Is Saniya Chong a Pro Prospect?

[Gus Mahler]

I think that the Chinese league allows 1 foreigner per team. Is it possible that Saniya could make a roster and be considered a Chinese player and not THE foreigner? That could give her a huge advantage.

Interesting idea.

She'll probably end up in France or some such.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Interesting idea.

She'll probably end up in France or some such.

Oui!

 

[Striper69]

I think that the Chinese league allows 1 foreigner per team. Is it possible that Saniya could make a roster and be considered a Chinese player and not THE foreigner? That could give her a huge advantage.

She'd have to give up her American citizenship.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Absolutely....if that Simmons girl from Tennessee can make, there's no doubt in my mind that Saniya won't make it!

Saniya has nowhere near the energy Simmons has... bad comparison

 

[UcMiami]

She'd have to give up her American citizenship.

Not necessarily. Sue and DT are both dual citizens - Sue Israel, DT Italy - it made their employment in Euro leagues even more attractive because they didn't count as non-euro players.

Rewatched the Maryland game and was very impressed with Saniya's defensive effort throughout the game - she was the perimeter defender least likely to be driven on throughout the game - she and Kia had great defensive games.

 

[Bigboote]

She'd have to give up her American citizenship.

If you mean she has to renounce her US citizenship to gain Chinese citizenship, that's not correct. I know many people who are dual US/Chinese citizens, and if her father is a Chinese citizen, she may already be a dual citizen. Or does the league require that one can't have citizenship in any other country?

 

[bpear1600]

I don't think so.

 

[JellyBean]

Will Saniya be like Kiah Stokes, and surprise at the pro level? Can she get drafted? And can she stick with a WNBA team and produce?

She certainly has a great assist/turnover ratio, and against the #4 team in the nation, had five assists and no turnovers. She has more offensive talent than Kelly Faris had.

Can she make a career at the pro level?

Yes. I can see Saniya being a decent pro. She has solid handles, great point guard decision making skills, great shot, and decent court vision. She might not start but she would be a solid back up point guard and make a decent career in the WNBA and overseas

 

[intlzncster]

She is starting point guard for Geno with v. good shooting skill, so yes she is a pro prospect.

So was Maria Conlon, and she was not.

 

[Monte]

Will Saniya be like Kiah Stokes, and surprise at the pro level? Can she get drafted? And can she stick with a WNBA team and produce?

She certainly has a great assist/turnover ratio, and against the #4 team in the nation, had five assists and no turnovers. She has more offensive talent than Kelly Faris had.

Can she make a career at the pro level?

She has all the skills, but she must be more aggressive, and shoot when she is open.

 

[HumblePie]

She needs to be able to pass much better. That first move to the basket today was brilliant, but the passing left much to be desired.

 

[B BLOCK]

Kia Stokes is a monster rebounder and shot blocker and her only issue was expanding her offensive game. Her shot blocking per minutes played is very close to an NCAA record. She is an amazing physical specimen! Comparing her and Saniya is so, so very silly! Charde has athletic skills that far exceed Saniya and it's only her willingness to play in the system and stay under control that limited how much she played for the Huskies. These comparisons are totally out of wack. If Saniya were trying to penetrate and get a shot off against Kia, she would get eaten alive time after time after time. She wouldn't stand a chance. With each level of competition you move to, things are extraordinarily more difficult. Saniya was apparently a great high school player in a rural area but if you strictly go by numbers, how many great high school players (compared to their peers) are there every year??? When you go to college, the level of play (and athleticism) is radically improved and the jump to the WNBA is the best of the best. Saniya is just a solid college player, a part-time player and yet there's an expectaon by some she'll be able to graduate to the next level? Let's enjoy what she does do, okay?

Hey Buzzyboy, first Saniya did not play in a rural area. If Ossining is a rural area then all of CT is Hooterville. Second she planned in NYS Class AA against schools that at times have up to 3,000+ students.
Get your fact straight.
That said, this kid was a fantastic scorer in high school. At Uconn she has shown a few flurries of this ability. However, she has not been praised at Uconn for these flurries and thus her confidence is lacking most of the time. When she has had a great offensive performance it has either gone unmentioned by Geno or she has been ridiculed by him for some other offense like weak defense. Let no one forget the off color comment Geno made last season concerning a women going into cardiac arrest in the stands because she saw Saniya play defense. That comment was hurtful and uncalled for and was especially so to the woman who had the medical emergency and her family. To date I don't believe he ever apologized to anyone for that comment.

