Breanna Stewart the Best of the Greatest

[Tonyc]

A combo of Diana and Maya. She is clutch, can get open from almost anywhere, shows up from no where to make a steal or block a shot. There has never been anything like her in WCBB and shes only a soph. How scary is that? Last nite was her nite. The big game, the big spotlight, the big stage. She put on a show when her outside shot wasnt falling. She is unstoppable and can get her shot whenever she wants. After watching her this season she is a cut above any other player in WCBB maybe WBB. She is like a high school player playing againest junior high school kids. There are some great players in WCBB but there is only one special player who can dominate a game on both sides of the ball and that Breanna Stewart.

When Breanna was in 8th grade I received a call from a buddy who said to me. I just saw the greatest post player Ive ever seen and shes only in 8th grade. Now understand his daughters played against Tina Charles, Kia Vaughn and Danielle Wilson all NYers. I asked she is better then all of them and he said she can handle the ball like a guard, and can use either hand and can do everything with a basketball. I asked him her name and he said you better call Geno her name is Breanna Stewart and Mike Flynn is on his way from Philly to sign her up with the Belles. A couple of hours later he called me and said Mike had signed her up to play with the Belles and Mike said shes the best BB player he had ever seen. He said you better call Geno. So I did contact UConn and let them know about her.

As long as UConn has Breanna they will not lose a National Championship.

 

[NVUConnFan]

Hard to argue with your analysis Tony. Maybe pretty soon we'll hear Geno say: "We have Stewie and you don't!".

 

[uconnfan68]

Hard to argue with your analysis Tony. Maybe pretty soon we'll hear Geno say: "We have Stewie and you don't!".

I'm pretty sure he's already said that, but maybe not in those exact words.

 

[Icebear]

That is certainly Breanna's path and trajectory but I think it is always a fool's errand to proclaim people the best or the greatest prematurely. None of us could have anticipated the realities of Bria season with the sprained ankle last year nor did we expect the problems besetting KML this year. A simple injury or two can chamge everything. How many made 3s will be lost to KML's career with the events of this year.

Once upon a time it was a foregone conclusion for many the Tiger would break Jack's record for majors now it looks a lot less likely.

Breanna has not even won her second national championship yet. Let's let her play and just enjoy the ride without unnecessary labels that cannot be fulfilled so early in a career.

There is all the promise in the world but fulfillment only comes with every game and every season that is completed.

 

[EricLA]

I love Stewie. Having her, and KML and Moriah and Stef and Bria and Morgan is not only a cadre of AA's, but when healthy, all these kids are 1st or 2nd team college AA's. As a side note it makes me laugh when people say that by SC landing Wilson, suddenly they are a NC contender. Really? If UCONN ONLY had Stewie, and then a bunch of other solid players, would they really be winning a NC any time soon? Dee did it in probably her greatest effort in leading a team ever in the year after the TASSK force left UCONN with no seniors on the team (Johnson had left), but she also had future WNBA players of Battle, Moore and Turner on her team along with Strother so it's not like the cupboard was completely bare. Wilson would make SC terrific but good enough to challenge ND or UCONN? Not in my opinion.

At any rate back to Stewie - I think it's clear talent wise, her god-given gifts surpass other greats at her same age and time of development, but there was no leader as fierce as Dee, and no player as intense as Maya. Some day we will probably say there was no player as gifted as Stewie, and if she hoists up 4 NC's, along with Mo (and Morgan who actually could win 5), it will be a truly Herculean effort. The closest comparisons to Stewie are Parker and EDD IMHO. Stewie is light years ahead of Parker (I'd go so far as to say aside from lacking Parker's sheer strength, Stewie is a better all around player right now), but she really is a combo of those 2 players, and for a 6'4" kid with a 7' wing span, that's just crazy insane.

We are SO blessed to have this young woman on our team - helping lead them on and off the court, and we should cherish every moment of the journey because we may not see that again in a very long time.

