Is or will Stewie be viewed as dominating as Griner?

[easttexastrash]

Pls don't tell Sims that she isn't a good player...

But very good points, otherwise. I can't imagine Stewart controlling the entire lane like BG could, or being as productive with two or three players surrounding her on every play. I don't think any player in the history of the game has drawn as much defensive attention as BG.

 

[EricSD]

Just my $.02, of course. Griner was a physical specimen, as many have pointed out. 6'8" players with her skill set are incredibly rare. However, while Stewie lacks the strength of a player like Parker (a more logical player to compare her to), her skill set and things she can do have already surpassed Candace. No, Stewie does not have the strength or post moves (although I don't believe Parker possesses the amazing right AND left handed hook shot that Stewie does) , but everything else about her game is far superior to Parker's, and I'm talking about the professional player Parker (ie. right now), not Parker the college player.

When her 4 years are up at UCONN, she will be discussed as the greatest women's college basketball player ever. So will she be as "dominant" as Griner? Well Griner was a 5. Stewie is truly a player who can play the 1,2,3,4,5 positions. All of them. And for real, not the joke that Parker can play all 5 positions.

Side note - Delle Donne is probably a better comparison. And I think she's a better player than Parker too. Delle Donne is stronger than Stewie and at 6'5", has a far better guard/wing game than Parker. But being stronger, she can also bang more in the post than Stewie at this point. Both of them are unreal.

I don't get the comment that Stewie can't control a game like Griner. Griner was a 5. She defended in the post. On offense, she played in the post. If you are talking a pure shot blocker and intimidator, you are correct about Griner, but she could not impact a game nearly the same way Stewie can. Stewie can play, defend, and score from everywhere. Griner could not.

 

[alexrgct]

Things I want to see from Stewie:

• Post moves like these jump hook shots she's nailed a couple of times now. If she can hit those regularly, she will be unstoppable close to the basket.
• 45+% from three. She's right at 40% thus far this season, but if she's just a touch more consistent from behind the arc, she'd be more dominant on offense than Griner.
• Defensively, I love her role as a rover who provides help defense and blocks shots as well as anyone not named Brittney Griner. Griner was a very smart defender with good instincts and tremendous, extremely rare range. If Stewie can marry her movement with her wingspan, she'd be literally everywhere the ball is on D, and that would make her close to what Griner was as a defensive force, improbable as that may seem.
• I hate to state the obvious, but another NC with MOP of the Final Four awarded to Stewie, and that would be more than Griner ever had a chance to accomplish.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Maybe when Stewart has a good season from start to finish then we can start talking about her being "the greatest women's college basketball player ever." I really don't like trying to write history before it has happened. She might have the greatest potential, but potential and a dollar gets you a bag of chips. Let's see where her career numbers shake out. My guess is she falls short of Maya the Magnificent. Records are records for a reason, and basketball being a team sport means individual stats are somewhat dependent on the rest of the team.

 

[DobbsRover2]

But very good points, otherwise. I can't imagine Stewart controlling the entire lane like BG could, or being as productive with two or three players surrounding her on every play. I don't think any player in the history of the game has drawn as much defensive attention as BG.

That's not a real comparison. Stewart is highly mobile, Griner was not (hence, what happened in her final game). Can you imagine any coach saying, "I'm putting three players on Stewart and they're going wherever she goes." They'd be flopped out on the sidelines by the 13:00 mark, and meanwhile some other truly excellent Huskies would have put up 30+ points already. With Baylor, teams usually felt the most effective defense was to have two players near the basket hanging around Griner (front, back, maybe draped on her) with a third ready to come over when she got the ball. Sims often went off like she did in the Sweet 16 game, but at least that was barely beatable at certain times.

Stewart may end up taking on the same three defenders as Griner, but she will be moving and taking it to them, while Griner got them as soon as she set to receive a pass. Stewart's slide hook is also becoming pretty much unstoppable when she has the ball within 10 feet of the basket, and take away the 3-pt attempts and she is already getting close to the 60% shooting that Griner did mainly close to the rim. That's scary.

 

[sarals24]

Things I want to see from Stewie:

• 
  [ ]Post moves like these jump hook shots she's nailed a couple of times now. If she can hit those regularly, she will be unstoppable close to the basket.
  [ ]45+% from three. She's right at 40% thus far this season, but if she's just a touch more consistent from behind the arc, she'd be more dominant on offense than Griner.
  [ ]Defensively, I love her role as a rover who provides help defense and blocks shots as well as anyone not named Brittney Griner. Griner was a very smart defender with good instincts and tremendous, extremely rare range. If Stewie can marry her movement with her wingspan, she'd be literally everywhere the ball is on D, and that would make her close to what Griner was as a defensive force, improbable as that may seem.
  [ ]I hate to state the obvious, but another NC with MOP of the Final Four awarded to Stewie, and that would be more than Griner ever had a chance to accomplish.

