Azura Stevens Leaving | Page 13 | The Boneyard

Azura Stevens Leaving

Longtime fan said:
Please define what you mean by , "UCONN will be fine."

Do you mean we will win our AAC championship? Stay undefeated against SMU?

Do you mean we will make the NCAA tournament?

Do you mean we will come just as close next year to winning it all, as we did this year? And the year before that?

Or do you mean we will have a fun team to watch, made up of fantastic young women athletes, who will play well and be competitive?

Maybe that is the right answer. Maybe we have to throw those championship expectations out the window and be happy. Maybe that is much better. I know it is a lot easier.
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Different benchmark now. Similar to several years ago, we will likely see UConn win games they were not favored in. Unlikely to get to final 4 but still be strong team with great players and fun to watch. Not every team can win every year - take pride in what they excel in.
 
HoopsFan21 said:
A scholarship is worth more than a rookie salary. The top five draft picks make $45k or somewhere around there. What school nowadays is $45k/year when you factor in food, books, housing, etc.?
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more than double this with Asia or other seasons.
 
msugrad00 said:
Better beat up on MSU next year and even that will be hard to do with Big T but in two years Vic will unleash the "Sick Sophomores":
PG- Myah Taylor(5'7" 5 star recruit from outside of Memphis)
SG- Andra Espinoza-Hunter(5'11" 5 star recruit from outside of NYC)
SF- Xaria Wiggins(6'1" 4 star recruit from Virginia Beach)
PF- Jessika Carter(6'4" 5 star recruit from the Atlanta area)
C- Daphane White(6'5" 5 star recruit from the MS gulf coast)
Like I said...you better get us next year because after that...we gonna be fierce for a while :)
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Fierce? With that lineup? More like Puppy Chow.
You won't make it past the porch with the UCONN Huskies guarding it.
WolfHybridDomesticDogCrossDogsLakota2YearsOld3.jpg
 
Bronx23 said:
This all sounds logical the way you explained it, but is as many here, seems to be either overly optimistic or overly pessimistic.
Having a HS #1 doesn't necessarily mean a thing. MW has an enormous amount of work to do mentally and physically, to become a meaningful part of next years team. While it's surely doable, it's also very possible she becomes a good support player.
I truly hope that CW and Ono now start but that will mean two freshman playing strong roles, when it is hard for even one to do that.
We clearly had one off recruiting year, with potentially a second following that one.
I think an undefeated season is almost impossible. A #1 seed highly unlikely, and a final four appearance requires every part to fall into place.
Also talent doesn't often or even usually translate to any of those three things happening. Look at Texas or even Baylor, as two examples of great talent not going as far as anticipated.
I do though believe next years team, baring any significant injuries, to be better than expected now. I think Geno will be unburdened by the pressure of a 100+ game winning streak and two undefeated seasons going into the FF. I think he will coach his butt off and enjoy it more. I believe that KLS will get better, score more, and continue being a better, more balanced player. Pheesa also will have a great season and take over more of the load. Crystal will hopefully be over her shin splints and will have learned a lot to make her even better than she was this year. Some of the remaining players will need to step up. I'm guessing that CW will begin her journey to become legendary. Ono will have to grow faster than she should have to. MW will improve and become a solid first sub. Then whether it be Kayla, Batouly or Coombs will have their opportunities to be part of the mix.
I believe we will lose 2-4 regular season games, which actually will become a good thing. I'm hoping for them to get to and through the Elite Eight, which will be a significant accomplishment. Them hopefully the next two years we will bring in strong recruiting classes and be right back in the front or middle of everything. As evidenced by the four teams in the FF, there's much more talent and equality in the women's game, which is wonderful.
Bronx23
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Well, with all due respect, I’ll mark you down on the overly pessimistic side. I think we have a powerhouse roster next year, talent-wise. And a decent coaching staff too. I think MW may have had a difficult time adjusting to getting broken down and built back up in the “UConn way,” but she should come on as a budding superstar next year. She’ll still need some work on defense, but when she’s over being worried about the “system” and making mistakes, she will be an explosive offensive player. Hopefully the process will be smoother for CW but, regardless, UConn should be loaded by any standard. I think 2-4 losses is way, way unlikely.
 
Plebe said:
That wasn’t the question.