 

[DobbsRover2]

The only thing Stewie can't do for UConn is pull a little (but big wing-spanned) sister to Storrs to follow her like some of the stars on other teams have been able to do. But we can't get greedy.

 

[Tonyc]

Well I can say I have never seen a player do what Breanna has done on both sides of the ball. She makes plays and can get open and to score. She is a phenom. Yes right now imo she is the Best of the Greatest and yes that could change yes it could. She could get a lot better and she could get injured. There are alot of variables that could change her performance one way or another but imo as of right now shes the best Ive seen and should only continue to get better. I'm glad Geno got her. See I try not to look at all the negative things that could happen to derail her career. I prefer to look at where she is and where shes headed.

I don't think I'm premature saying shes the Best because right now from what we've seen she is at that level. If your judging her by how many NCs she wins then you are correct she still has to win at least one more but she will do that with her team not as an individual. As far as the Tiger scenario. Tiger was at Jacks level until he got hurt. He may not win as many Championships as Jack because of his injuries but he is still one of the all time greats and right up there.

As far as Breanna goes. She is the best player right now in WCBB and there is no one close you can compare with her. I see her skills equivalent to Diana and Maya and her abilities to do what she does shadows both. I believe if she were in the WNBA right now she would be an All Star and one of the top players in the WNBA. What happens in the future happens but as of right now shes the Best.

 

[Icebear]

One thing that Diana does that Stewie does not do yet is make her teammates better. This is an area of available growth for her.

 

[uconnfan68]

One thing that Diana does that Stewie does not do yet is make her teammates better. This is an area of available growth for her.

But they pad their assists totals by passing to her...

 

[Icebear]

But they pad their assists totals by passing to her...

She misses a lot of those, too. She still needs to get stronger to finish on the inside.

 

[DobbsRover2]

One thing that Diana does that Stewie does not do yet is make her teammates better. This is an area of available growth for her.

Don't completely agree with that because of what she does on the defensive end. As it was noted frequently last night, Mo and Bria can afford to take more chances on the outside and also funnel defenders into the paint because they know there's a huge wingspan behind them that can alter and swat a shot even a good ways from the basket. That does make them better defenders, and it certainly changed up Shoni's game last night.

 

[alexrgct]

Hard to argue with your analysis Tony. Maybe pretty soon we'll hear Geno say: "We have Stewie and you don't!".

Or, as Geno essentially said about Maya, "This coaching thing isn't so hard when you have a player no one else has."

Or, in other words, dare we say "Breanna is the bomb"?

 

[Icebear]

Don't completely agree with that because of what she does on the defensive end. As it was noted frequently last night, Mo and Bria can afford to take more chances on the outside and also funnel defenders into the paint because they know there's a huge wingspan behind them that can alter and swat a shot even a good ways from the basket. That does make them better defenders, and it certainly changed up Shoni's game last night.

I was thinking about offense and how DT raised/s the tone of other players. Stewie is young and that leadership may still emerge but DT came in with it in spades.

 

[Waquoit]

I was thinking about offense and how DT raised/s the tone of other players. Stewie is young and that leadership may still emerge but DT came in with it in spades.

That's part of the job description of a guard. Forwards have other responsibilities. DT never had a rebound like that one-hander Stewie grabbed last night. And she has plenty of leadership. She led the team to a ring as a freshman. No one has come close to beating them this year. Perhaps it's too early for declarations but I just love her game. She is a baller.

 

[Icebear]

That's part of the job description of a guard. Forwards have other responsibilities. DT never had a rebound like that one-hander Stewie grabbed last night. And she has plenty of leadership. She led the team to a ring as a freshman. No one has come close to beating them this year. Perhaps it's too early for declarations but I just love her game. She is a baller.

I agree it is part of the definition of a guard. The leadership aspect that Diana had is not, however, limited to guards. Walton had it, Russell had it. Stef has it, as well. We will see if Stewie develops it.

 

[johnnyc]

Of course.....some may argue that she is the greatest of the best.

