geno is like a bonzai master who trims away everything that isn't essential.

His comments about USA basketball were very balanced and I think quite fair. It is very likely that Moriah does need to play with more players of equal talent and within a system to learn HOW to function within that environment. That is normal, not unusual.

Yes, almost ever other poster was metaphorically jumping up and down and all Scotter did was try to inject some realism and balance into what was becoming unrealistic expectations. She is a kid with incredible skills but there is a lot that can be done to strengthen her game as a player with a UConn team concept.

Scotter gave critique not criticism. I expect him to be right because I saw the exact same things.

 

[AboutWeston]

Thanks for posting these videos!

Regarding "flash" I noticed from watching the EXCELLENT VIDEO of the 2011 tape, I think we saw an adult leader in the point role, while the year 2007 video had the 360 degree lay ups in it. To me this indicates the the "flash" is being modified by the player herself, perhaps because of coaching!!!

 

[EricLA]

I wouldn't be surprised if her transition to UConn has its difficulties. based on what I have seen of Moriah which isn't just these two videos. I could see how USA Basketball would decide to cut her. Geno is just going to be looking to change her style of play and mindset more than other players whose style of play more naturally suits UConn's and/or have experience playing in a structured system for established powerhouse high school teams with other DI teammates. How public those difficulties become will depend on how Geno gauges Mo's personality.

Again Ice, you see what you want to see and most everyone else sees something different. in a thread where EVERYONE else was jumping up and down with praise for her game, what we see, and what we are getting, these quotes are simply negative. period. i don't care that it was explained or softened or defended or whatever you want to call it. you've said the same thing over and over in defending him and i still think it's unfortunate, no matter how you try to slice it or pretty it up.

i mean, really... there are so many different ways to say something and the fact that so many on this board took the comments as unfortunate and negative ought to tell you something... if you were her father and read the above quoted comments by some random UCONN fan, what would your reaction be? there isn't a single kid, ever, who has come to UCONN a complete package. but there were so many better ways to say what he said.

this board is not supposed to simply be a cheerleading board. fans have often been critical of players performances, most recently in threads regarding Tiff Hayes from last year. but to post stuff like that about a great kid with great skills and great potential before she even steps foot on campus is unfortunate and would have been better served to have have been kept to himself, or shared with a select few in private chats.

you keep saying that the negativity of the post is warranted because she will need to learn and grow and be taught at UCONN. well duh! that's true of every single player who comes to UCONN. Geno works hard to get the most and best out of every single kid who comes to Storrs. but to be that negative about one of the best PG's ever to come out of high school, and certainly the most heralded to ever decide on UCONN is the issue everyone else has with it. feel free to continue posting and defending. this is the last thing i will say about it.

 

[Icebear]

Eric, again you act as if Scotter and I didn't see the tremendous upside. We did. We both, however, also, saw the things that mean she has much to work on and that is not unusual. I will gladly admit that some of that is due to the highlight reel nature of the clips. All highlights of this type tend to over focus on an individual. If you were watching film beside me I could readily say look here, here and here. Most of what I see is a need to simplify and remove excess thus the Bonsai analogy.

I keep repeating myself using different ways of expressing what I see because you do not seem to deal with what Scotter said and I am saying instead pursue something that wasn't said at all.

I am comfortable with what I saw and I suspect Scotter is, too, because they are very specific things that can be concretely pointed to as with the example I gave concerning Lauren. Your last paragraph is I suspect all either Scotter or myself was saying. Only defending what I am saying because you are completely making into something that is not there in either Scotter's or my posts.

Moriah's assets are:
extreme quickness
a great handle and tremendous crossover
a solid shot in terms of form (discount any measure of ability to judge consistently because of being edited film)
good court vision and understanding of floor spacing and when she can beat a player and too where
excellent use of personal quickness in spot up D

Areas to grow:
eliminate unnecessary flair in ball handling
better use of teammates and less dependence upon personal skills (this is likely because she has little opportunity to play with kids capable of matching her abilities as teammates and as opposition)

I love the kid and her game but that doesn't mean there are not ways to grow. I never said the negativity was warranted. I said you misread it and it didn't exist. There is NO negativity.

 

[Icebear]

Thanks for posting these videos!

Regarding "flash" I noticed from watching the EXCELLENT VIDEO of the 2011 tape, I think we saw an adult leader in the point role, while the year 2007 video had the 360 degree lay ups in it. To me this indicates the the "flash" is being modified by the player herself, perhaps because of coaching!!!