Do you think this year’s team would have been better without Azurá?
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that was my answer

and no to you 2nd question
 
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Quite obviously Stevens expected a lot more than she got at UConn. Did she deserve more? I suppose that depends on your point of view, or more importantly Geno's. Personally, I'm glad she's leaving. There's no question that she has talent and can score from inside 2-ft., especially against smaller post players. She can also rebound, but keep in mind that many of her offensive boards were from her own missed shots. Additionally, her presence on offense disrupted the flow, changed the dynamics of it and definitely altered Pheesa's game (probably costing her a repeat first team AA position). With Z in the game, it was rare that once the ball went inside it wasn't coming back out. I wish her well in the WNBA, but she's going to find it much tougher to score and rebound when she's playing against people who measure up much greater than she did at Duke or UConn. And, playing defense without fouling will continue to be a struggle for her.
 
Ageed. She has her degree and she can dedicate her time to basketball and get paid. Of course she should pursue her professional aspirations.
 
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ScarlettB said:
Azura was coached by Geno and his staff for 2 years. Maybe she felt she had learned as much as she needed to compete at the next level. Maybe she felt she was underutilized this season because Geno didn't trust her enough. I don't watch as many UConn games as you all do, but in the games I saw her play, I thought she was very effective. Yet, she wasn't a starter and she often wasn't in the game at crucial times. It wasn't like there was another player of her size at UConn that she had to compete with, yet Geno seemed to prefer to go with a smaller line up rather than play her more. You all had Natalie Butler transfer and she also wasn't utilized at UConn the way she was at Georgetown or George Mason - which I assume is why she left. I could understand that Natalie might have been a little below your other starters, but I think Z is very talented and would have started at any other top program.
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Who would you have benched in order to start Z and why?
KLS? Gabby? Kia? Crystal Dangerfield? Pheesa?
I'm not trying to be obnoxious here, and you may well be right. But I do think we ought to understand who we would have had to subtract in order to add Z to the starting line-up. And since Geno believes that subs should change the dynamics when they come in, how would that have changed if the sub was someone else?
 
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JellyBean said:
Great talent. I wish her the best.
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Agreed! But also agree with others, if she waited, she'd be a lot better pro! You can't learn imho as you can at a place like UCONN!
Others here should Chill!
UCONN will be great next year, and the favorite to win it all again when the tournament starts! We got Geno/CD/and the rest of the best coaching staff in women's basketball!!
Give credit to 2 teams who in OT with their best game, beat UCONN on an off day! Last year it was offence, this year it was defense. We lost 2 games in 2 years and some of you have lost your mind!
No team has 3 better players returning!
We got the high school payer of the year from last year coming back with a year learning under her belt! To me she looks like she could be Gabby 2, (but a far better shooter) with her athletic ability!
And we got the high school player of the year coming in next year who could turn out to be MAYA 2! Plus we got #5 slama jama ODA, a real center coming in to fill the middle!
Look at the final 4 teams, in this tournament, all the teams rarely went more then 6 players per game! Our bench is plenty deep enough!
I'm feeling great, we might be on the verge of another 4 straight Championship years!!! Go UCONN!!!

PS I've read this site for years, but had to join yesterday to calm everyone down!
 
UConnNick said:
Despite the obvious fact that Z should have played most if not all of the 2H on Friday evening, I seriously doubt that was the deciding factor regarding her decision to go pro. I imagine she'd already made that decision some time before the Final Four took place. She doesn't strike me as the type of person who makes a decision like that on the spur of a moment.
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+1. One doesn't make that announcement so soon after their last game, without knowing in advance that that is what she was planning all along.
 
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Not trying to stir the pot but when will the WNBA deal with the inequality of saying when a female player can go pro?
 
wallman said:
Not trying to stir the pot but when will the WNBA deal with the inequality of saying when a female player can go pro?
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I think the WNBA has it right. If anyone needs to change it’s the NBA. I’d really like to see a lot more MBB players earn their degrees and develop their games in college.
 
