Graham Hays: Is Azurá Stevens the best Husky of them all?

[Carnac]

The bubble is a familiar concept in college sports, that anxious limbo as a team waits to find out whether it made the NCAA tournament. Azurá Stevens lived it when her Duke team missed the postseason in 2016.
But she also endured an anxiety peculiar to women's basketball a season earlier, one that affects even teams whose postseason places are assured.

"It didn't matter who else we were playing against, we just didn't want to be in UConn's bracket until the championship," Stevens recalled. "It was like if you got in their bracket, your shoulders just slumped because eventually you had to play them, and probably you're going to lose."

"She's like Kevin Durant. You can play her a lot of different places."
Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley on UConn's Azurá Stevens

[Article]

 

[MilfordHusky]

Well, ESPN rated her #9, but 600 days without a meaningful game is a long layoff. She certainly has potential. Here's my ranking of our top 6:

1. Crystal
1. Gabby
1. Kia
1. Lou
1. Pheesa
1. Z

(alphabetical order)

 

[YellwJcket999]

I'll take a shot.

1. Dangerfield
2. Kia
3. KLS
4. Gabby
5. NaPheesa
6. Azure
7. Megan Walker
8. Batouly (She will move up to 7 once her knee is better.)

 

[bags27]

The bubble is a familiar concept in college sports, that anxious limbo as a team waits to find out whether it made the NCAA tournament. Azurá Stevens lived it when her Duke team missed the postseason in 2016.

But she also endured an anxiety peculiar to women's basketball a season earlier, one that affects even teams whose postseason places are assured.

"It didn't matter who else we were playing against, we just didn't want to be in UConn's bracket until the championship," Stevens recalled. "It was like if you got in their bracket, your shoulders just slumped because eventually you had to play them, and probably you're going to lose."

[Article]

great article: thanks so much, Scoop!

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Great article with more than its share of quotable observations. I like this one.

Now a roster that features three returning All-Americans (Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson Gabby Williams) and a Canadian Olympian (Kia Nurse) includes a 6-foot-6 player with a soft touch and the potential to be the best of them all. The best in Storrs, Connecticut. The best in America. As if there is a difference. And that's why she came. Not because wins would be easier but because there is one thing more difficult than beating UConn on any given day.

That is being UConn every single day.

 

[CocoHusky]

Graham Hays now and Geno previously add much credibility to what has been proposed here by a few- that Azura may be best player on this UCONN roster.

"Auriemma said, at times, Stevens was the best player on the court. "There was no matchup for Azura," he said. "None."

"Now a roster that features three returning All-Americans (Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson Gabby Williams) and a Canadian Olympian (Kia Nurse) includes a 6-foot-6 player with a soft touch and the potential to be the best of them all."

For those that continue to insist that Azura cannot be the best player on this team because she has played "exactly zero games in a UCONN uniform" consider :

1) Azura's much more heralded teammates Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson Gabby Williams were in the gym for which Geno is saying there were no matchups, as was A'ja Wilson and Kia Stokes. Uhm...seems like I'm forgetting soneone. Can someone please remind me, who else was at that camp where Geno said there was no matchups up for Azura?

2) Freshmen Azura Stevens played in a game featuring 3 All American players ( KML, Breanna Stewart, Elizabeth Williams) and three additional players that would be named AA ( Moriah Jefferson, Morgan Tuck, Gabby Williams). Duke lost the game badly but Azura Stevens outscored ALL the current and future AA with the exception of Moriah Jefferson who went on a 2nd half 3Pt barage to break the game open and outscored Azura in that game by 2 points.

3) For the most part we are talking about potential here, Graham use that word in his article. Geno turns potential into reality better than anyone, which is a point @CamrnCrz1974 has always pointed out whenever this subject comes up. Azura teammates have had the benefit of Geno's tutulage for at least twice as long in some cases 3 times as long as Azura, so it's pretty remarkable that Azura is this close to her present teammates.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Do you think Christyn Williams had similar thoughts? I do!

In re Azura Stevens: "The best in Storrs, Connecticut. The best in America. As if there is a difference. And that's why she came." Graham Hayes

 

[MilfordHusky]

I love the “As if there is a difference.”

 

[MilfordHusky]

Graham Hays now and Geno previously add much credibility to what has been proposed here by a few- that Azura may be best player on this UCONN roster.

"Auriemma said, at times, Stevens was the best player on the court. "There was no matchup for Azura," he said. "None."

