Let's talk about Breanna Stewart!

[EricLA]

couple notes on Breanna - at 6'4", or whatever her height, she's a really good free throw shooter. i think that's rare. but even more rare is a player of her age and her size possessing the offensive arsenal at her disposal.

i saw her many times receive a pass in the post, whip around the defender, and lay up the ball with her left hand in traffic while being harassed. she does not shy away from contact, despite her more "slender" frame. one of the great things about her frame is that she doesn't have any weight she needs to lose. she just eventually needs to add on a little bit of muscle.

i'm not sure how good a jumper she is but she's terrifically athletic. obviously she lacks the sheer power of a player like Tina Charles, but i think she's quicker and smoother and a much better finisher around the basket. she won't be padding her rebounding stats by cleaning up her own misses!

AND she has a solid mid range shot. i don't think she took or made any 3's, but i did see her take a shot and make it just inside the arc as well as several mid range jumpers. and what 6'4" kid has a consistent FT shot like she does??!! she might be one of the most complete offensive players i've ever seen.

on the defensive side, she's just a beast. it's hard to tell if they were letting them play more than they would in college but she seems to have really good instincts and ability to time blocking shots. and she has a really good nose for the ball and seems to be in the right place for the rebounds. i don't think that's an accident or luck!

she's also a really good passer. in the few games i watched, she seemed to be the only player who would pass the ball out of the post playing the inside-outside game. the announcers mentioned several times that she was the best player on the team, which is even more remarkable given that she's just entering her senior year of HS and was on a team that had players who were seniors in college.

i know it's dangerous to heap too many accolades and expectations on a player who's not even come to UCONN for her summer classes, but i'm going to predict right now - by the time her UCONN career is over, there will be multiple discussions about who the greatest all time UCONN player was/is, and her name will be among the 3 in the discussion.

 

[Kevin G]

I found this article that gives some great details about Breanna's game, who she compares to, and some great photos. Enjoy

http://fullcourt.ehclients.com/inde...na_stewart_an_up-close_look_at_a_2012_phenom/

 

[Blakeon18]

I have seen her play in person a couple of times and I know she has one asset that wasn't evident in this game [wasn't necessary].

She has very good dribbling skills in the open court for a player of her age and size. I bet she will be a wonderfully complementary ball-handler when UConn is pressed. If "bigs" are guarding her, she will be able to bring the ball up against them by herself. If smaller, quicker kids are on her, she can provide a target for outlet passes and then simply pitch it over their heads to a teammate.

Rutgers: bring that 55 on!

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

i'm not sure how good a jumper she is but she's terrifically athletic. obviously she lacks the sheer power of a player like Tina Charles, but i think she's quicker and smoother and a much better finisher around the basket. she won't be padding her rebounding stats by cleaning up her own misses!

Here are the cumulative statistics from the PanAm games.

As a general rule, free throw percentage can be a good indicator of whether someone has a solid/reliable jumper (or at least the capability of having a solid/reliable jumper). While this is a small sample size (three games), Breanna is shooting 90 percent from the free throw line (19-21).

Another good sign...in three games, Breanna has the same number of assists (4) as turnovers (4). Young post players are more prone to turnovers, as they need to learn to develop counter-moves, pass out of double teams, etc. Having a 1:1 ratio at this stage of her development against good competition is a very good sign for UConn.

 

[NCorBust]

i'm not sure how good a jumper she is but she's terrifically athletic.

Check out the photo below. She is sooooooo clear of the floor!

 

[MilfordHusky]

With Breanna's length, she could become the best shot blocker ever not named Griner.

Though the details are different, pairing Breanna Stewart with Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis reminds me of pairing Maya Moore with Tina Charles. How did that work out? Oh, 90 straight wins and 2 national championships in dominating fashion? Hmm. And the other players include Caroline Doty, Stef Dolson, Bria Hartley, Kiah Stokes, Brianna Banks, Morgan Tuck, and Moriah Jefferson.

