You named two of my favorites. I'd put Sue in that category, or almost any superlative category, she scored when necessary and she set up scorers otherwise. Geno, has selected, not by co-incidence, some of the best WCBB guards/players in the game. Every great Uconn team had an outstanding PG often not getting the credit they earned. Thankfully, Nika is seeing her credits before she graduates.
Would Sue ever be considered a defensive stopper?
Or Faris on Skylar - about whom Geno said “She might never have a bad game.”
Exactly. You can see the growth in Nika's game over the years. She isn't forcing passes. She puts the pass where a player likes it. Which is crazy because a lot times it takes players a minute to develop that level of chemistry. Nika is having a wonderful start and the players are enjoying it and I believe Nika is enjoying the new mindset and flow of the game as well.
Sue’s game was about winning. And, as was recently said by Swin, ’02 has good claim as the greatest team ever.
Suzy went to high school at Seton-LaSalle in Pittsburgh. Previously the school was known as South Hills Catholic, but the name changed when it became a coed institution in 1979. I graduated from SHC in 1968. Suzy and her sister Kathy won the PIAA championship in 1984, and both were multi-sport athletes. We are quite proud of their legacy!
In Geno's reunion show on the 2002 team, he made fun of Sue and Diana on their defense , Basically, the defense was led by the front line, Incredible athletes who could all cover 1-5
This string of replies was listing some past UConn defensive stoppers.
Faris on Chelsea Gray in this 2012 game was as good a defensive performance as there has ever been.
Clark is terrific and will probably be even better for having been tested more than once by UConn. Hopefully, before her career ends, she’ll go head to head against the Huskies again. Don’t believe she’s shut-downable…but she’s reasonably containable...by UConn‘s time tested defensive intensity.
I recently commented in another thread......this is not a good time to play UConn. They have 5 healthy starters that are in sync, and play with a sense of urgency. I don't like to engage in wistful speculation, but one can only imagine how much better/formidable this team would be with a healthy Paige Bueckers running the floor.
Thank you for your comment. It got me thinking about the many factors at play. On the plus side, a weaker and slower defense could mean more openings for assists and more transition opportunities. On the minus side, you point out fewer possessions. There could also be less playing time as the bench is given more time in the game. Let us enjoy the games and see if Nika’s assist numbers improve or not! I would love to see her exit the season at the top of the assist leaderboard.
Agreed. Also despite her size, Jefferson could belly up on any guard, at times completely shut her down, and still be an offensive threat in the quarter court and in transition.
One of my two all-time favorite UConn WBB players. Kiah Stokes is the other.
I agree you cannot shut her down for a whole game. She didn't score in the 3rd quarter though and not when UCONN went on their 11-0 run. You can do it in small doses and wear her down which is exactly what Nika did.
Still enjoy the replay of her literally covering Skylar’s face as ND tried to inbound the ball. Ref laughed and just said noooo.
In 2015-2016, Connecticut led the country in field goal percentage, free throw percentage (!!), scoring offense/defense/margin, assists (per game and total), assist/turnover ratio, blocked shots (total), and fewest fouls per game, going 38-0 and winning the national championship. No team in women's D1 history has been so completely dominant in virtually every phase of the game.
