How does Paige compare to Diana, Maya, and Breanna?

[TCC Kid]

Don't forget that promise and potential are meaningless without actually playing and demonstrating greatness on a regular and consistent basis.

I see a different meaning---however with a person's ability Promise and Potential are essentially the same: Expectations. You may never live up to the Potential but it was there, and for Paige it is there. So, I suggest it isn't meaningless. If Consistency is required, Stewie and one could argue (taking in her freshman NCAA NC game) DT didn't have Potential. Stewie blew most freshman potential as did DT---that takes away the "on a regular basis" I guess when we start speaking in terms of Greatness--great humans aren't always great, except in our memories.

 

[LuvBball]

Love Paige. She seems to be an amazing person and we know she's a great player, but she's not even in the conversation.

DT, Maya, and Stewie are ALL-TIME greats. Any school, any era.

Paige got needs some rings to even enter the chat.

 

[cgshuskie]

Was Diana a guard or forward. Paige is right up there with the group. How does she compare statistically with Sue Bird or MoJeff? All she needs is a NC to cement her place on the Uconn Mt. Rushmore. Stylistically she is different from Breanna or Maya, and even Diana. Probably Uconn's greatest guard, by a little because Sue Bird and MoJeff, differently, were magnificent. But Paige is a Beast, like Diana.

 

[HuskyNan]

Was Diana a guard or forward. Paige is right up there with the group. How does she compare statistically with Sue Bird or MoJeff? All she needs is a NC to cement her place on the Uconn Mt. Rushmore. Stylistically she is different from Breanna or Maya, and even Diana. Probably Uconn's greatest guard, by a little because Sue Bird and MoJeff, differently, were magnificent. But Paige is a Beast, like Diana.

Diana was a point forward.

Geno said Maya would have had more points if she had the ball in her hands as much as Diana.

 

[Aluminny69]

I don't think she can play 4.5 if you only have 5 years to use up your eligibility. For all we know she could decide to turn pro in the spring; you just never know nowadays.

Let's see. Paige gets one year due to the lost Covid year, plus a red shirt this year. I would think the five year rule is waived due to the free Covid year. It's an interesting question, but I doubt Paige wants to stay in college that long.

 

[Bone Dog]

It's an interesting question, but I doubt Paige wants to stay in college that long.

I wonder about this too. Does she want to be another Aly Patberg? There’s lots of pleasures to be had staying in college a little longer. And I wonder how attractive the W seems to her. She makes better money now, and her career in the W may not be all that long if she remains injury prone. Could she be happier going into coaching?

 

[hoopsfan22]

Let's see. Paige gets one year due to the lost Covid year, plus a red shirt this year. I would think the five year rule is waived due to the free Covid year. It's an interesting question, but I doubt Paige wants to stay in college that long.

I think they just made it so the Covid year doesn't count against your eligibility, so you could play up to 5 seasons in 5 years with the free Covid year.

 

[bballnut90]

Based on stats/talent, she's right there with those 3. Ultimately though it's winning titles and elevating UCONN to new heights which is what separates those 3 from any other UCONN greats, and Paige hasn't accomplished that yet. If she doesn't bring home at least 2 titles (assuming she stays until 2025) I don't think you can put her on the same level as those 3 when looking at legacy.

 

[Waquoit]

How great would Shea Ralph have been without injuries?

I think that's a fair comp. Pre-injury Shea was an all-time great. The Whalers were jealous of her.

 

[visitingcock]

Based on stats/talent, she's right there with those 3. Ultimately though it's winning titles and elevating UCONN to new heights which is what separates those 3 from any other UCONN greats, and Paige hasn't accomplished that yet. If she doesn't bring home at least 2 titles (assuming she stays until 2025) I don't think you can put her on the same level as those 3 when looking at legacy.

For a variety of reasons including injury, I think she should qualify with just one title.

