Maya Moore

[uh-no]

Less we forget Maya Moore was unanimous first team all American all 4 years at UConn one of only 2 players to achieve this. Believe Courtney Paris from Oklahoma was the other.

not even stewie?

 

[Just.A.Fan]

I don’t like to think of Maya’s career as having been cut short. To me, cut short implies something from the outside as doing the cutting. Rather, with Maya the Robert Frost poem comes to mind — she took the road less traveled. And that has made all the difference.

Whatever, surely you got my point?

 

[ThisJustIn]

not even stewie?

• 3× WBCA Coaches' All-American (2014–2016)
• 3× First-team All-American – AP (2014–2016)
• 3× All-American – USBWA (2014–2016)

 

[hoophuskee]

Moore, Bueckers, and Collier are my three favorite UConn players ever. But a play Strong made last night made me realize that I can expand that to four at some point down the road. The baseball throw, one bounce pass through traffic to Samuels was a thing of beauty. But the most impressive part of it was that she threw it. The amount of talent, vision, self belief, and chutzpah it takes to attempt that play in front of that crowd and tv audience is extraordinary. A lot of people might not have thought it was a big deal but it spoke volumes to me about her potential both physically and mentally. I hope she’s able to fulfill it because it will be enjoyable to watch.

I can recall during the summer in the overseas tournament I believe, she was thrown a god-awful pass from the perimeter, a bit outside her range, and it appeared she reacted in such a way to reach for it over her left-shoulder and smoothly/easily tipping the pass from behind perfectly to another teammate. I can recall on here I posted, "Did she actually mean to do this?" And I got reply "Yes." It was extra-ordinary - and she made it look simple. And the passing we have seen just reconfirms the vision she has.

And that pull-up 3 from last game vs Holy Cross, and in these few games how she uses the jab step. And the 2 video highlights from last year how on one play she buried Joyce Edwards in the paint despite JE being taller and more athletic. and the other in which she made a simple spin move in the paint and converted early over Blanca Thomas; they are tremendous moves and she makes it look so effortless.

Somehow I don’t think some give enough credit to Paige how great she had to perform last year, instead just focus on the last game. Same with Azzi, I don't think some give enough credit to Azzi s frosh year and the 1st several games of her soph year also taking into account that since the summer of her soph year in H/S she wasn't playing nearly enough "healthy" basketball yet she was nothing but except spectacular in those 6 games. Instead what some point to is after she came back from injury and the 1 or 2 games her jr year.

Now with Sarah I expected her to be terrific but omg not "this." She does things that are spectacular that aren't flashy as had/has Paige and Azzi that are hard to fully appreciate. As positive as I am, still the injuries have had a shaken affect because I see these 3 as potentially unbelievable but yet in the back of my mind I keep thinking "They can't be this good." But yet another part of me says "Of course if healthy they are and they will only get better."

 

[pvdoggy]

not even stewie?

Stewie was not that productive in the middle part of her freshman season, I don't think she was All-American that year, but she was MOP of that year FF4.

 

[uh-no]

Stewie was not that productive in the middle part of her freshman season, I don't think she was All-American that year, but she was MOP of that year FF4.

yeah i know we lost, what, 3x to ND that year and then beat them when it counted...just didn't recall if she was AA.

 

[hoophuskee]

i didn't make this observation in my original post: the fact is that stewie had little opportunity (maybe like zip) to perform in situations where she was under high pressure to perform. her huskies rarely were challenged during her time (and as a freshman the veterans were there to carry the burden if things got tight). her teams won -- that's wonderful -- but i don't recall stewie ever powering the team when it was in danger of losing.

she didn't have chances to do that: maya & D did, as has paige.

after college, stewie disappeared at times in those circumstances (as did maya & dt, i assume).

Stewie was the #1 reason UCONN broke the drought vs ND. Hartley struggled mightily vs Diggins. KML was not the type of player to be able to manufacture her own shot, and Stef as good as she was not really a primary scorer type. Without Stewart's abilities as a scorer the UCONN Offense would more than likely been bogged down just had had been the prior year as well. Her frosh year she was the #1 player that turned the tide in FF which eventually kept UCONN as the supreme program vs what ND was climbing to be. Stewart's FF her frosh year was spectacular. She had 29 points on 1o-16 from the floor. Then look at DT's and Maya's from year their from their FF Year. DT was awful. And Maya got outplayed by Stanford's senior, Wiggins. Nobody outplayed Stewart.

UCONN lost 8 straight games to ND before that. More than likely ND was winning title again if they beat UCONN and would have had a 2 year unblemished run vs UCONN. After 2 years they would have labeled as the premiere #1 program. The suggestion “wilting” from Stewie is a bit over-the-top. Otherwise you can say for every player in any sport that ever played for any bad game they ever had you can refer to them as wilting.

 

[hoophuskee]

yeah i know we lost, what, 3x to ND that year and then beat them when it counted...just didn't recall if she was AA.

Prior to that game ND won 8 straight vs UCONN. Then magically after Stewart was the the primary #1 player that turned the tide in the FF, "miraculously" ND never beat UCONN again until after she left. .

