Jim Fuller: Moriah Jefferson off to a blistering start

[pap49cba]

"Thanks to THESA Riders coach Alan Burt, here are her numbers through the first eight games. Jefferson is averaging 28.4 points per game while shooting 58 percent from the floor including an impressive 59 percent from 3-point range (19 of 32) and 82 percent from the foul line. Jefferson actually missed her first two free throws and had promptly hit 23 of her last 26. She is contributing 5.2 rebounds, 3 assists and 6.9 steals per game."

LINK

 

[Icebear]

Clearly Moriah realizes that KML is raising the bar on 3 pt % at UConn and is getting herself ready.

 

[meyers7]

"Thanks to THESA Riders coach Alan Burt, here are her numbers through the first eight games. Jefferson is averaging 28.4 points per game while shooting 58 percent from the floor including an impressive 59 percent from 3-point range (19 of 32) and 82 percent from the foul line. Jefferson actually missed her first two free throws and had promptly hit 23 of her last 26. She is contributing 5.2 rebounds, 3 assists and 6.9 steals per game."

LINK

Sounds like it's time for Moriah to move on to the next level.,

 

[Tonyc]

WOW Moriah and KML from the outside. We can nickname them Machine Gun Babys. You know what beginning next season its almost gonna be unfair....and I love it.

 

[Icebear]

Don't want any machine gun babies, tony, machine guns are tools of spray and pray. They make up in volume what they lack in accuracy.

 

[connboy77]

Geno is building a powerhouse, that is for sure. Pick your poison, UCONN will have one of the best inside/outside games women's college basketball has ever seen. UCONN's second team next year will be just as good as their first team. Opponents be wear!

 

[Phil]

Don't want any machine gun babies, tony, machine guns are tools of spray and pray. They make up in volume what they lack in accuracy.

I take your point, but I assumed he was riffing on Machine Gun Molly

Molly scored 63 points on her 16th birthday - I can live with that.

 

[VAMike23]

Don't want any machine gun babies, tony, machine guns are tools of spray and pray. They make up in volume what they lack in accuracy.

Ice would prefer an apprentice sniper

 

[alexrgct]

With Caroline being limited in terms of minutes, I think Moriah plays 15-20 a game next year. Imagine dealing with a hyper-competitive fifth-year senior to start the game and then getting to contend with one of the fastest, most promising PG prospects in years.

 

[Icebear]

Ice would prefer an apprentice sniper

I always prefer the Sniper image, precise and wasting nothing. The old military sniper school slogan was, "One shot, one kill." I have shot with a couple of guys on 1000 yd ranges and enjoyed both shooting NATO sniper rifles and 50 cal. I learned an amazing amount of technical insights doing that. Consider the precision of shooting at a 10" bull at 1000 yds. Consider this the .50 cal world's record is a group under 2" at 1000 yds. Kind of makes the basketball hoop look ginormous. One of the guys was a former national champion and a friend of my friend.

 

[EricLA]

Geno is building a powerhouse, that is for sure. Pick your poison, UCONN will have one of the best inside/outside games women's college basketball has ever seen. UCONN's second team next year will be just as good as their first team. Opponents be wear!

i know people have thought about it and discussed it before but think about it...

Starters - Caroline, Bria, Kelly, KML, Stef
2nd team - Moriah, Brianna, Morgan, Breanna, Kiah
Reserves - Heather, Michala, Lauren

Fully realizing that a team is required to be at least 6-7 players in a rotation, i fully believe the 2nd team would be ranked top 5 in the nation. and if you look at the positions they play, and the versatility, it's really the perfect team. even the reserves contain 2 posts and 1 guard. and the following year when Kelly and Caroline and Heather graduate, you'd be looking at starters of Moriah, Bria, KML, Breanna, Stef. even if they got NO ONE from 2013, that would leave Brianna, Morgan, Kiah, Lauren, and Michala off the bench.

as a side note, if the starters and the 2nd team were to play 10 games, i'm betting it would be 6-4 or 5-5. point being the 2nd team is just that good.