She led last year’s team to the championship game and her play was fabulous in that game. She was basically playing against two or more defenders all night - and very good defenders at that. She could not have done more to carry her team one championship and one runner up should do it.,

I realize y’all aren’t accustomed to runner/up but it’s great by everybody else.

 

[hoophuskee]

Diana Taurasi was the greatest player in the history of the women's game and that is due to her unmatched ability of elevating and making her teammates better. Anyone who follows UConn basketball knows who her teammates were during her last two seasons. Ask a general fan and I highly doubt they'd be able to name one. I also do recall Geno mentioning something about this in an interview at one point. To stir things up a little bit, if you put Diana or Maya on the teams Stewie was on, each would've easily won four championship. I do believe Breanna would've won two being on the teams Maya was on but don't know about more if it would have been more than that. But its all a guessing game so no one (obviously including me) really knows.

For the fun of it I believe it's Stewie 1, DT 2, And Maya 3. And in regards to your point about DT and Maya winning 4, I doubt it but maybe - it depends on how anyone wants to frame it. IMO two of the 4 years Stewie's teams beat Notre Dame (not the year ND lost Achonwa), those ND teams were superior to what Dt and Maya had faced. Anyhow I do not want to knock super super super all-time greats and get into who is greater Willie Mays or Hank Aaron on this thread.


But for fun regarding this thread you bringing up DT and Maya winning 4 if they had Stewie's teammates; one point why I said I doubt it is look at DT's game vs ND in her frosh year. However if we want to instead look at DT's frosh year in the NCAA's leading up to the FF in which she was named Most Outstanding in the Region and as was Maya i'm near certain, then hell yeah. But then what about Paige? How many titles would she have won with Stewie’s teammates along with what DT was playing with her 1st two years etc
if we look at her amazing E8 games? And she was better than DT's first and probably 2nd FF game and while Maya had excellent stats in FF her frosh year she didn't shoot well and Higgins was the star of the game, a wing position that Maya played on the other side.

Each person has their own view. Nothing is wrong.

 

[EdSaid]

Way too early to be having this conversation.

 

[SVCBeercats]

I wonder about this too. Does she want to be another Aly Patberg? There’s lots of pleasures to be had staying in college a little longer. And I wonder how attractive the W seems to her. She makes better money now, and her career in the W may not be all that long if she remains injury prone. Could she be happier going into coaching?

If you have the potential to realize millions of dollars as a college player versus less as a professional, why not milk the college scene? In the pros the big girls play rough. Will Paige's body be able to handle the physicality of the pro game here and overseas.

 

[bballnut90]

For a variety of reasons including injury, I think she should qualify with just one title.

She led last year’s team to the championship game and her play was fabulous in that game. She was basically playing against two or more defenders all night - and very good defenders at that. She could not have done more to carry her team one championship and one runner up should do it.,

I realize y’all aren’t accustomed to runner/up but it’s great by everybody else.

It's open to interpretation, but it's hard to imagine she'd be on par with someone like Stewart who was a 4x champion, 4x Final Four MOP, and went 116-1 over her last 3 years (where she was the NPOY in all 3). Or on par with Moore who went 150-4 in 4 years, was also a 3x POY, finished top 2 in POY voting all 4 years, obliterated record books, and won 2 titles. Or DT who won 3 titles, a slew of accolades and had a 70+ game win streak. All 3 of those players took UCONN to new heights and put the program in a new stratosphere. Paige winning 1 title doesn't put her collegiate career in the same realm as the other 3 IMO.

Also, Paige last year was far from 100% in the tournament and it showed. I disagree with the assessment that she was fabulous and that she carried the team on her back (excluding the NC State game). Title game she had 14 points, 6 boards and 2 assists on 6-13 shooting. A fine stat line for most players but hardly a "carrying your team on your back" type of performance. She wasn't the NPOY caliber Bueckers we saw in 2021 where she single-handedly did carry UCONN on her back to a win over SC.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Bueckers has the potential to be one of the best ever to play for UConn but Moore, Stewart and Taurasi played in a competitive conference. Bueckers plays in the New Big East. That has to be considered when doing a statistical comparison. More important though is that injury prone Bueckers needs to put together some injury free seasons to be compared to the top three players ever to play for UConn.

