Azura is already a proven commodity.
she averaged 19 ppg - 10 Boards ( 9.5 ) & 2 Blocks in an Elite conference... with in my opinion limited coaching, slow tempo Offense & on a team this past year that was very inexperienced on the perimeter.
With Stewie now graduated... could easily make a case that Azura is the most talented, versatile player in WBB.
for me.. the "potential" with this young lady...exists in now receiving coaching from the best coach in the sport / playing in a program with high level execution.
She was & is the closest thing to Stewie, wbb has to offer.
Every single time I saw her play last season... I would express how I would loved to have seen what she could do / be if she was at UConn or Notre Dame.
Agreed. It's truly mindboggling how Duke misses the NCAAs with Stevens and Greenwell in the lineup. Stevens will be a star at Connecticut. She has a really unique game--sort of a mix between Iciss Tillis and Breanna Stewart. Great perimeter skills and has a ways to go with her post game/putting on strength, but all of the tools are there for her to be a true monster for opponents. The only other 6-4/6-5 players I can think of who have had such polished perimeter skills are Stewart and Parker. The year off will only make her better, as she'll get accustom to a new offensive system, new coaching and new teammates, but she will be able to address particular areas of her own game (3 pt shooting, back to the basket post game, putting on muscle, etc.) to improve upon. A full year and a half to do this, and then she likely stays 2 years playing under Geno.
Another thing to note--she put up those great numbers while playing in a mediocre offensive system where she drew the bulk of the attention from opposing defenses. Put her in a better offensive system, with teammates draw more attention from opposing defenses and pass the ball, and it's a scary thought for non-UCONN fans.
Also--a couple of things to note. She typically has outperformed Brianna Stewart in head to head matchups, at least from ra statistical standpoint. Turner plays a smaller role at ND than Stevens did at Duke, but in watching the Duke/ND games, I usually came away more impressed with Azura. She also put together a solid game her freshman year in a blowout loss at Connecticut, but she has struggled twice going up against A'ja Wilson and South Carolina. Not sure if there's a whole lot to read into her performances against some of the better posts, but something to consider, too.
Barring injuries/transfers, Notre Dame and Connecticut will both be insanely stacked come 2017-18, and we still don't know where most of the 2017 kids are going, but both figure to be in the mix for several of the top players. Everyone else needs to hit the recruiting trail hard or work on improving their teams, because even if UCONN is down for a season, they wont be down for long.
. But fair is fair. If not Gino, then SHE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED would be the best coach and team for her. I'm sure that watching UConn's players drafted 1, 2, 3 in the WNBA made it impossible to resist coming to Storrs. It's a slam-dunk for anyone in her situation...or at least should be.