Getting back to Moriah - i think not only will she shine and excel at UCONN, but i think she will be a superstar. i think this last year of organized ball in high school will be very good for her. she's not yet made any of the USA teams, but hopefully her AAU season will be competitive and push her to improve things she needs to work on (not sure what those things are, but anything she can do to make the jump from HS to UCONN less of a jump is a good thing)....

 

[cferraro04]

Yes, Moriah is going to blow into Storrs like the "wind of fortune" and all that talent that Geno has brought together will be the beneficiary of a floor general who will know how to get them the ball in the spots that they want it. It is going to be good times in Storrs.....

LINK

It could be a situation where you have 5 players hitting three pointers at a 40 % clip...now that is frightening. The first four are a no brainer. Doty, KML, Bria, and Moriah. The fifth would require either Kelly Faris or Brianna Banks to work on their three pointer and get more consistent with it. Now, to be optimistic anything is possible...remember how consistent Ketia Swanier became in her senior year.

 

[speedoo]

My understanding is that Moriah plays in a fairly weak HS league so those stats are probably a bit inflated as a result. Next year she makes a big jump to the highest level of WCBB, playing a very difficult position. I'm not going to have big expectations for her, even though she comes with great ability, a high ranking, etc.. Instead, my hope is that she will benefit tremendously from backing up Caroline and occasionally playing alongside her. There is no substitute for experience at this level, and we are very fortunate that Caroline has one more year to bring Moriah along.

 

[Ozzie Nelson]

i know people have thought about it and discussed it before but think about it...

Starters - Caroline, Bria, Kelly, KML, Stef
2nd team - Moriah, Brianna, Morgan, Breanna, Kiah
Reserves - Heather, Michala, Lauren

Fully realizing that a team is required to be at least 6-7 players in a rotation, i fully believe the 2nd team would be ranked top 5 in the nation. and if you look at the positions they play, and the versatility, it's really the perfect team. even the reserves contain 2 posts and 1 guard. and the following year when Kelly and Caroline and Heather graduate, you'd be looking at starters of Moriah, Bria, KML, Breanna, Stef. even if they got NO ONE from 2013, that would leave Brianna, Morgan, Kiah, Lauren, and Michala off the bench.

as a side note, if the starters and the 2nd team were to play 10 games, i'm betting it would be 6-4 or 5-5. point being the 2nd team is just that good.

Getting back to Moriah - i think not only will she shine and excel at UCONN, but i think she will be a superstar. i think this last year of organized ball in high school will be very good for her. she's not yet made any of the USA teams, but hopefully her AAU season will be competitive and push her to improve things she needs to work on (not sure what those things are, but anything she can do to make the jump from HS to UCONN less of a jump is a good thing)....

My take is that BStew will be in the game 25-30 mins. regardless of who starts.

 

[alexrgct]

Baylor will obviously be a tough out next year, and Duke and A&M will be solid. However, I think the 40 minutes of hell UConn will be able to unleash will be special. I don't even think Baylor can match up. Griner will get hers, but everyone else will be going against fresh bodies constantly. I'm just imagining Stef and Breanna forcing a lot of offense out to the perimeter, even against Baylor, and having a team so deep in athletic guards and wings that the already low-percentage outside shots become unmakable outside shots. And you have to defend these girls on the other end.

 

[pap49cba]

It truly is going to be 40 minutes of hell to play this team next year.

 

[Icebear]

It truly is going to be 40 minutes of hell to play this team next year.

Every year.

 

[doggydaddy]

Baylor will obviously be a tough out next year, and Duke and A&M will be solid. However, I think the 40 minutes of hell UConn will be able to unleash will be special. I don't even think Baylor can match up. Griner will get hers, but everyone else will be going against fresh bodies constantly. I'm just imagining Stef and Breanna forcing a lot of offense out to the perimeter, even against Baylor, and having a team so deep in athletic guards and wings that the already low-percentage outside shots become unmakable outside shots. And you have to defend these girls on the other end.