 

[uh-no]

Prior to that game ND won 8 straight vs UCONN. Then magically after Stewart was the the primary #1 player that turned the tide in the FF, "miraculously" ND never beat UCONN again until after she left. .

i thought the tide would be similar after beuckers and fudd got here...but friggin injuries

 

[Dogstar]

not even stewie?

No she was a 3-time all American

 

[HopJim]

Stewie was not that productive in the middle part of her freshman season, I don't think she was All-American that year, but she was MOP of that year FF4.

Your memory is a bit different than mine. While UConn lost some games in mid-year, Stewie was one of the better players in women's basketball. There are only a few All American's and even as a freshman, Stewie was knocking on the door.

 

[meyers7]

I don’t like to think of Maya’s career as having been cut short. To me, cut short implies something from the outside as doing the cutting. Rather, with Maya the Robert Frost poem comes to mind — she took the road less traveled. And that has made all the difference.

Doesn't mean it was better though.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Doesn't mean it was better though.

English teachers gnashing their teeth every time Frost's poem is referenced incorrectly. lol.

 

[Lynx23]

One of my favorite Maya plays:

 

[pvdoggy]

Your memory is a bit different than mine. While UConn lost some games in mid-year, Stewie was one of the better players in women's basketball. There are only a few All American's and even as a freshman, Stewie was knocking on the door.

You could be correct. Somehow I remember that she lost her spot in the starting lineup for a little while after the crazy hot start of her freshman year.

 

[HuskyNan]

I love this game. Syracuse coach Q Hillsman, when asked who on his team could guard Maya, said any one of his players could. Maya always let her game do her talking for her and this was her response (and didn’t Geno love it)

 

[Alydar]

• 3× WBCA Coaches' All-American (2014–2016)
• 3× First-team All-American – AP (2014–2016)
• 3× All-American – USBWA (2014–2016)

Stewart is remembered for playing great in big games. She was a winner. But her early stats won't make any all-time great lists.

her freshman stats: 13.8pts (50%-33%-78%) 6.4rb, 1.0as MOP of FF
Bueckers, 1st yr stats: 20 pts (52%-46%-87%) 4.9rbs, 4.8 as NPOY (only freshman in history)

Stats don't tell all but they are relevant.

 

[Jonathan14]

I love this game. Syracuse coach Q Hillsman, when asked who on his team could guard Maya, said any one of his players could. Maya always let her game do her talking for her and this was her response (and didn’t Geno love it)

That was fun to watch, @HuskyNan. It's just too bad it had to come at the expense of Coach Q.

What a team that was! The awesome threesome of Maya, Renee, and Tina, of course, but also two of my personal all-time favorites, Kalana Greene and Kaili McClaren. Then add future all-star Tiff Hayes and stalwarts like Lorin Dixon, Caroline Doty, Heather Buck, and the list goes on.

 

[DennieEddy]

If we look at the UConn WBB history, we won't forget Maya.

 

[YoDore]

I love Sarah Strong - she is an incredible player and I’m so glad she’s a Husky. The praise for her is well-deserved. I just feel that people making some of the comments about smoothest freshman in 30 years, etc are forgetting the (I thought) unforgettable Maya Moore. Her first time in a UConn jersey was an exhibition against the National Team - Maya had 17 points and at times looked like the best player on the court. Below is a video reminder of Maya’s freshman season.

Let the praise for Sarah continue as she’s earned it but for me, I’m not forgetting the Marvelous Maya Moore.

Nan, I don't pretend to be an expert on UConn women's basketball, but I know someone who is. Shea Ralph said she doesn't think she has ever seen a player with as much God-given ability as Maya Moore. I believe her.

 

[Skeets]

Breanna sometimes wilts in tight situations seems to me. but very rare (if ever) for d & maya

I agree with you on D and Maya, but talk about wilting? How about 4 NCs and 4 NC MVPs? I like that kind of wilting. (Also, it was only 1 game, but D did go oh-fer-15. However, I strongly discount that.)

 

[PacoSwede]

I agree with you on D and Maya, but talk about wilting? How about 4 NCs and 4 NC MVPs? I like that kind of wilting. (Also, it was only 1 game, but D did go oh-fer-15. However, I strongly discount that.)

guess i was thinking of her years after uconn, when there was some 'wilting.' u could say the same about D & maya, of course. occasionally, not chronically,

this was all about my response to a post that i thought made a great point about how performing best at game-determining moments separates very good players from the great ones.

i didn't believe stewie demonstrated that in college because she didn't get the opportunity. if she had, she very well may have done job (though i did not include that in my post, trying to be brief). also, stewie was a superior husky, rightly on Husky Mount Rushmore. that goes without saying, i figured. it's GD obvious!

someone said that she did come to the rescue at crunch time in a certain game. i don't recall that, but if the poster has a better memory, i shall withdraw my comments. don't want to smear breanna.

 

[Reypl21]

Maya Moore is my GOAT. She's an all-time great player, and an even better person.

