Sarah Strong is just Ridiculous

[CL82]

Last year it was, "we have Paige and you don't", this year it's "we have Sarah and you don't".

 

[Bone Dog]

I’m not sure BPM, like Win Shares, is really comparable across different teams. Maybe I don’t understand these stats all that well.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

May have to expand the saying: "We have Azzi & Sarah, and you do not!"

Go Huskies!!!

 

[JellyBean]

I am so thankful that Sarah picked UConn. She is a joy to watch play. Like somebody stated earlier, Sarah does something every game that impresses you. From her baseball passing, fullcourt. To her bounce passing, 3/4 court. Her quick hands. Her footwork. Her insanely high basketball IQ. Sarah is just a joy to watch and I am happy that we have her wearing the UConn uniform.

 

[mordecai]

As many have said and bears repeating, Sarah is a joy to watch! An extremely high basketball IQ, fundamentally sound, consummate team player.. All that aside, what I especially admire is Sarah’s humility.. None of the on court theatrics of self promotion during or after the game. Just a simple smile here and there when things are going well. No need for self promotion because at the end of the game anyone paying attention will know who was or who was one of the best players on the court.. Sarah Strong! UConn is blessed to have Sarah as part of the family..

 

[oldhusky]

Strong's career Box Plus/Minus average of +25.6 is the best of any player in the 23-year records of Basketball Reference, and by a huge margin. Five of the top seven are Huskies.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/leaders/women/bpm-player-career.html

Even more impressive because Box Plus/Minus is probably the best single stat to measure a player's performance. A comprehensive stat that also takes into account pace and quality of the competition. Sarah's numbers were actually slightly better than Paige last year, and of course are even better this year.

 

[HuskyNan]

Even more impressive because Box Plus/Minus is probably the best single stat to measure a player's performance. A comprehensive stat that also takes into account pace and quality of the competition. Sarah's numbers were actually slightly better than Paige last year, and of course are even better this year.

Plus/minus shows how the score changes while the player is on the court. If someone’s +/- is 5, her team scored 5 more points than the opponent while she was playing. It’s a stat that’s purely mathematical; no factoring in quality of opponent or anything else. And keep in mind, it’s possible for a player to have a positive +/- even when her team loses

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[boontonbomber]

So how will she match up with the past UConn greats as time goes on? I always have liked Stewie as the best, separating herself from the others because of her defensive skills. But Sarah is quite the defensive force, so maybe......

 

[Citrusdog]

I know I am stating the obvious as we all are seeing the same thing. Her play this year is so much better than last year. Who would think that was possible?
One play, she blocks a pass at half court, saves it from going out of bounds, and then drives to the rim and scores. Crazy.
The only player, IMO, who was close to that was Maya Moore.
The Peacock Play by Play woman says that Sarah looks like she is playing against children.
Geno in his press conference, where he is mostly guarded about over praising, stated that Sarah just makes difficult plays look simple, when they are really not. She is so competitive that missing ONE shot makes her angry, and with everything she does, diving one the floor is not beneath her.
He said her rebounding is more impressive to him that her shooting, as she is always near where the ball is going.
You can see it in his face that he and his coaches know how special a player she is.

She is exceptional in every way. Just exceptional - what a talented and skilled player - a joy to watch. I will follow her career all the way out - amazing young woman.

 

[Bone Dog]

So how will she match up with the past UConn greats as time goes on? I always have liked Stewie as the best, separating herself from the others because of her defensive skills. But Sarah is quite the defensive force, so maybe......

I agree. She is quite an intimidator in the lane. Apart from specific stats like blocks/game, like Stewie she intimidates even opposing bigs. Other teams try to play around them. Also, her end-to-end ball skills are unparalleled by any other big in the game. And I think her passing skills are next level, literally.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

Even more impressive because Box Plus/Minus is probably the best single stat to measure a player's performance. A comprehensive stat that also takes into account pace and quality of the competition. Sarah's numbers were actually slightly better than Paige last year, and of course are even better this year.

BPM is a good composite measure, more readily available than other composite individual efficiency measures (EFFiciency, PER, PIE, NetRtg etc.).

However, BPM is a cohort measure. Per game BPM is the sum of a player’s rotations' BPMs — how effective are those rotations against the opponent’s rotations on offense and defense and how many possessions those rotations play.

With Sarah’s BPM’s and Paige’s BPM’s being what they are — and both being core players — one can make several inferences. And these inferences hark back to the seasons’ atmospheric stats (attached).

This season’s offense and defense (to-date) is noteworthy (many have already noted) because it’s mostly OOC, prior to the full-bloom metamorphosis that happens during the Big East schedule.

 

[Bone Dog]

BPM is a good composite measure, more readily available than other composite individual efficiency measures (EFFiciency, PER, PIE, NetRtg etc.).