A very knowledgeable person has said that Breanna would be 1st team All-Big East if she were in the conference this year. She'll have to wait a year for that. Particularly on a team that is already loaded, she will be an absolute matchup nightmare! Do you double her and let Stef have open shots from point blank range? Do you double her and leave KML alone? Sounds like a problem to me.

 

[Coler]

She is mighty good. I wish she had went to Penn State.

 

[HuskyNan]

Still love this picture of Breanna dribbling with the off hand. And, yes, I'm positive she's a rightie.

 

[NCorBust]

I just watch the aforementioned video. No wonder her fundamentals are so good. She watched and tried to emulate Tim Duncan. And yes she said her off-hand is her left hand which she now favors when close to the hoop. I don't think she is as thin and weak as she appears from a far when she is on the court. There is some real muscle there. She does lift weights. Ragle will add to it. UCONN for the next few years is going to have some serious BIGs.

During this interview her calm demeanor is really impressive. Not excitable. I like this very much. Probably translates to being clutch under pressure in a game. Her Coach says Stewart's mental toughness is her best attribute. Stanford tried to recruit her early on so she must be quite smart as well.

I don't have a very good mental picture of Griner's jump shot, but if she has her hand more under the ball instead of more behind it, then Stewart could block it all day from backside help. I suspect with her leaping ability she could do a more than decent job fronting her as well. Pity shorter centers. CD and Marissa are going to have great fun watching Stewart's potential pore out from their instruction.

 

[NCorBust]

Still love this picture of Breanna dribbling with the off hand. And, yes, I'm positive she's a rightie.

Are you this isn't a negative?

 

[VAMike23]

I just watch the aforementioned video. No wonder her fundamentals are so good. She watched and tried to emulate Tim Duncan. And yes she said her off-hand is her left hand which she now favors when close to the hoop. I don't think she is as thin and weak as she appears from a far when she is on the court. There is some real muscle there. She does lift weights. Ragle will add to it. UCONN for the next few years is going to have some serious BIGs.

During this interview her calm demeanor is really impressive. Not excitable. I like this very much. Probably translates being clutch under pressure in a game.

I don't have a very good mental picture of Griner's jump shot, but if she has her hand more under the ball instead of more behind it, then Stewart could block it all day from backside help. I suspect with her leaping ability she could do a more than decent job fronting her as well. Pity shorter centers. CD and Marissa are going to have great fun watching Stewart's potential pore out from their instruction.

And when Geno sticks his nose into the post players' drill time, BStewart will force him to come up with something different than "You're the slowest post player in America!!!!"

 

[HuskyNan]

I don't know how much Breanna and Griner will get to play against one another. When Breanna is a freshman, Griner will be a senior. Unless the current series is extended past this year, the two will have to meet in the 2013 NCAA's or not at all in college.

 

[HuskyNan]

Are you this isn't a negative?

Not unless the Northstars have their team name and number printed backwards on their jerseys.

 

[Husky68]

Thing I most noted about BS was not her many basketball skills but just how she controlled her body when running down the court, stopping and starting and changing direction. Most girls over 6'1" are stiff, run "heavy", have trouble moving laterally, etc. Tina on the high end of good mover as a center, Parker on the very high end of moving well while being tall - Alison Bales, Paris sisters on the low end re "movement". Ann Strouther was maybe 6'3" but had nowhere near the body control and movement ability of BS.

Just in her ability to move and control her body she is Parkeresk - which for movement as a big is the highest complement. Leslie was a bit stiff, Lauren Jackson isn't as fluid a more muscle up type player (with good outside shot).

Fowles is powerful and Griner is able to cover ground well, both can move for their size - but BS has something neither has. I guess the best way can describe, BS looked more like an athletic 17 year old 6'5" skinny boy that will grow into his body running down the court rather than a girl. BS reminds me of Jeremy Lamb.

 

[alexrgct]

Time will tell if Breanna and KML can be the unbeatable pair of aces that Maya and Tina were. However, on paper, they should have more depth around them to work with. It's a scary proposition for the rest of the field.