 

[cgshuskie]

BBallnut90 give the girl a break. Paige carried the team as far as she could in the NC game. Others made turnover after turnover. CW didn;t score a point, as a senior in her last game. Paige deserves all the credit to get us to the NC game. She simply didn't have any supporting cast or apparently any plan. Yet, her greatness shone through.

 

[hoopsfan22]

If you have the potential to realize millions of dollars as a college player versus less as a professional, why not milk the college scene? In the pros the big girls play rough. Will Paige's body be able to handle the physicality of the pro game here and overseas.

Not everyone wants to play school. She probably realizes after these injuries that she's not immortal, and she has limited time for a pro career, plus she's already on the older side being 21.

 

[JellyBean]

Maya, Diana, and Stewie's teams won multiple NCAA championships. They were durable. Paige is not. Paige is promise and potential. They were actualization.

Well said. Probably not a popular take around these parts but a solid take, nonetheless.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Not everyone wants to play school.

For the long green she will play school where she outshines all of women's college basketball which will not be the case in the WNBA.

 

[The deacon]

Bueckers has the potential to be one of the best ever to play for UConn but Moore, Stewart and Taurasi played in a competitive conference. Bueckers plays in the New Big East. That has to be considered when doing a statistical comparison. More important though is that injury prone Bueckers needs to put together some injury free seasons to be compared to the top three players ever to play for UConn.

Stewie & Co. were so good it likely wouldn't have mattered their league, but she did play three of her four years in the AAC.

 

[Cuango]

Many of us know that Paige is a phenomenal basketball player, and we are hoping that she has a complete recovery from her surgery to repair her torn ACL.

How great a player is she?

The charts below show how Paige compares to arguably the three greatest players in UCONN women’s basketball history: in chronological order, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, and Breanna Stewart. I used data from Paige’s first two seasons at UCONN, and data from the four-year UCONN careers of Diana, Maya, and Breanna.

Paige averages more assists per game than Diana, Maya, or Breanna averaged. Paige also has a better A/TO ratio, and she has the highest effective field goal percentage of the four players. Her true shooting percentage is identical to Maya Moore’s. Paige also averages almost 2 steals per game, very close to Maya’s UCONN career average.

Paige has better offensive and defensive ratings than Diana Taurasi had during her UCONN career.

Paige’s numbers would be even more impressive if she had not been hampered by injuries. During her freshman season, she had an ankle injury that required surgery during the offseason. In her sophomore season, she suffered a tibial plateau fracture and a lateral meniscus tear, which caused her to miss 19 games. Her scoring averages dropped from 20 points per game during her freshman year to 14.6 points per game during her sophomore year. Her 3-point shooting percentage also dropped significantly, from 46.4% to 35.3%. In contrast, Paige’s field goal percentage rose in her sophomore season, to 54.4%, from 52.4% in her freshman season.

It will be interesting to see how effective Paige is at scoring when she returns to play for the Huskies next season.

Paige can cement her UCONN legacy by leading the Huskies to a national championship, and many of us are hoping she can achieve this goal. But even if she doesn’t, Paige has already established herself as one of the greatest players in the history of UCONN women’s basketball.



View attachment 80191

For my money, Paige is the best player I’ve ever seen! Sure, the jury is still out as to her National Title aspirations (I know that means everything to some people) but as far as just skill, will, & clutch on the court, she’s the bee’s knees as far as I’m concerned.
That in no way diminishes those other three, who are all truly great players and who will always be mentioned when the subject of the greatest players of all time gets brought up!
One of the many impressive things about Paige is, that (not that I’m any kind of authority) my assessment of her greatness is based largely on her freshman year! I do pray that she can make a full recovery and spend her remaining years fully healthy!