 

[johnnyc]

I agree it is part of the definition of a guard. The leadership aspect that Diana had is not, however, limited to guards. Walton had it, Russell had it. Stef has it, as well. We will see if Stewie develops it.

She showed pretty good leadership as a freshman in the Final Four last season.

 

[Buzzyboy]

One thing that Diana does that Stewie does not do yet is make her teammates better. This is an area of available growth for her.

I don't know, did Diana make her teammates better or maybe was it just their own development with some major help from our remarkable coaching staff? I think that statement is pretty difficult to prove one way or the other. She was strong willed and intense and maybe some of it rubbed off on her teammates but she did have some talented girls with her even her junior and senior year. What did she do and how did she do it in terms of making her teammates better? I don't think there was big expectations for them to win those two years but maybe the motivation was that everyone felt that Sue and Swin and the others leaving left the cupboard bare.

 

[Icebear]

Diana makes the players on every team she plays with better. She delivers the ball to them on time and in position. She motivates them to work hard to get open knowing that their effort will be rewarded.

Johnnyc, no Breanna did not demonstrate leadership in the Final Four. Being dominant or the leading scorer is not leadership. Kelly demonstrated leadership demonstrating constant effort and working hard at every phase of the game and holding others accountable. Breanna did show some last night as did Kiah both speaking up more than has been seen in the past.

 

[Waquoit]

Breanna did not demonstrate leadership in the Final Four.

Yeah, right.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

"Johnnyc, no Breanna did not demonstrate leadership in the Final Four"

Ice...impossible for me to not see her NCAA performance as the/a quintessential form of leading a team to victory.

 

[Icebear]

That is not the type of leadership that changes and improves the play of others. There have been plenty of great scorers who were SOBs to their teammates and were miserable to play with. Breanna has time and needs to mature as a leader. Kelly did, too, Stef would admit she needed to and others as well. DT and Maya had leadership in spades. Renee was a strong leader early on, too. Khalid El Amin was a leader for the men's team for the first time he stepped on the court.

As a catcher on the baseball field I was taught to be a leader early on given the responsibility of managing everyone on the field. It someone was out of place it was my fault. It carried over into when I played the field. I was always engaged in what my teammates were doing. You learned to build them up and to settle them down. That the type of leadership I saw in the above and it is something Breanna needs to grow into and probably will. She has time and she is doing more than last year but she's not there yet.

 

[housekeys]

That is not the type of leadership that changes and improves the play of others. There have been plenty of great scorers who were SOBs to their teammates and were miserable to play with. Breanna has time and needs to mature as a leader. Kelly did, too, Stef would admit she needed to and others as well. DT and Maya had leadership in spades. Renee was a strong leader early on, too. Khalid El Amin was a leader for the men's team for the first time he stepped on the court.

As a catcher on the baseball field I was taught to be a leader early on given the responsibility of managing everyone on the field. It someone was out of place it was my fault. It carried over into when I played the field. I was always engaged in what my teammates were doing. You learned to build them up and to settle them down. That the type of leadership I saw in the above and it is something Breanna needs to grow into and probably will. She has time and she is doing more than last year but she's not there yet.

"Type" of leadership? Leadership is not ALL about being verbal and dictating what others need to do or where they should be on the court. Leadership is not ALL about maturity. Leadership is not ALL about charisma. Naturally, at only a sophomore, she has time to mature and improve upon her "leadership" qualities, but that does not mean she has not been a leader.

The kind of leadership provided by BS is salient. Lead by example. Others are improved and play better because they know that BS can have such an impact on a game. Her teammates get empowered by her and play with more confidence. BS may never exhibit the kind of "leadership" you envision, but you are mistaken to think she is not a leader.

Finally, and as you and others have pointed out, this team has more than one leader. Stef, Bria and KML, all have similar empowering characteristics which make BS better. That is why this team is so great.

 

[johnnyc]

Ice...impossible for me to not see her NCAA performance as the/a quintessential form of leading a team to victory.

Yes there are different forms of leadership. Showing up in big games with big numbers is one of them.