Call your shot- how good will Breanna be when her career is finished?

[alexrgct]

Premature you say? Want to just enjoy the ride, you say? Pish posh, I say.

Clearly, Breanna Stewart is very good and has played like the #1 high school recruit in the country through four games. So what do you think her career trajectory looks like when all is said and done? Could she knock someone out of UConn's all-time starting five (maybe a Sue-D-Maya-Breanna-Tina lineup)? Could she be in the discussion for all-time greatest Husky? Could she possibly obliterate that discussion and leave it moot?

It will be hard to win three NCs (as D did). It will be hard to be a four-time First Team AA (as Maya was), especially surrounded by so many talented teammates. But she does some things I've never seen before. She can put the ball on the floor like Svet, except she's taller than Svet. She can legitimately shoot threes, though she's so good in the interior already that sometimes it seems like a bad idea to have her that far from the basket. She is already one of the most disruptive interior defenders in WCBB; Griner is certainly more so, and a couple of other players can claim to be equally so, but it's a short list. She is shockingly strong and only going to get more so. She seems to have a decent sense of the moment, i.e., she's not afraid to take a shot when momentum seems to be swinging a bit to an opponent (admittedly, UConn hasn't played a competitive game yet). And really, she has no idea what she's doing on the court yet; she'll be so much better once she "gets it".

So what does this all add up to? Call your shot!

 

[THC]

I thought after watching some of her game highlights from the U19 tournament a couple summers ago that if she went to UCONN she could be the best ever. She seems to look the part so far.

 

[EricLA]

I am not sure I can vote. You didn't put up "best college player of all time" because that's what I think she will be.

 

[MilfordHusky]

So far, she has had more of an impact than Diana and possibly more than Maya. She will be on the short list, perhaps all by herself, at the end of her career. She will be at least a 3x All-American. It's hard to push by upperclassmen, but she could be a top 3-5 player as soon as this year. Can she challenge for NPOY?

 

[Scotter]

Breanna has the highest ceiling of any player to ever play at UConn, but for a little perspective through 4 games and 5 more minutes played Maya scored 9 more points on better shooting efficiency, had 4 more rebounds, two more blocks, 4 more steals, and 17 more assists than Breanna through 4 games. That's how high the bar has been set.

So far, she has had more of an impact than Diana and possibly more than Maya.

 

[Kibitzer]

No need for me to vote since I have gone on record as stating my conviction that she is definitely "Beyond category!"

 

[EricLA]

I realize Maya set the bar pretty high. However, two things. First, Diana is my all time greatest UCONN player ever and Maya is my #2. Diana scored far less than Maya did any way you look at it, so it's not all about scoring points.

Second, I don't have Maya's stats game by game, but her freshman year she averaged 17.8 PPG in 29.5 minutes per game. So far thru 4 games Breanna is averaging 18.0 PPG in 21.5 minutes per game.

It's a very small sample - 4 games - but my opinion at this time is that Bree has a legit chance to win 4 NC's, something not even Diana did, and break Maya's scoring record.

I know it's not all about the scoring, or the statistics. Not to make less of the teams that Maya played on, but at this point, there is more talent on UCONN's roster than at any time during Maya's career, and if Bree even comes close to any of Maya's statistical accomplishments given the ridiculous amount of talent on the current roster.

I know some may disagree with my last statement, but starters of Renee, Mel, Charde, Maya and Tina don't compare to Bria, Kelly, KML, Breanna and Stef. And the bench strength now blows away anything Maya ever had on her teams.

My point is so much more was accomplished by Maya in part because so much more was needed from her...

 

[Jonathan Husky]

I realize Maya set the bar pretty high. However, two things. First, Diana is my all time greatest UCONN player ever and Maya is my #2. Diana scored far less than Maya did any way you look at it, so it's not all about scoring points.

Second, I don't have Maya's stats game by game, but her freshman year she averaged 17.8 PPG in 29.5 minutes per game. So far thru 4 games Breanna is averaging 18.0 PPG in 21.5 minutes per game.

It's a very small sample - 4 games - but my opinion at this time is that Bree has a legit chance to win 4 NC's, something not even Diana did, and break Maya's scoring record.

I know it's not all about the scoring, or the statistics. Not to make less of the teams that Maya played on, but at this point, there is more talent on UCONN's roster than at any time during Maya's career, and if Bree even comes close to any of Maya's statistical accomplishments given the ridiculous amount of talent on the current roster.

I know some may disagree with my last statement, but starters of Renee, Mel, Charde, Maya and Tina don't compare to Bria, Kelly, KML, Breanna and Stef. And the bench strength now blows away anything Maya ever had on her teams.

My point is so much more was accomplished by Maya in part because so much more was needed from her...

It is only 4 meaningless games. You need to see her play against good competition before annointing her best ever. Diana is the best ever college or pro and you couldn't make that determination after 4 college games.

