Crystal...queen of calm & Geno's best buddy...

[Phillyconn]

Not yet. We know Moriah had it as a junior and senior, but did she have that same defensive polish and swagger as a sophomore? I don't believe she did. We can go back and look at some of her games during her sophomore year to be sure. Jefferson developed and honed it over time. Jefferson was a much better on ball defender her last two years than she was her first two.

She was a much stronger and wiser player at 20 years old than at 18. At 20 years old Jefferson knew for sure what she was doing. At 18, she was trying desperately trying to figure things out, hoping not to make any mistakes. Right now, we can only compare Dangerfield to Moriah during their first two years. Dangerfield will improve and get much better as she gets older, wiser, stronger and matures. Time will tell.

Not sure about freshman and sophomore years, but I will say MJ’s defense at it’s best was so disruptive that it was game changing. Best on ball defense I’ve ever seen. She took the hearts of opposing pg’s.

 

[Gus Mahler]

And then and then (sniffle) and then ... sh..she called me...called me...shrimp boat!

Got your attention? Yes, they are different players and bring different stuff to the table, with some very real similarites because they have the same job and the same stature, but Guns (yeah I'm still trying) has a distance to travel to get where Mo Jeff was. Do I expect it, heck yes. Will Geno et al demand it, you bet. Will it be a fun ride for us? Rhetorical question.

Have Guns, will travel.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I don't think they are all that similar beyond stature and position. I'm confident Guns will carve her own niche in UConn lore.

Following Meyers7 and Phillyconn, and with all due respect to Stewie, I felt there were a number of occasions where Mo was the dominant player on the court. As Geno once said, the game was played the way Mo wanted it played (as an extension of Geno). And her defense went beyond on-ball and shut-down, I think she often intimidated the rest of the other team. She was the cheetah the gazelle always had to be aware of.

I do think Guns is the better passer. Mo was a great basketball player in every respect but one, passing, where she was merely really, really, really good.

 

[Mister2]

Normally I'd refrain from posting in an adoration thread even when I read something I don't entirely agree with. But since MoJeff's name has been repeatedly brought up as a point of comparison, I feel compelled to step forward to do Mo some justice, who in my view is THE most under-appreciated PG in the entire history of the UCONN program.

At the PRESENT juncture, IMHO Crystal, as good a player as she is, is not even close to Mo, not only in terms of stats as some others already mentioned, but also in terms of her importance to the current team compared with Mo's importance to her team, at both ends of the field. Purely based on their college careers, I'd pick Mo over Sue in a heart beat (their pro careers are altogether a different matter).

Given Crystal has 2 more years to go, she may well in time become a giant of a PG in UCONN history--and I'd root for her in this regard as intensely as I would for any other UCONN player--but that time has not yet come. We should indeed celebrate all the success Crystal has already achieved, but let's not make premature comparisons and proclamations.

 

[Bama fan]

I think Crystal is actually the key player for us against Baylor or MSU, should we meet them in the FF. I don't remember if Vic likes to play zone or man, but Baylor definitely plays zone a lot.

A number of times this year, you could see where Crystal patiently played facilitator until the shot clock ran down, after which she deftly maneuvered herself into the lane to (calmly) drain a 12-foot pullup. She did so last night with ball screens against USF's man defense. Just as often she will do the same but then kick it outside.

Against zones, no one else can so easily penetrate the D and cause the same type of problems off the dribble. Yes, the first option at UCONN is to pass to the the player (often Gabby) at the free throw line in the middle of the zone but that's not always available. Dribble penetration done well is a backbreaker against a zone that relies on size. A healthy Crystal is a zone's biggest Danger.

ISWYDT Very smooth operator!

 

[Bama fan]

And then and then (sniffle) and then ... sh..she called me...called me...shrimp boat!

Got your attention? Yes, they are different players and bring different stuff to the table, with some very real similarites because they have the same job and the same stature, but Guns (yeah I'm still trying) has a distance to travel to get where Mo Jeff was. Do I expect it, heck yes. Will Geno et al demand it, you bet. Will it be a fun ride for us? Rhetorical question.

As to the yeah I'm still trying, I see you now have Gus M. in your camp. Keep firing away!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

and with all due respect to Stewie

Well Stewie agreed in one of the best moments about what UConn is about:

 

[HuskyFan1125]

Meg Culmo spoke on one of the SNY games about how impressed she is with Dangerfields ingame conversations with GA. She also stated that she doesn’t remember a PG ever coming over and talking with the coach so much. Not saying the others didn’t but speaking to how Crystal does it pretty much all game every game.

 

[UcMiami]

Not sure about freshman and sophomore years, but I will say MJ’s defense at it’s best was so disruptive that it was game changing. Best on ball defense I’ve ever seen. She took the hearts of opposing pg’s.

Moriah's freshman season was tough, but her final three years were outstanding:
Assists she has the 4th 6th and 7th best single years - sophomore season is second best sophomore season at uconn, junior is the best and senior is 3rd best. Career she is #1 in assists
Steals she has the 4th, 7th, and 12th best years and the best sophomore year on record (third for juniors and 6th for seniors) Career she is #2 in steals
Her shooting %:
soph - .575/.418/.768
junior - .587/.496/.843
Senior - .557/.431/.894
And a career A/TO of 2.65 with a sophomore season of 2.95
She certainly improved each year, but she was already a very dynamic defender as a sophomore. And she also has the best career shooting percentage of any guard at Uconn of .550 good for #13 on the Uconn list, and is #4 in career 3 point % and #5 in career FT %
And her team went 150 - 5 in games she played 97% win rate!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

The only player comparison debates involving UConn players that I will get into , and lord only knows they crop up often enough, are those about

And then only because it is easy because my mind is made up and I refuse any new input.