 

[JRRRJ]

I love Sarah Strong - she is an incredible player and I’m so glad she’s a Husky. The praise for her is well-deserved. I just feel that people making some of the comments about smoothest freshman in 30 years, etc are forgetting the (I thought) unforgettable Maya Moore. Her first time in a UConn jersey was an exhibition against the National Team - Maya had 17 points and at times looked like the best player on the court. Below is a video reminder of Maya’s freshman season.

Let the praise for Sarah continue as she’s earned it but for me, I’m not forgetting the Marvelous Maya Moore.

Just to put some data in this discussion, here are the per-game and per-40 stats for Maya in her freshman year in the highlighted rows below. (Note that the 2007-8 per40 spreadsheet, which is available for download here, only has the year-end summary data.)(Also note Maya's efficiency rating!)

The per40 values for Maya and Sarah match up pretty evenly. Do remember that the Big East was much tougher then, and Maya's stats include the run to the NCAA semi-final.

 

[Wasn’t me]

I think this came up earlier in this thread about freshman being named Big East Freshman and Player in the same week. It doesn’t appear this was done much until Maya did it for the first time.

Moore was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week a conference record 10 times, passing former UConn standout Rebecca Lobo (7) for most selections in BIG EAST history, became the first-ever freshman in BIG EAST Conference history to be recognized as Player of the Week on March 4, she was also named Freshman of the Week, marking the first time the conference weekly honors have been swept by the same player.

 

[PvP]

I love Sarah Strong - she is an incredible player and I’m so glad she’s a Husky. The praise for her is well-deserved. I just feel that people making some of the comments about smoothest freshman in 30 years, etc are forgetting the (I thought) unforgettable Maya Moore. Her first time in a UConn jersey was an exhibition against the National Team - Maya had 17 points and at times looked like the best player on the court. Below is a video reminder of Maya’s freshman season.

Let the praise for Sarah continue as she’s earned it but for me, I’m not forgetting the Marvelous Maya Moore.

This thread was undoubtedly meant to offer perspective about any comparisons being made between Sarah Strong and the great Maya Moore. While obviously seriously intended, a video of highlights from, presumably, the entirety of Maya's freshman year is hardly a reasonable basis for comparison with a player whose entire college career is comprised of just 8 games.

In order to make a fairer comparison at the same point in their careers, I have compiled statistics from Maya's first 8 games and compared them with what Sarah has accomplished. They are as follows:

Maya Sarah

Points scored 132 130 Essentially identical

Rebounds 48 61 Significant

Assists 24 29 A 20% difference

Steals 12 20 Significant

Blocks 15 12 A 20% difference

Turnovers 13 11 Insignificant

Fouls 13 11 Insignificant

While I certainly concur that Maya is a giant in Husky history, in her professional achievements and her dedication to her values, I think this direct comparison of what their actual play for as many games as Sarah has had to achieve anything does not separate them meaningfully, and if any such separation is to be acknowledged, it would seem to favor Sarah, however slightly.

We can only give her a chance to make her mark in UCONN annals before we either enshrine her or demean her as I am sure we all can agree upon.

 

[HuskyNan]

This thread was undoubtedly meant to offer perspective about any comparisons being made between Sarah Strong and the great Maya Moore. While obviously seriously intended, a video of highlights from, presumably, the entirety of Maya's freshman year is hardly a reasonable basis for comparison with a player whose entire college career is comprised of just 8 games.

No, that wasn’t my intent at all. There was a poster talking about Sarah as the smoothest freshman in 30 years, and others making similar hyperbolic statements about best freshman, and IMO, while Sarah is fabulous in her own right and she will make her own mark on UConn lore, she is not the best or smoothest freshman in 30 years. It has nothing to do with statistical analysis and everything to do with my opinion

We UConn fans have been beyond fortunate to have seen freshman phenoms Nykesha, Diana, Tina, Maya, Stewie, Paige, and Sarah. Those are just the very top of the bunch. So many great players and yet the memories can fade when the next spectacular player comes along. Not me, I remember how incredible Maya was her freshman year. That takes nothing from Sara. It’s not a zero sum game

 

[Just.A.Fan]

No, that wasn’t my intent at all. There was a poster talking about Sarah as the smoothest freshman in 30 years, and others making similar hyperbolic statements about best freshman, and IMO, while Sarah is fabulous in her own right and she will make her own mark on UConn lore, she is not the best or smoothest freshman in 30 years. It has nothing to do with statistical analysis and everything to do with my opinion

We UConn fans have been beyond fortunate to have seen freshman phenoms Nykesha, Diana, Tina, Maya, Stewie, Paige, and Sarah. Those are just the very top of the bunch. So many great players and yet the memories can fade when the next spectacular player comes along. Not me, I remember how incredible Maya was her freshman year. That takes nothing from Sara. It’s not a zero sum game

I disagree with nothing you have said here Nan, but we can't truly rate Sarah at this point. She may yet prove to be the greatest freshman of them all. We are only 8 games into the season.

 

[Crossover]

I love this game. Syracuse coach Q Hillsman, when asked who on his team could guard Maya, said any one of his players could. Maya always let her game do her talking for her and this was her response (and didn’t Geno love it)

A classic example of FAFO.