 

[UcMiami]

So was Maria Conlon, and she was not.

She was a prospect, being in training camp for WNBA teams two or three years and playing I believe in Ireland professionally until she decided to end the dream.

 

[intlzncster]

She was a prospect, being in training camp for WNBA teams two or three years and playing I believe in Ireland professionally until she decided to end the dream.

Yes, but she was never going to stick in the WNBA.

 

[HuskyNan]

Hey Buzzyboy, first Saniya did not play in a rural area. If Ossining is a rural area then all of CT is Hooterville. Second she planned in NYS Class AA against schools that at times have up to 3,000+ students.
Get your fact straight.
That said, this kid was a fantastic scorer in high school. At Uconn she has shown a few flurries of this ability. However, she has not been praised at Uconn for these flurries and thus her confidence is lacking most of the time. When she has had a great offensive performance it has either gone unmentioned by Geno or she has been ridiculed by him for some other offense like weak defense. Let no one forget the off color comment Geno made last season concerning a women going into cardiac arrest in the stands because she saw Saniya play defense. That comment was hurtful and uncalled for and was especially so to the woman who had the medical emergency and her family. To date I don't believe he ever apologized to anyone for that comment.

This year, she became a starter and coach Geno Auriemma has spoken highly of her. Chong was playing with the starting unit in practice Tuesday, the second day of practice after the team returned from the holiday break.

Saniya Chong, UConn Women Face Another Challenge In No. 4 Maryland

As a senior, Chong would seem to be the answer. She started in the first preseason game Tuesday and coach Geno Auriemma has been raving about her practice play.

"Right now, there haven't been too many people better than her," [Auriemma] said.

For Chong, The Time Is Now At UConn

Took me two minutes to find these.

 

[Kaizen]

It was a four-point game with less than one minute left a year ago at Madison Square Garden.

The No. 1-ranked UConn women's basketball team was doing all it could to hold off No. 6 Maryland. The Huskies, a team with three of the best players in the country on the floor, needed a basket.

So who calmly tossed a shot from behind the three-point arc? Saniya Chong, of course.

The guard had missed the previous three games with an IT band injury and played just 10 minutes off the bench against Maryland.

But she converted a three-pointer with 40 seconds left, fueling a 10-point win for UConn. It was the biggest shot of the season for the NCAA champion Huskies.

 

[Striper69]

Yes, but she was never going to stick in the WNBA.

You might've thought Kiah Stokes would have the same fate considering the criticism she got for not being a big scorer while not at UCONN but Bill saw something else in her.

 

[Striper69]

Saniya has nowhere near the energy Simmons has... bad comparison

As much as I like Megan..I'd say Saniya has the edge as far as being a big scorer.

She might be what the NY Liberty need. A scoring guard who doesn't need to be the best defender in the league because she has Kiah and Tina back there to discourage players from driving to the basket.

 

[eebmg]

You might've thought Kiah Stokes would have the same fate considering the criticism she got for not being a big scorer while not at UCONN but Bill saw something else in her.

I think everyone saw her superlative ability on defense and many WNBA teams would have invested at least a round 2 pick.
Her offense was clearly limited and still is. It is just a matter of game situations and team needs how much time she gets.

I would like her offense to improve but she will never be Tina Charles but that is ok.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Yes, but she was never going to stick in the WNBA.

Maria Conlon never had a fraction of the talent that Chong does. She may have been a good outside shooter, but Chong can do it all.

 

[intlzncster]

You might've thought Kiah Stokes would have the same fate considering the criticism she got for not being a big scorer while not at UCONN but Bill saw something else in her.

But Maria never remotely had the athleticism to stick. Not sure about saniya.

 

[UcMiami]

Yes, but she was never going to stick in the WNBA.

Considering that only about 180 players are invited to training camps each year in the WNBA she was in very select company. Teams really do not invite players who are 'no hopers' to their camps.

 

[JSB60]

If you mean she has to renounce her US citizenship to gain Chinese citizenship, that's not correct. I know many people who are dual US/Chinese citizens, and if her father is a Chinese citizen, she may already be a dual citizen. Or does the league require that one can't have citizenship in any other country?

Most or all the leagues allow you to be a citizen of another country as well as the local player nationality. And they often take players in for accelerated citizenship, such as Bahar Ozturk aka Barbara Turner, dual Turkish/US national.