Yes, and that is the example of a coachable kid who will rise to the challenge. The growth from 2007-2011 is, also, in her shot strength. She moves from a longer set shot to a higher on the head jump shot. She is a kid in evolution and while there may be some struggles along the way I see little that indicates they will not be overcome and Moriah become listed high on the wall among the Huskies of Honor. BTW, the unnecessary bit of handling is at 2:25 of the upper link in the OP.

 

[Husky68]

ice, in my first sentence i pretty much quoted verbatim what he said. if he meant something different, he should have said something different. and while i'm glad you took it upon yourself to defend him, it appears that most every other poster in the thread disagrees with you and him.

in a thread showing some of the first videos we've seen of her, where every other poster was metaphorically jumping up and down thinking about he prospect of her joining the team, he was the one who not only offered a negative slant, but went on with about 4 criticisms.

so i guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. you think it was fine with no negativity or criticism, most everyone else disagrees.

I had a post typed somewhat similar pointing out the "negative' slant and choice of words, but then cancelled it and just said most point guards struggle, didn't think I could portray my disagreement without being too "jerky". I'm one who saw a lot of negative slant.

 

[EricLA]

sorry ice. i said i wasn't going to reply, but i have to correct your error. nowhere did i ever say "he did not see tremendous upside". and to your second point "you do not seem to deal with what Scotter said and I am saying instead pursue something that wasn't said at all", let me be very clear so you don't miss it...

I quoted what he said VERBATIM and that was what i referred to over and over and over and over again.

how can i make that any more clear for you? i literally cut and pasted his exact comments into the above post. where is that not clear? how can i not be dealing with it when i literally quoted his exact post? i honestly wish you would just drop this. i've said about 3 other times now, we will have to agree to disagree. i'm taking facts that were posted and telling you i think they were unnecessarily negative and unfortunate. you are telling me i'm wrong because... actually... i don't get why since his comments as posted and quoted are there in black and white.

 

[Icebear]

sorry ice. i said i wasn't going to reply, but i have to correct your error. nowhere did i ever say "he did not see tremendous upside". and to your second point "you do not seem to deal with what Scotter said and I am saying instead pursue something that wasn't said at all", let me be very clear so you don't miss it...

I quoted what he said VERBATIM and that was what i referred to over and over and over and over again.

how can i make that any more clear for you? i literally cut and pasted his exact comments into the above post. where is that not clear? how can i not be dealing with it when i literally quoted his exact post? i honestly wish you would just drop this. i've said about 3 other times now, we will have to agree to disagree. i'm taking facts that were posted and telling you i think they were unnecessarily negative and unfortunate. you are telling me i'm wrong because... actually... i don't get why since his comments as posted and quoted are there in black and white.

Eric, repeating what someone said doesn't mean dealing with what someone said. I teach communications to every couple I marry and the worst thing one can do to attain common understanding is to repeat verbatim what someone says. Restate in one's own words is what is necessary to work towards understanding. Plus selectively quoting is like people prooftexting from the Bible. It enables to you to make someone say almost anything you want. That is why I posted all three of Scotter's complete posts and used bolding and highlighting to show his mitigating comments. What is there to give up? I am trying to achieve understanding of what I saw. It wasn't negative, nor was it without need for growth. Something no one has mentioned is that there was no way to evaluate the quality of the competition. Kind of trapped at home because of the flooding throughout Central PA. The dike and levee system in Sunbury which is almost 20' above normal river stage is within a handful of being topped. I have reposted pics on my Facebook page.

BTW, please keep everyone here in Central PA in your prayers we are experiencing incredible flooding. The Swatara Creek at Hershey has a flood stage of 7.1' and the previous record from Agnes was 16", the Swatara is presently to crest at 24.5". At Harrisburg where the Susquehanna is near to 1/3mile wide the river is not to crest until Sat. AM some 10+feet over flood stage.

 

[EricLA]

Eric, repeating what someone said doesn't mean dealing with what someone said. And selectively quoting is like people prooftexting from the Bible. That is why I posted all three of Scotter's complete posts and used bolding and highlighting to show his mitigating comments.

yes so you've said about 5 or 6 different times. and i've said some of the comments were unnecessarily negative and unfortunate. i don't care how it was mitigated or explained. i would never want to read something like that about my kid from a fan.

i keep saying we'll have to agree to disagree, and you keep posting different things as if they are going to change my mind. let's just agree to disagree!

 

[Sonny44]

He said that he said what someone thought she implied said, but didn't mean and may hve been misinterpreted or something.
C'mon kids give it up please.