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As we anxiously await tonight's matchup and the hype of Paige vs JuJu, I want to address how Paige is viewed in the pantheon of UConn greats, and how Sarah Strong is off to an electrifying start in carving a spot out for herself.
Unfortunately for Paige, the legacy of 11 NC's is used as a standard for inclusion by many people. It is my assertion that whether UConn wins a 12th this season, her legacy is already cemented. Of course, a NC title does wonders for her palmares. Winning a NC is a monumental accomplishment. Winning 11 in a little over 20+ years is absurd. It makes comparisons for current & future players unrealistic. Why? The women's game has changed and grown immensely since UConn's last title. It has seen an explosion of talent, much like the men's game after the UCLA dynasty under John Wooden ended. What UConn accomplished under Geno will be impossible to duplicate in the era of NIL and immediate transfer eligibility.
In most years when UConn won the NC, they clearly had the best team and players. The exception may have been Diana's last 2 years. While UConn still gets the top players (Paige, Azzi & Sarah), I would argue that other programs have more talent throughout their roster. The second 5 of South Carolina alone would be a top 5 team, and one could make a strong case they are better than their starters. Talent is spread throughout the country and there's transcendent talent on ND, USC, Texas and LSU to name a few. It's hard to win, let alone repeat. SC has a tremendous opportunity this year, but it is no given. Even with Aliyah Boston, SC won only one title.
There are so many variables that go into winning, it takes more than one dominant player, and a lot of things have to fall in place. The margin between winning can come down to a game winning shot (UConn fans have felt that pain), a questionable call here or there, and unfortunately, injuries.
In Paige's 3 seasons, UConn has reached the Final Four and the title game once. This may seem like a minor accomplishment to UConn fans, but for virtually every other program, it would be a major achievement. Her freshman year, the team lost to a peaking Arizona team. Had they gotten by them, I feel they would have defeated Stanford for the title. The next season, Paige came back from a midseason injury to lead them into the title against SC. SC was clearly the best team in the country, and even if Paige was 100%, along with a healthy Azzi, SC would still be favored. Last year, UConn, with a young, undermanned team, was a play away from appearing in the NC game. Again, had they made it, SC would have been the overwhelming favorite. That UConn got as far as it did was due to a tremendous run by Paige.
Maya Moore is the all-time scoring leader and has the highest career scoring average at 19.8. Going into tonight's game, Paige has scored 1910 points in 96 games. If she stays on her current trajectory (she's a 20.0+ scorer healthy), she has a realistic chance to surpass Napheesa Collier as UConn's 3rd all-time leading scorer, and supplant Maya with the highest scoring average, despite playing roughly 30 less games compared to the top 2, Breanna & Maya. Also, like Maya, Paige will have shot over 50% for each of her 4 seasons. Breanna just missed this exclusive club by shooting 49% her soph year. Paige has the individual credentials, including being the only freshman NPOY.
While speculative, Paige will almost certainly be selected as a first-team AA, her third time winning such honors. Winning a NC is a very realistic proposition, particularly with a healthy Azzi and Aubrey Griffin, to go along with the phenom Sarah Strong. This is the potentially most talented team Paige has played on in her 4 years. While winning a title would erase the only thing missing on her resume, I would argue that it is not necessary for her to be included on UConn's Mount Rushmore.
Winning a title this year would fast track Sarah Strong into the conversation of all-time greats. I realize she's only 11 games in to her college career, and it's beyond premature to speculate on how it will turn out, but based on the eye test, there's a high probability that once her career concludes, we'll be discussing where she ranks in the pantheon.
Unfortunately for Paige, the legacy of 11 NC's is used as a standard for inclusion by many people. It is my assertion that whether UConn wins a 12th this season, her legacy is already cemented. Of course, a NC title does wonders for her palmares. Winning a NC is a monumental accomplishment. Winning 11 in a little over 20+ years is absurd. It makes comparisons for current & future players unrealistic. Why? The women's game has changed and grown immensely since UConn's last title. It has seen an explosion of talent, much like the men's game after the UCLA dynasty under John Wooden ended. What UConn accomplished under Geno will be impossible to duplicate in the era of NIL and immediate transfer eligibility.
In most years when UConn won the NC, they clearly had the best team and players. The exception may have been Diana's last 2 years. While UConn still gets the top players (Paige, Azzi & Sarah), I would argue that other programs have more talent throughout their roster. The second 5 of South Carolina alone would be a top 5 team, and one could make a strong case they are better than their starters. Talent is spread throughout the country and there's transcendent talent on ND, USC, Texas and LSU to name a few. It's hard to win, let alone repeat. SC has a tremendous opportunity this year, but it is no given. Even with Aliyah Boston, SC won only one title.
There are so many variables that go into winning, it takes more than one dominant player, and a lot of things have to fall in place. The margin between winning can come down to a game winning shot (UConn fans have felt that pain), a questionable call here or there, and unfortunately, injuries.
In Paige's 3 seasons, UConn has reached the Final Four and the title game once. This may seem like a minor accomplishment to UConn fans, but for virtually every other program, it would be a major achievement. Her freshman year, the team lost to a peaking Arizona team. Had they gotten by them, I feel they would have defeated Stanford for the title. The next season, Paige came back from a midseason injury to lead them into the title against SC. SC was clearly the best team in the country, and even if Paige was 100%, along with a healthy Azzi, SC would still be favored. Last year, UConn, with a young, undermanned team, was a play away from appearing in the NC game. Again, had they made it, SC would have been the overwhelming favorite. That UConn got as far as it did was due to a tremendous run by Paige.
Maya Moore is the all-time scoring leader and has the highest career scoring average at 19.8. Going into tonight's game, Paige has scored 1910 points in 96 games. If she stays on her current trajectory (she's a 20.0+ scorer healthy), she has a realistic chance to surpass Napheesa Collier as UConn's 3rd all-time leading scorer, and supplant Maya with the highest scoring average, despite playing roughly 30 less games compared to the top 2, Breanna & Maya. Also, like Maya, Paige will have shot over 50% for each of her 4 seasons. Breanna just missed this exclusive club by shooting 49% her soph year. Paige has the individual credentials, including being the only freshman NPOY.
While speculative, Paige will almost certainly be selected as a first-team AA, her third time winning such honors. Winning a NC is a very realistic proposition, particularly with a healthy Azzi and Aubrey Griffin, to go along with the phenom Sarah Strong. This is the potentially most talented team Paige has played on in her 4 years. While winning a title would erase the only thing missing on her resume, I would argue that it is not necessary for her to be included on UConn's Mount Rushmore.
Winning a title this year would fast track Sarah Strong into the conversation of all-time greats. I realize she's only 11 games in to her college career, and it's beyond premature to speculate on how it will turn out, but based on the eye test, there's a high probability that once her career concludes, we'll be discussing where she ranks in the pantheon.