 

[Bigpetunia]

What impresses me most is the manner that she can exploit her incredible wingspan without fouling. This is especially apparent on offensive rebounds and second chance shots. As she inevitably gets better and better, she will be able to amass a boatload of "trash" points in this manner....and, so far as I know, those count on the scoreboard as much as her style points!

 

[Icebear]

Sorry, I had voted for Diana Maya but then must have bumped the bottom on my touch pad because it says I voted for the lowest category at the bottom.

 

[OneTrickPony]

Sorry, I had voted for Diana Maya but then must have bumped the bottom on my touch pad because it says I voted for the lowest category at the bottom.

I was wondering who the culprit was...!

 

[Kibitzer]

It is only 4 meaningless games. You need to see her play against good competition before annointing her best ever. Diana is the best ever college or pro and you couldn't make that determination after 4 college games.

Diana was so special in so many ways:

She played her best in the biggest games, especially against the accursed LadyVols.​

​

In tight games against tough teams (think UConn vs. Texas for the NC), she seemed to actually will her team to victory.​

​

She could have taken the UConn career scoring record (then owned by Sales) and her teammates wanted for her to have it. She preferred (and earned) the assist record instead.​

​

If there were a stat for Most Buzzer-Beaters, she would own it.​

​

We will never see her likes again.

 

[Vowelguy]

As Geno noted -- didnt the player she guarded score 18 pts?

 

[alexrgct]

She was guarding her?

 

[Icebear]

I was wondering who the culprit was...!

The curse of touch pads.

 

[arty155]

Premature you say?... Pish posh, I say... !

There's no call for such language. Phooey on your pish-posh!

 

[EricLA]

It is only 4 meaningless games. You need to see her play against good competition before annointing her best ever. Diana is the best ever college or pro and you couldn't make that determination after 4 college games.

I never said that nor have I anointed her "the best ever". If you took the time to read the entire thread and my very first post, I said "I am not sure I can vote. You didn't put up "best college player of all time" because that's what I think she will be."

Key into the "that's what I think she will be". It's my opinion that she has more physical gifts and potential than either Diana or Maya. But time surely will tell. In a way it's like trying to decide who the greatest was between Kareem, Michael, or Bill Russell. All had different types of games, and all were absolutely fabulous. Same with Diana, Maya and hopefully Breanna.

 

[easttexastrash]

There may never be a better competitor than DT. Will Stewart ever be able to match DT's fire and competitive spirit? How will she react when things aren't going so smoothly? Talent wise, she has all the skills to be the best ever.

 

[Kibitzer]

View attachment 1800

In a way it's like trying to decide who the greatest was between Kareem, Michael, or Bill Russell.

Russ is often asked who he thought was the greatest player, Magic or Michael or Oscar or whomever. He has a standard answer: "I don't know about those fellas, but I have the most rings." (Eleven, more than any two others who ever played and most by going head-to-head with Wilt.)

ON EDIT: The attachment doesn't transfer. Sorry. It's a photo of Russ smiling and wearing all of his NC NBA rings.

 

[blackbird]

Diana was so special in so many ways:

She played her best in the biggest games, especially against the accursed LadyVols.​

​

In tight games against tough teams (think UConn vs. Texas for the NC), she seemed to actually will her team to victory.​

​

She could have taken the UConn career scoring record (then owned by Sales) and her teammates wanted for her to have it. She preferred (and earned) the assist record instead.​

​

If there were a stat for Most Buzzer-Beaters, she would own it.​

​

We will never see her likes again.

Right, I don't put Maya in her category.

For Me it's
Diana

Maya/Tina

Lobo/Bird/Sveta

AA's (etc..)

I think when it's all said and done, she'll be at the Maya/Tina level. I doubt she'll reach Diana.

 

[Tonyc]

Breanna could be the Babe Ruth of WCBB.

 

[Rb335]

Not taking anything away from anything that Stewart has accomplished thus far, however, she did struggle with foul trouble and only produced 11 points against Texas A&M. I will be interested to see how she performs tonight against Purdue and the rest of the top tier opponents. My guess is that she will fair well. However, I think it is too early to judge a player against the all time greats when she has only played 4 games against sub par opponents.

I can see her leaving one of the greats if she lives up to her potential.

 

[Biff]

Breanna could be the Babe Ruth of WCBB.

So you're saying that she will have a candy bar named after her?

 

[formerlurker]

So you're saying that she will have a candy bar named after her?

I hope he means a candy bar because he'd have to go back a ways to identify the woman who revolutionized the sport of WBB like Ruth did baseball. Breanna may end up one of the all-time greats, maybe the best ever. But she won't be her sport's "Babe Ruth".

 

[Kibitzer]

So you're saying that she will have a candy bar named after her?

The candy bar was NOT named after Babe Ruth, the incomparable baseball player. It was actually named after President Grover Cleveland's daughter, Ruth Cleveland. Honest.

You can look it up.