 

[Galaxyshooter]

Maya, Diana, and Stewie's teams won multiple NCAA championships. They were durable. Paige is not. Paige is promise and potential. They were actualization.

And the only way she can change that is to use all of her available years Covid and redshirt to stay and compete which I think would mean she'll be here a year after Azzi graduates if she did that which I don't think she'll do at best she'll play next year and move on or maybe stay an extra year and graduate with Azzi but I don't think she wants to compete with her friend for being the number 1 WNBA pick my dream is she stays and win 3 in a row and graduates with Ice and Ayanna...please don't crush my dream...lol

 

[WFFL]

I love Paige. Love her. Her game awesome. But a top characteristic to think about regarding player ability is player availability.

It hurts to say this because I love her game so much.

She's coming back stronger than ever ..wait for it .

 

[Happydad745]

Paige could have been blessed with a team that has more talent, and she could avoided injury in another Universe. What she has done is impressive by anyones standards and I hope she returns healthy enough to deliver what she has left in the tank. Winning a National Championship would be a tremendous achievement.

 

[Aluminny69]

For my money, Paige is the best player I’ve ever seen! Sure, the jury is still out as to her National Title aspirations (I know that means everything to some people) but as far as just skill, will, & clutch on the court, she’s the bee’s knees as far as I’m concerned.
That in no way diminishes those other three, who are all truly great players and who will always be mentioned when the subject of the greatest players of all time gets brought up!
One of the many impressive things about Paige is, that (not that I’m any kind of authority) my assessment of her greatness is based largely on her freshman year! I do pray that she can make a full recovery and spend her remaining years fully healthy!

You need to watch this video

 

[Mdoggie]

For my money, Paige is the best player I’ve ever seen! Sure, the jury is still out as to her National Title aspirations (I know that means everything to some people) but as far as just skill, will, & clutch on the court, she’s the bee’s knees as far as I’m concerned.
That in no way diminishes those other three, who are all truly great players and who will always be mentioned when the subject of the greatest players of all time gets brought up!
One of the many impressive things about Paige is, that (not that I’m any kind of authority) my assessment of her greatness is based largely on her freshman year! I do pray that she can make a full recovery and spend her remaining years fully healthy!

You are 100% correct when you say national titles means everything to some people. I believe you could count Paige as one of those “some people”. For my money Maya is better than Paige.

 

[cgshuskie]

Paige will be a destroyer in the WNBA. With the open floor and with her speed she will be a killer. She will own the W. Unleashed, I wouldn't want to have to defend Bueckers.

 

[cgshuskie]

It's been rumored that Ashlynn Shade is the reincarnation of Jackie Stiles. Time will tell!

 

[hoophuskee]

You are 100% correct when you say national titles means everything to some people. I believe you could count Paige as one of those “some people”. For my money Maya is better than Paige.

Sure to some people they do. But not to Paige.

Iif one were to take the context of what she has previously said. The win-or-bust comments are cherry-picked comments some posters use while ignoring other things she has said such as how she says how proud she is of her team even if they didn't win it all.

And a further point, we'll see how long she stays at UCONN vs the WNBA if she doesn't win next year.

 

[Mdoggie]

Sure to some people they do. But not to Paige.

Iif one were to take the context of what she has previously said. The win-or-bust comments are cherry-picked comments some posters use while ignoring other things she has said such as how she says how proud she is of her team even if they didn't win it all.

And a further point, we'll see how long she stays at UCONN vs the WNBA if she doesn't win next year.

Ridiculous! Paige is a killer! Along the line of Kobe, Jordan, Iverson. ALL killers in Athletics want the Championship above every and anything. FACTS. It’s in their DNA! Why some don’t get that is beyond me. Next time you talk to a high level killer/athlete just ask them away from the cameras. It’s not cherry picking! Good grief. The cotton candy, puppies and rainbows are a little much. She can be proud of the team and at the same time know it’s championship or nothing at UConn.