Prolly need to open your eyes a bit more.
I think it will be Hidalgo or Betts. But Strong should be preseason first team. Those are the only two that should get preseason player of the year votes over her.
Betts most likely over Sarah. Hidalgo had a rough finish to the season. But if you had to pick one of the 3 to start your team with, it would be Sarah hands down.
As usual Oldude I'm on board with your post. I will hold back just a titch on enshrining her as generational. She has shown every attribute you have mentioned and seems on the brink of super stardom. I however I will wait until at least another year of watching her play before I put her in the class of 5 you have her in. No slight, just a tiny pinch of caution, so many things can happen to derail any train, and it appears the Sarah train is highballing it down the tracks. Yes, Sarah the player with hands like a chameleon's tongue. The player who gets her sticky mitts on the ball and it's hers until she releases it, a three-level scoring machine, a thief on the court. Our shy smiling assassin. I will wait another season before I put her on the mountain, but the young lady is just a nudge away.It is fair to say that the term “generational talent” is overused, particularly when you consider that a generation is typically considered to come around every 20 years or so. A more liberal interpretation of generational talent in sports would be that an athlete is doing remarkable things at a level we’ve never quite seen before. By either definition, UConn WBB has had more than their share of generational talents. While some may disagree, I respectfully suggest that UConn has had 5 generational talents in the storied history of the program.
Diana Taurasi – The Italian-American kid from CA practically invented the Combo-Guard position. She was a 3-level scorer, outstanding rebounder and dime-dropping passer extraordinaire who stands as the most decorated player in the history of WBB.
Maya Moore – One of the most physically gifted players ever, who could guard or score against any player, regardless of position. In addition to the many team and individual honors that Maya has earned through the years, she continues to hold the top spot as UConn’s all-time leading scorer.
Breanna Stewart – Stewie is a unicorn; a 6’4” athlete with a 7’ wingspan who could protect the rim and score in the low post, equipped with a guard’s handle and the ability to knock down shots from the arc. Stewie, along with her 2 classmates (Mo & Tuck) lead the Huskies to an unprecedented 4 straight national championships, a record that will never be surpassed.
Paige Bueckers - One of the most efficient players in WBB history, Paige was the first freshman to ever earn NPOY honors. While her on court talent and achievements are the stuff of legends, Paige stands out for her perseverance, her selfless leadership and, perhaps as the very best teammate I have ever seen, someone who elevated everyone around her to achieve greatness.
Sarah Strong – The more that I watched Sarah play this past season, the more I was mesmerized by all the things she does really well on the court. Her calm demeanor and advanced skillset belie the fact that she is a freshman who just turned 19.
She is the best rebounder I have ever seen at UConn. All the little things she does to establish position, explode of the floor and come down with rebounds in traffic are next level. Her baby hook is a thing of beauty. She can knock down 3’s with defenders closing on her. Her hand quickness and anticipation make her a defensive nightmare whether she’s blocking your shot or picking your pocket. Sarah is also an outstanding passer who got better as the season progressed. Watching her and Paige carve up opponents in the 2-man game was exhilarating.
There were so many Sarah Strong highlights from this year. My personal favorite was during the Elite 8 game vs USC, when Sarah put Kiki Iriafen in the spin cycle with one of the prettiest layups that I’ve seen in WBB. The numbers she posted this year are Maya-esque for a freshman, and who knows, before she’s done at UConn, maybe Stewie, Mo and Tuck will have company from Sarah and her classmates with 4 national championships.
The very best thing about UConn’s latest generational talent is summed up by a remark that we’ve all heard Geno make on a number of occasions, “Right now, Sarah is the worst she’ll ever be.”That is a fact that should terrify the rest of WBB.
I find this truly baffling.
I think you are missing the other parts of the debate. Barkley had a lot of skill and excellent feet and could run the floor all day long - very similar to Sarah. a lot of Sarah's game comes from her size, power, and strength to dominate taller players, but that does not mean it is 100% of her game, nor was it Sir Charles.
Well you would be wrong. That's ok, not everyone can see things.
sure
imho she was the mvp and it wasn’t close
Well, it was close. I first thought they would pick Strong (I would have). But after watching the NC game again (a couple of times), I could see how Fudd's play influenced them. She made a few big time plays, stopping S. Carolina's momentum. Strong played really well also, but it wasn't quite as "standoutish".
i was looking at both gamed
Yeah, me too. But they vote after the 2nd game. So that one affects them more.
thank you!!
Yes there are definitely differences between the two players. Even so, IIRC, Barkley average 16-17 pts a game an 10-11 rebounds as a junior and was the 5th pick in the nba draft. So he was great, even though he was a bit overweight, as a collegian.
Why not? Because one is male and one is female? With all due respect, he just reminds me more of Barkley (and not just body type, but that is a component of the similarity).
Yeah that is a good one but Tim had more relative size/height in my opinion.
The women’s game is considerably different than the men’s game. That’s why I think it’s inappropriate to compare men & women. That’s also why I didn’t like the entire discussion of CC breaking Pete Maravich’s NCAA scoring record.
A part of me thinks they didn't want to put Sarah in the spotlight and then when they interview her, she'll get nervous and give one word direct answers. Azzi is more talkative and makes for a better interview.
Scoring records are one thing, similarities another. I like the MM comparison, don't get me wrong. But MM just seemed so graceful on the court and more explosive to the rim. Sarah seems to show more power and strength to me and not as explosive as MM. Anyway, it is splitting hairs to some extent.
A part of me thinks they didn't want to put Sarah in the spotlight and then when they interview her, she'll get nervous and give one word direct answers. Azzi is more talkative and makes for a better interview.
I watched the game three time and Uconn wins every time!! yeah! But, each time I come away with the feeling that SC had no answer for Sarah and she dominated both FF games more than any player I can remember. I do remember Stewie's 28 in the FF, but I have to remind myself that Sarah's 24 is a mere 4 points less in a game that was not close.
Anyway, it is very nice that we can debate over who the MVP should have been!
I'll put it out there now, Sarah will win player of the year next year, averaging 22 and 12 per game. Big games, she will do even better. This is another reason to like Sarah. In big games and as a freshman, she took her game even higher and completely dominated in all phases.