 

[NCorBust]

Not unless the Northstars have their team name and number printed backwards on their jerseys.

Humor har, har! Do you know a fellow named Mork?

 

[VAMike23]

With Breanna's length, she could become the best shot blocker ever not named Griner.

Though the details are different, pairing Breanna Stewart with Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis reminds me of pairing Maya Moore with Tina Charles. How did that work out? Oh, 90 straight wins and 2 national championships in dominating fashion? Hmm. And the other players include Caroline Doty, Stef Dolson, Bria Hartley, Kiah Stokes, Brianna Banks, Morgan Tuck, and Moriah Jefferson.

A very knowledgeable person has said that Breanna would be 1st team All-Big East if she were in the conference this year. She'll have to wait a year for that. Particularly on a team that is already loaded, she will be an absolute matchup nightmare! Do you double her and let Stef have open shots from point blank range? Do you double her and leave KML alone? Sounds like a problem to me.

I think that down the road, Elizabeth Williams might well figure into the shot-blocking conversation along with BStewart. I'm not sure she has quite the 'springy' legs of BStewart but she is extremely active and athletic as well, and she also takes up space more effectively, IMO - this helps her get blocks deep in the paint as it keeps a little body distance between her and her opponent. (I agree that Griner is at another level of intimidation, whether or not it actually pans out in her block statistics.)

 

[sTu]

I am not convinced that Stewart will see most of her time on the court as a traditional ONE.

 

[jsloanjr]

My only fear is she playing too much hoops for her age. When doe her body get to rest?......

 

[Olde Coach]

I am not convinced that Stewart will see most of her time on the court as a traditional ONE.

Bree will see very little time as a traditional center (a 5) at UConn.

For the Huskies, she will play mostly at the 4 and the 3. (And -- if there is ever a necessity -- half the team is ill for a game, or some such) she can play both the 1 and the 2. "Versatility" is Bree's middle name.

 

[Dawson]

Thing I most noted about BS was not her many basketball skills but just how she controlled her body when running down the court, stopping and starting and changing direction. Most girls over 6'1" are stiff, run "heavy", have trouble moving laterally, etc. Tina on the high end of good mover as a center, Parker on the very high end of moving well while being tall - Alison Bales, Paris sisters on the low end re "movement". Ann Strouther was maybe 6'3" but had nowhere near the body control and movement ability of BS.

Just in her ability to move and control her body she is Parkeresk - which for movement as a big is the highest complement. Leslie was a bit stiff, Lauren Jackson isn't as fluid a more muscle up type player (with good outside shot).

Fowles is powerful and Griner is able to cover ground well, both can move for their size - but BS has something neither has. I guess the best way can describe, BS looked more like an athletic 17 year old 6'5" skinny boy that will grow into his body running down the court rather than a girl. BS reminds me of Jeremy Lamb.

I know we've all seen it so many times, but let's not forget Ann's greatness

 

[pinotbear]

Bree will see very little time as a traditional center (a 5) at UConn.

For the Huskies, she will play mostly at the 4 and the 3. (And -- if there is ever a necessity -- half the team is ill for a game, or some such) she can play both the 1 and the 2. "Versatility" is Bree's middle name.

After her Aunt Versatility Stewart, no doubt!

 

[connboy77]

What more can you say about Breanna Stewart that hasn't already been said? She is the complete package, and will have a great four years at UCONN. I to believe that her best position will be at the 4. Not that she couldn't play the other positions equally as well, but I think Geno will play her the most minutes at the 4.

 

[dtbtbtb]

she will be a nightmare for other teams at the 4 as she is able to go around and above players her hight and above players shorter than her, and on defense it will be the Brea line that the opposing teams will avoid from trying to enter (unless they want the ball thrown back at them or to the second row)

 

[mcannon1]

Kid just seems unbelievably good for a 17 year old - shooting, blocking, ball handling - she is just so good at the mental part of the game too. I am in awe.