Courant: Is Paige already the best UCONN frosh ever?

[maccca3232]

 

[Skeets]

Let’s just say Paige is having a great season. Comparing her to past freshman just doesn’t play out. Different freshman had different, perhaps better, teammates, and played possibly harder schedules. I suspect Paige could have held her own but might not have needed to.

I've posted this a couple of times that comparing players from different years is all but impossible because there are too many moving pieces, i.e. different teammates, different opponents, different player requirements, different viruses, etc. Like Geno said, you can't dip your toe in the same river twice. (I'm going to keep posting this, at least until I get a "like" )

 

[Waquoit]

I’m starting to think she is.

 

[DefenseBB]

Ok, while I get this forum cares about championships (and rightly so!), the question that @SVCBeercats poised was Best Freshman ever-to which up until this year was Maya Moore and it wasn't even close for Stewie or DT. Maya was BE POY her Freshman year (Stewie wasn't even FOY); Maya was an 1st All-American, (Stewie/DT weren't even honorable mentions) and Maya was 2nd to Candace Parker for National POY.

So, to @Cuango and SVC, yes while Breanna Stewart won the MOP of the Final Four, that doesn't encompass her 3 failures against ND during the season on a more talented team (and a loss to Baylor). That team went 35-4. I would argue that Stewie is the greatest all time over her 4 years with the 4 MOP's, the winning streak and her 3 AA's plus her 4 titles but that is a different thread.

Paige is in the same company as Maya and only Maya. And arguments against better have some analysis to them otherwise, it's pure "fake news"....

 

[Purchase1]

Ok, while I get this forum cares about championships (and rightly so!), the question that @SVCBeercats poised was Best Freshman ever-to which up until this year was Maya Moore and it wasn't even close for Stewie or DT. Maya was BE POY her Freshman year (Stewie wasn't even FOY); Maya was an 1st All-American, (Stewie/DT weren't even honorable mentions) and Maya was 2nd to Candace Parker for National POY.

So, to @Cuango and SVC, yes while Breanna Stewart won the MOP of the Final Four, that doesn't encompass her 3 failures against ND during the season on a more talented team (and a loss to Baylor). That team went 35-4. I would argue that Stewie is the greatest all time over her 4 years with the 4 MOP's, the winning streak and her 3 AA's plus her 4 titles but that is a different thread.

Paige is in the same company as Maya and only Maya. And arguments against better have some analysis to them otherwise, it's pure "fake news"....

I’m glad someone said it! It always feels as if we leave Maya out of these conversations she literally revived this program and dominated out of the gate!

 

[Gurleyman]

I’m glad someone said it! It always feels as if we leave Maya out of these conversations she literally revived this program and dominated out of the gate!

Were it not for Skylar Diggins, I think Maya would be the universal UConn GOAT. Give her title 3 without Charles, carrying us as a senior, and she’s ahead of DT ... and then the only argument becomes does Stewart’s 4 titles trump overall Maya’s 3-title, 3000-point, 3-losses-in-4-years package.

That loss - even though Maya had 36 - seemed to put her in the third spot on Rushmore. The tourney is such a crapshoot sometimes. If Texas had Diggins to answer DT’s big shots, DT loses her signature.

 

[VidNick]

Paige at this stage is not as good as Maya was. Maya was more physically developed as a Freshman. She also played against far better competition. She was also better than Taurasi. The only thing for me about Maya is (if memory serves correctly) she disappeared a bit in a couple of the games the team really needed her.

 

[MilfordHusky]

For Paige to match Maya in some ways, she needs to finish at least 2nd in the AP POY voting. For her to match Stewie in some ways, she needs a national championship and the Final Four MOP trophy. Can Paige do that? Damn right, she can. I hope she does.

 

[Gurleyman]

Paige at this stage is not as good as Maya was. Maya was more physically developed as a Freshman. She also played against far better competition. She was also better than Taurasi. The only thing for me about Maya is (if memory serves correctly) she disappeared a bit in a couple of the games the team really needed her.

They had different strengths. Both were/are very efficient for freshmen. Maya was a much better rebounder, and could get you buckets on the offensive glass (where Paige never wanders) and get to the foul line (where Paige needs to learn to visit more). But Paige’s passing is probably as good as anyone who ever played WCBB already, and her takeover gene in the clutch is up there too (in a small sample size). I might be misremembering, but I feel like Maya had issues as a ball handler early in her career, so Renee Montgomery did most of that work and Maya could keep it simple - catch and shoot and attack the offensive glass.

Maya is the gold standard to this point though. Perhaps an ordinary March for Paige and Maya can keep the best overall frosh title for helping us to the FF after a strong regular season. Stewie is gold standard for just the NCAA which will be hard to match, but her overall body of work doesn’t compare to Maya or Paige (not one of the 22 players chosen All-Big East).

 

[Waquoit]

The only thing for me about Maya is (if memory serves correctly) she disappeared a bit in a couple of the games the team really needed her.

Paige doesn't have that luxury.

 

[UConnCat]

Paige at this stage is not as good as Maya was. Maya was more physically developed as a Freshman. She also played against far better competition. She was also better than Taurasi. The only thing for me about Maya is (if memory serves correctly) she disappeared a bit in a couple of the games the team really needed her.

As a freshman? UConn lost 2 games that year -- regular season loss at Rutgers and FF loss to Stanford -- and Maya didn't disappear in either of those games. Maya's worst game as a freshman might have been the Elite 8 game against Rutgers but UConn won anyway.

 

[diggerfoot]

I love how your chart shows at a glance that either need at a position or need from the overall roster is a greater factor than efficiency in determination of playing time.