oldude
bamboo lover
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2016
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This thread is not intended to be yet another GOAT discussion. It is intended to acknowledge that WBB has never seen a more versatile and impactful player than Breanna Mackenzie (Baldwin) Stewart. I could go on at length about all the individual accolades Stewie has collected through the years, but my greater goal is to draw attention to the incredible number of championship teams Stewie has played on, usually as the star of those teams.
Stewie’s Cicero-North HS team won 2 NY State AA championships. At the age of 14, she helped her USA team win the U-16 World Championship. At the age of 15 she helped her USA team win the U-17 World Championship, leading the team in blocks and 2nd in scoring. At the age of 16, Stewie helped her USA team win the U-19 World Championships. Although Stewie was one of the youngest players on that team, she lead the team in scoring, making the all-tournament team. In the 2011 PanAm games, against predominantly professional teams, Stewie was the only HS player on a US squad that otherwise consisted of college players. While the US did not win that tournament, Stewie lead the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks.
There’s a pattern emerging here. Stewie, often the youngest player on the team, was typically the best player on the team. She won two more FIBA age specific championships on the U18 & U19 teams in 2012 & 2013. By that time, Stewie was in college racking up national championships with UConn, 4 to be precise fulfilling her bold prediction in the process. Add in two WNBA Championships, two Senior Women’s World Championships and two Olympic Gold medals and it’s pretty clear that all Stewie does is win championships.
Stewie’s incredible combination of size, skill, athleticism, basketball IQ, and ability to raise her game on the biggest stage is something we’ve never quite seen in WBB. EDD, Parker and others are similar players, but nobody really rises to Stewie’s level. Someone suggested that “Kevin Durant is the Breanna Stewart of MBB.” That’s about as close as anyone gets.
The most impressive thing about Stewie is that she continues to get better. Watching her this year in the W and during the Olympics, she’s running the court as well as ever. Her handle, court awareness, passing, midrange game, ability to play through contact and hit shots with a defender in her face have all improved significantly. As much as Stewie has accomplished, it’s easy to forget that she’s only 26. I will repeat what I said a few days ago. So long as Stewie is on the US National Team, every other country is playing for second place.
Stewie’s Cicero-North HS team won 2 NY State AA championships. At the age of 14, she helped her USA team win the U-16 World Championship. At the age of 15 she helped her USA team win the U-17 World Championship, leading the team in blocks and 2nd in scoring. At the age of 16, Stewie helped her USA team win the U-19 World Championships. Although Stewie was one of the youngest players on that team, she lead the team in scoring, making the all-tournament team. In the 2011 PanAm games, against predominantly professional teams, Stewie was the only HS player on a US squad that otherwise consisted of college players. While the US did not win that tournament, Stewie lead the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks.
There’s a pattern emerging here. Stewie, often the youngest player on the team, was typically the best player on the team. She won two more FIBA age specific championships on the U18 & U19 teams in 2012 & 2013. By that time, Stewie was in college racking up national championships with UConn, 4 to be precise fulfilling her bold prediction in the process. Add in two WNBA Championships, two Senior Women’s World Championships and two Olympic Gold medals and it’s pretty clear that all Stewie does is win championships.
Stewie’s incredible combination of size, skill, athleticism, basketball IQ, and ability to raise her game on the biggest stage is something we’ve never quite seen in WBB. EDD, Parker and others are similar players, but nobody really rises to Stewie’s level. Someone suggested that “Kevin Durant is the Breanna Stewart of MBB.” That’s about as close as anyone gets.
The most impressive thing about Stewie is that she continues to get better. Watching her this year in the W and during the Olympics, she’s running the court as well as ever. Her handle, court awareness, passing, midrange game, ability to play through contact and hit shots with a defender in her face have all improved significantly. As much as Stewie has accomplished, it’s easy to forget that she’s only 26. I will repeat what I said a few days ago. So long as Stewie is on the US National Team, every other country is playing for second place.