"Now a roster that features three returning All-Americans (Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson Gabby Williams) and a Canadian Olympian (Kia Nurse) includes a 6-foot-6 player with a soft touch and the potential to be the best of them all."

For those that continue to insist that Azura cannot be the best player on this team because she has played "exactly zero games in a UCONN uniform" consider :

1) Azura's much more heralded teammates Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson Gabby Williams were in the gym for which Geno is saying there were no matchups, as was A'ja Wilson and Kia Stokes. Uhm...seems like I'm forgetting soneone. Can someone please remind me, who else was at that camp where Geno said there was no matchups up for Azura?

2) Freshmen Azura Stevens played in a game featuring 3 All American players ( KML, Breanna Stewart, Elizabeth Williams) and three additional players that would be named AA ( Moriah Jefferson, Morgan Tuck, Gabby Williams). Duke lost the game badly but Azura Stevens outscored ALL the current and future AA with the exception of Moriah Jefferson who went on a 2nd half 3Pt barage to break the game open and outscored Azura in that game by 2 points.

3) For the most part we are talking about potential here, Graham use that word in his article. Geno turns potential into reality better than anyone, which is a point @CamrnCrz1974 has always pointed out whenever this subject comes up. Azura teammates have had the benefit of Geno's tutulage for at least twice as long in some cases 3 times as long as Azura, so it's pretty remarkable that Azura is this close to her present teammates.

I don’t buy that Z is the best player on the team today, but I may by mid-season. Even so, she may not start.

 

[augustaTC]

Not yet.

 

[cohenzone]

Graham Hays now and Geno previously add much credibility to what has been proposed here by a few- that Azura may be best player on this UCONN roster.

"Auriemma said, at times, Stevens was the best player on the court. "There was no matchup for Azura," he said. "None."

"Now a roster that features three returning All-Americans (Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson Gabby Williams) and a Canadian Olympian (Kia Nurse) includes a 6-foot-6 player with a soft touch and the potential to be the best of them all."

For those that continue to insist that Azura cannot be the best player on this team because she has played "exactly zero games in a UCONN uniform" consider :

1) Azura's much more heralded teammates Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson Gabby Williams were in the gym for which Geno is saying there were no matchups, as was A'ja Wilson and Kia Stokes. Uhm...seems like I'm forgetting soneone. Can someone please remind me, who else was at that camp where Geno said there was no matchups up for Azura?

2) Freshmen Azura Stevens played in a game featuring 3 All American players ( KML, Breanna Stewart, Elizabeth Williams) and three additional players that would be named AA ( Moriah Jefferson, Morgan Tuck, Gabby Williams). Duke lost the game badly but Azura Stevens outscored ALL the current and future AA with the exception of Moriah Jefferson who went on a 2nd half 3Pt barage to break the game open and outscored Azura in that game by 2 points.

3) For the most part we are talking about potential here, Graham use that word in his article. Geno turns potential into reality better than anyone, which is a point @CamrnCrz1974 has always pointed out whenever this subject comes up. Azura teammates have had the benefit of Geno's tutulage for at least twice as long in some cases 3 times as long as Azura, so it's pretty remarkable that Azura is this close to her present teammates.

She’s a great player. But the point in that paragraph two about her outscoring every UConn AA but MoJeff says more about UConn’s balance than anything else. What is more impressive is that as a freshman she was Duke’s go to player.

 

[msf22b]

I'll take a shot.

1. Dangerfield
2. Kia
3. KLS
4. Gabby
5. NaPheesa
6. Azure
7. Megan Walker
8. Batouly (She will move up to 7 once her knee is better.)

Of course you may be correct, but there is so much and such varied talent among this constellation of stars, that it may (even ultimately) be difficult, nigh almost impossible to rank these woman.

Making for interesting draft decisions for our WNBA brethren and sisters.

 

[YellwJcket999]

Of course you may be correct, but there is so much and such varied talent among this constellation of stars, that it may (even ultimately) be difficult, nigh almost impossible to rank these woman.

Making for interesting draft decisions for our WNBA brethren and sisters.

My post wasn't a ranking. It was just the starting 5 in their position. Azura -6th Woman. Megan next then Batouly etc..

I don't think anyone got my attempt at dry humor

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Geno turns potential into reality...

It seems that everyone either has come or is coming to the realization Geno is one of sport's?/the country's? great leaders.

What I especially liked (with all due respect to the always lucid CamrnCrz1974) is the part isolated above. "Turns potential into reality." The very definition of leading.