However, BPM is a cohort measure. Per game BPM is the sum of a player’s rotations' BPMs — how effective are those rotations against the opponent’s rotations on offense and defense and how many possessions those rotations play.

With Sarah’s BPM’s and Paige’s BPM’s being what they are — and both being core players — one can make several inferences. And these inferences hark back to the seasons’ atmospheric stats (attached).

This season’s offense and defense (to-date) is noteworthy (many have already noted) because it’s mostly OOC, prior to the full-bloom metamorphosis that happens during the Big East schedule.

View attachment 114981

View attachment 114982

Thanks for these fascinating stats, especially the second chart. The assists and ORB numbers are pretty striking, as is the 3pt% and the FGA/game. We're taking and making more 3s than any UConn team in the last 15 years. The 2P% is near the top, but this will probably approach last year's once the conference schedule starts. The O-boards are in the top 5 and that will also likely rise in conference. The overall comparison to the greatest 4 year stretch in D1 history is pretty eye-opening.

As for BPM (and WinShares), I'm sure you have a better sense of this than I do. What catches my attention is what you suggest, namely that this is a cohort-based stat, which has to mean it isn't easy to compare across different seasons, and certainly not across different teams. I'd also expect that BPM and WS are also very dependent on the size of a data set.

 

[Reypl21]

Sarah is a monster. She's so fun to watch. She's the ultimate player. I think she will knock someone off UConn's Mount Rushmore.

 

[DennieEddy]

And I believe 2 years ago, UConn was not her top choice...or BY thought so.

 

[Vancat]

One of the amazing things about her is she’s so….calm.

 

[Geew1992]

And I believe 2 years ago, UConn was not her top choice...or BY thought so.

That was BY thought. She said it was always uconn

 

[Sluconn Husky]

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

Thanks for these fascinating stats, especially the second chart. The assists and ORB numbers are pretty striking, as is the 3pt% and the FGA/game. We're taking and making more 3s than any UConn team in the last 15 years. The 2P% is near the top, but this will probably approach last year's once the conference schedule starts. The O-boards are in the top 5 and that will also likely rise in conference. The overall comparison to the greatest 4 year stretch in D1 history is pretty eye-opening.

As for BPM (and WinShares), I'm sure you have a better sense of this than I do. What catches my attention is what you suggest, namely that this is a cohort-based stat, which has to mean it isn't easy to compare across different seasons, and certainly not across different teams. I'd also expect that BPM and WS are also very dependent on the size of a data set.

Sarah (and Azzi) being phenomenal players and this season’s team being in the conversation as among, by UConn standards, one of the better teams are intrinsically linked.

And by UConn standards, statistically and by the eye-test, this team’s comparison group is shaping up to be the Stewie teams and the TASSK superteams and the Napheesa-KLS-Gabby team (without its Achilles heels). [See first pic]

In the OOC schedule, Sarah and Azzi are able to accomplish much in lesser minutes (comparatively speaking). There is greater bandwidth for farm system development within games. It helps that there is significantly more winning time rotations (comparatively speaking) that will produce 40-minutes full-throttle basketball player mix-match symphonic basketball by tournament time.

In terms of POY conversations, being the best players on the better (by UConn standards) team will hopefully carry more weight this year.

Note: Win Shares doesn’t appear in either of the two pics.

 

[Cuango]

Out of all of Sarah’s great basketball attributes (and there are many), the one that impresses me most is her incredible hands! I don’t think I’ve ever seen better hands! To be that big and to be able to guard out past the arc (yet another of her great abilities) and then (it almost seems like slow motion for a moment) to just casually reach in without fouling and poke the ball away, it’s just amazing. Another thing she does that amazes me is when she occasionally catches a late pass at a dead run, so far under the basket that you start to count it as a turnover and then, incredibly, impossibly it seems, she casually flips the ball up (seemingly as her lead foot crosses the end line) ad the ball goes up and gently falls through the hoop! I’ve seen her do this a number of times and it just floors me very time. She is truly a special player and, as others have said, makes things look so easy. So grateful she chose UConn!

 

[Bone Dog]

Note: Win Shares doesn’t appear in either of the two pics.

I only included Win Shares in my earlier reply as another technical stat sometimes used to deepen the picture of a player's value to a team. But it also seems to me to be a 'cohort' stat and not merely an individual measure.

 

[NycUcWbbFan]

I only included Win Shares in my earlier reply as another technical stat sometimes used to deepen the picture of a player's value to a team. But it also seems to me to be a 'cohort' stat and not merely an individual measure.

My mistake. I made an assumption based on the attachments I had in my post.

As to Win Shares, it is a meta cohort stat. It is a cohort stat itself but is also a formulaic way to divvy up the ultimate cohort stat (Wins) via the OffRtg and DefRtg framework to the players on the team. With it, one can have one measure on the core players of the team.

It is also able to identify the best players on the (best) teams.