Next year against Baylor, we will see a lineup with both Dolson and Stewart. I'm betting on an offside block on Griner by Stewart!

 

[cferraro04]

Next year against Baylor, we will see a lineup with both Dolson and Stewart. I'm betting on an offside block on Griner by Stewart!

I'm betting that by that time...Kiah Stokes will also be blocking shots with monotonous regularity.

 

[Icebear]

Given the breadth and depth of talent we will have next year and to stop in its tracks the debates, discussions, and arguments we will have over who should start I propose to Geno the following. Let us have alternating starting fives. After all, the #1 and #2 teams in the country should each have an opportunity to be starters since starting is so important to some.

 

[winlots]

WOW Moriah and KML from the outside. We can nickname them Machine Gun Babys. You know what beginning next season its almost gonna be unfair....and I love it.[/

TONY: Happy Thanksgiving, Kid. Do you see Banks in that mix as well? About the "unfair" thing.....I hope it gets to be that way, being a gigantic "homer" where "Our Girls" are concerned......but I see quite a few VERY talented squads being assembled........is that your perception as well? I DO think this might well be OUR best squad ever, coming up.....and will die if I don' live until next year to see it! Now, that stands to reason, doesnt it?

By the way, I think THIS year's squad is super as well.....have VERY high hopes. Stay well

 

[MilfordHusky]

If Bree is "Baby Husky," then Moriah is "Baby Shot Magnet."

 

[winlots]

With Caroline being limited in terms of minutes, I think Moriah plays 15-20 a game next year. Imagine dealing with a hyper-competitive fifth-year senior to start the game and then getting to contend with one of the fastest, most promising PG prospects in years.

Happy Thanksgiving , ALEX . Always find your stuff on here to be very interesting. Like your point here as well. Do YOU see Banks in that mix? Others?

If so, given my preference for just blowing the other team off the floor with all-out hustle and freshness, ( and my belief that everybody has nights when they are at their best, nights when they are at their worst, and nights in between), I'd love to see a system where the obviously hot hands at the back two guard positions get maybe around 25 mins each and the next two get close to 15 or so of MEANINGFUL mins. Not meant to be a rigid formula at all.....just a concept for keeping kids involved, fresh, less like to become injury prone by fatigue, and prepared for stepping up.. Stay well.

 

[winlots]

I always prefer the Sniper image, precise and wasting nothing. The old military sniper school slogan was, "One shot, one kill." I have shot with a couple of guys on 1000 yd ranges and enjoyed both shooting NATO sniper rifles and 50 cal. I learned an amazing amount of technical insights doing that. Consider the precision of shooting at a 10" bull at 1000 yds. Consider this the .50 cal world's record is a group under 2" at 1000 yds. Kind of makes the basketball hoop look ginormous. One of the guys was a former national champion and a friend of my friend.

ICE -Now , THAT is the kind of guy you WANT to have as a friend and on YOUR side, eh? Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours and your flock in PA. STay well.

 

[winlots]

Next year against Baylor, we will see a lineup with both Dolson and Stewart. I'm betting on an offside block on Griner by Stewart!

I'm betting that by that time...Kiah Stokes will also be blocking shots with monotonous regularity.

CF - HAppy Thanksgiving. I hope your are right, and think you probably will be. Clearly, she has a real talent there.

But I really would like to see some more fire from Stokes........I understand and make allowances for different personality types, but I know she came in with a bit of a rep for being "soft" and not wanting the contact, and I'd like to get a sense of more willingness to dig in and especially to exert herself. Could well be that it's there and I'm just not picking it up, but I do watch some tape of some of the games as well as the broadcast itself. Stay well.