Well, she had the chance to accomplish it, she just didn't.

 

[EricSD]

Maybe when Stewart has a good season from start to finish then we can start talking about her being "the greatest women's college basketball player ever." I really don't like trying to write history before it has happened. She might have the greatest potential, but potential and a dollar gets you a bag of chips. Let's see where her career numbers shake out. My guess is she falls short of Maya the Magnificent. Records are records for a reason, and basketball being a team sport means individual stats are somewhat dependent on the rest of the team.

I'm not sure if you were referring to me, or if there were others in the thread who talked about being the greatest, but I clearly said "When her 4 years are up at UCONN...". I do believe she's the best player in the country right now as a sophomore. But to be the greatest ever, you have to be ridiculous by the time you are a senior...

And by the way, there's a big difference between college records (points scored, etc etc) and who is actually the best. Delle Donne had ridiculous stats at Delaware but probably would not have had as many points if she'd gone to UCONN since UCONN has so many other good players. Stiles has the record for all time points in WCBB at just under 3,400, but it's doubtful a player from a team like UCONN will ever surpass that since we generally have so many scoring options...

 

[alexrgct]

Well, she had the chance to accomplish it, she just didn't.

. Well, everyone has a chance in theory. I just prefer that chance be an opportunity beyond the Sweet 16.

 

[sarals24]

True! But they went to the FF her freshman year, where she could have equalled The Great Breanna Stewart with an MOP award. But they ran into Tina Charles and Maya Moore, so she didn't.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

In fact the straight up comparison is silly. I have wondered whether Griner's game and Mulkey's total (nearsighted) commitment to it led to a drop off in recruiting and truncated development of some of the members of her team. Then, too, there is the let BG do it that can creep into team mates (we have had a smattering of that now and then). BG is a nonpareil and that is that for me. She is on Mars and Stewie is on Venus - no gender or other thing implied there folks. Maybe I should say Apples and Oranges. Some day those two will be on the same floor and we can get back to this.

Seeing them together as the 5 and 3 of a national team would be fun.

 

[baggerbob]

Imagine this, on the floor for Team USA 2016 Olympics, DT, Maya, EDD, Stewie, BG, that team might have a 30-0 run against any other team in the world. A center and 4 guards, you would be unable to double BG, because someone else would use a screen to drive for a layup, or pass. You wouldn't be able to slow down the game, a press by that group would be devastating.

 

[easttexastrash]

Imagine this, on the floor for Team USA 2016 Olympics, DT, Maya, EDD, Stewie, BG, that team might have a 30-0 run against any other team in the world. A center and 4 guards, you would be unable to double BG, because someone else would use a screen to drive for a layup, or pass. You wouldn't be able to slow down the game, a press by that group would be devastating.

Something tells me that Geno would enjoy that.

 

[easttexastrash]

In fact the straight up comparison is silly. I have wondered whether Griner's game and Mulkey's total (nearsighted) commitment to it led to a drop off in recruiting and truncated development of some of the members of her team. Then, too, there is the let BG do it that can creep into team mates (we have had a smattering of that now and then). BG is a nonpareil and that is that for me. She is on Mars and Stewie is on Venus - no gender or other thing implied there folks. Maybe I should say Apples and Oranges. Some day those two will be on the same floor and we can get back to this.

Seeing them together as the 5 and 3 of a national team would be fun.

I think Mulkey was nearsighted in many ways. The worst part during four years was Mulkey not allowing BG to develop a game outside the paint. BG went from a HS coach that chained her in the paint to a college coach that chained her in the paint. That would never have happened under Geno.

 

[Icebear]

I think Mulkey was nearsighted in many ways. The worst part during four years was Mulkey not allowing BG to develop a game outside the paint. BG went from a HS coach that chained her in the paint to a college coach that chained her in the paint. That would never have happened under Geno.

You didn't like that when I said the last two years that Mulkey was neglecting exactly those aspects of Britney's development. In my view Kim failed Britney and in turn failed the team.

 

[baggerbob]

Something tells me that Geno would enjoy that.

Can't you imagine how much fun that group would have being on the floor together? They talk about the original Dream Team, but a number of them were at or near the end of their careers. DT out of that group is the only one anywhere near the end, the others are all at the beginning. That would be the spark which could ignite women's basketball throughout the world.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Did Geno even try to recruit Griner? Seems like Geno missed on Griner. It's not like she would have been better off in our evil, terrible, blue state of Connecticut coached by Geno Auriemma.

 

[Icebear]

Did Geno even try to recruit Griner? Seems like Geno missed on Griner. It's not like she would have been better off in our evil, terrible, blue state of Connecticut coached by Geno Auriemma.

No, there was no reason to recruit Griner she made a commitment to Baylor very, very early. 8th grade or freshman year.