Bronx23 said:
I honestly think he was a bit flexible with MW as she was literally handed the 7th player role, even when there were much less talented players, who earned it in practice every day. She was given repeated opportunities to solidify that spot and never could.
It literally drives me more nuts than I already am, with many here, if not most, handing MW the starting job next year. And it taking about her becoming an AA or even NPOY. Actually unless she improves enormously in quite a few areas, she may again be 6th or 7th player.
While neither of CW or Ono has practiced for even one minute, I think both may well start, because they saw as clear as day, what happened this year. There are now two starting spots and the 6th player available, and I think they might just grab it. Also they both fit best into the roles needed of players on the team. I hope for MW that she solidifies the 6th spot as they need a slashing, driving offensive player badly. But she is not a guard and CW clearly is, and I at least here think she might have the attitude and personality to want to take over.
While AZ leaving is a huge loss on top of Gabby and Kia, it provides enormous opportunities for pretty much every one.
I think Geno actually will be re-energized as no one now will pick them as the favorites and there's so, so much to do to get them to be a good team. The expectations of a NC, undefeated season will be significantly lessened. His coaching in the last two semi-final losses was no where near his capabilities. One could give him a pass for last years loss as it was so unexpected and yes, also sooner or later, one has to lose. His coaching in this semi-final was much less than stellar. I won't go into all this in depth now but I think he will do better with the challenges of next years team than most will expect. If he doesn't or can't, it may well speak the end of probably one of, if not the best, coaches, teams in any team sport ever.
As in life in a moment or a few moments, things can change enormously. We lost Ezi, we lost in the semi- finals, we lost AZ - all unexpected to most here.
One if my closest friends, his wife of many years, suffered a horrible stroke a little more than a year ago, leaving her profoundly limited in speech and mobility. She suffered and struggled for shy of three months before passing away. That is how truly bad change and loss can and does look.
We can all use a bit of perspective, as much as so many here love U Conn women's BB, change is upon us! How do we handle it and ourselves?
Bronx23
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Perspective is surely correct. My condolences on your friends passing. I've worked in Cardiac Cath Labs most of my career, and have seen 40 year old, outpatients, walk in, and leave to the morgue. Every day that I wake up on top of the dirt, is a good day. WCBB is a great diversion, but it is not the end of the world if we lose.
 
oldude said:
I think the WNBA has it right. If anyone needs to change it’s the NBA. I’d really like to see a lot more MBB players earn their degrees and develop their games in college.
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Understand what your saying but ultimately its not your choice, it should be the choice of the individual and by stopping individuals from earning while the NCAA is earning money is not equitable.
 
wallman said:
Understand what your saying but ultimately its not your choice, it should be the choice of the individual and by stopping individuals from earning while the NCAA is earning money is not equitable.
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Of course it’s not my choice. But any league has the right to set it’s own restrictions relative to who may, or may not play in that league.

I would point out that after Lebron and other HS players were drafted, with mixed results, the NBA actually raised the age limit for eligibility to 19. I’d like to see them raise it again to 22 or 4 years after your HS graduation as the WNBA has done. MBB would be so much better without “one and dones.”
 
oldude said:
Of course it’s not my choice. But any league has the right to set it’s own restrictions relative to who may, or may not play in that league.

I would point out that after Lebron and other HS players were drafted, with mixed results, the NBA actually raised the age limit for eligibility to 19. I’d like to see them raise it again to 22 or 4 years after your HS graduation as the WNBA has done. MBB would be so much better without “one and dones.”
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But that is the point. Not every high school kid wants to go to college and has the drive for an education. Just as guys get to choose then why should the gals not have the same choice.
 
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oldude said:
I think the WNBA has it right. If anyone needs to change it’s the NBA. I’d really like to see a lot more MBB players earn their degrees and develop their games in college.
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The money in the NBA is way to much to expect that. It is unrealistic to expect top tier players to miss out on incredible income opportunities. You can always go back for your education if you want to.
 
Shenandoah said:
It does allow her to go overseas after the W season is finished, where the money is, in many cases much better.
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Very good point. You are of course correct.
I wish Z the best of luck. When Justine was interviewing her after the game and she was bawling her eyes out, not like a gabby cry but a full on crocodile tears I said to myself ut oh...
 
oldude said:
I think the WNBA has it right. If anyone needs to change it’s the NBA. I’d really like to see a lot more MBB players earn their degrees and develop their games in college.
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I agree. That was one of the problems that I had with Jim Calhoun. I understand that he was just playing the game the way it was designed, but I hated to see players only play for a year or 2, then bolt for the pros. Nothing, including health, is guaranteed, but at least with a degree, one has a better shot at success after the career, however short or long it is, is finished. That is also my take on Azura leaving. The chance for a free Master's Degree is nothing to sneeze at. But, she didn't ask me!
 
wallman said:
But that is the point. Not every high school kid wants to go to college and has the drive for an education. Just as guys get to choose then why should the gals not have the same choice.
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Guys get to choose if they’re 19 and over. I’m suggesting the NBA let them choose once they’re 22.

If they don’t want to go to college, they can play overseas like the younger 2 Ball brothers, or they can opt to play in the D-league, like the top recruit for Syracuse who recently decommitted.
 
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