Senior Aaliyah vs. Freshman Sarah: Statistical Comparison

[JoePgh]

I did about 15 minutes of research on this topic, and came up with the following. The comparisons are between Aaliyah's senior year in 2023-24 and Sarah's freshman year in 2024-25.

Games played Aaliyah 33, Sarah 40
Average minutes Aaliyah 30.3, Sarah 28.7
Points per game Aaliyah 18.3, Sarah 16.4
Rebounds per game Aaliyah 9.7, Sarah 8.9
Steals per game Aaliyah 1.7, Sarah 2.3
Blocks per game Aaliyah 1.1, Sarah 1.7
Assists per game Aaliyah 2.1, Sarah 3.6
Turnovers per game Aaliyah 2.4, Sarah 1.6
A/TO ratio Aaliyah 0.87, Sarah 2.25
Fouls per game Aaliyah 2.6, Sarah 1.6

The overall observation is that in every one of these measurable stats except points and rebounds per game, Sarah as a freshman outperformed Aaliyah as a senior. And the scoring and rebounding differences in Aaliyah's favor may be partially explained by her higher average minutes per game. In some stats such as steals, assists, turnovers, A/TO and fouls, Sarah was markedly better than Aaliyah.

There was a lot of Boneyard discussion during this season about whether UConn could compete with top teams without a "true center", as if this were the first year where a natural power forward was (by necessity) being used as a center. Actually that has been the case for the past two seasons (less so this year than last, because Jana and Ice offered some credible minutes this year, and there was no one doing that last year). But Aaliyah last year and Sarah this year filled the same role for UConn, and did approximately equally well (with the exceptions noted).

We need to remember that Aaliyah was good enough to be drafted 6th overall in last spring's WNBA draft, and she certainly performed according to expectations on a not especially good Mystics team. And Sarah already appears statistically to be a bit better overall than Aaliyah. Rebecca was right when she said during yesterday's game that if Sarah were entering the WNBA draft this year, she would be a lottery pick, and when she does enter the draft in 2028 (hopefully) she is likely to be #1 overall.

 

[Boreifs]

I did about 15 minutes of research on this topic, and came up with the following. The comparisons are between Aaliyah's senior year in 2023-24 and Sarah's freshman year in 2024-25.

Games played Aaliyah 33, Sarah 40
Average minutes Aaliyah 30.3, Sarah 28.7
Points per game Aaliyah 18.3, Sarah 16.4
Rebounds per game Aaliyah 9.7, Sarah 8.9
Steals per game Aaliyah 1.7, Sarah 2.3
Blocks per game Aaliyah 1.1, Sarah 1.7
Assists per game Aaliyah 2.1, Sarah 3.6
Turnovers per game Aaliyah 2.4, Sarah 1.6
A/TO ratio Aaliyah 0.87, Sarah 2.25
Fouls per game Aaliyah 2.6, Sarah 1.6

The overall observation is that in every one of these measurable stats except points and rebounds per game, Sarah as a freshman outperformed Aaliyah as a senior. And the scoring and rebounding differences in Aaliyah's favor may be partially explained by her higher average minutes per game. In some stats such as steals, assists, turnovers, A/TO and fouls, Sarah was markedly better than Aaliyah.

There was a lot of Boneyard discussion during this season about whether UConn could compete with top teams without a "true center", as if this were the first year where a natural power forward was (by necessity) being used as a center. Actually that has been the case for the past two seasons (less so this year than last, because Jana and Ice offered some credible minutes this year, and there was no one doing that last year). But Aaliyah last year and Sarah this year filled the same role for UConn, and did approximately equally well (with the exceptions noted).

We need to remember that Aaliyah was good enough to be drafted 6th overall in last spring's WNBA draft, and she certainly performed according to expectations on a not especially good Mystics team. And Sarah already appears statistically to be a bit better overall than Aaliyah. Rebecca was right when she said during yesterday's game that if Sarah were entering the WNBA draft this year, she would be a lottery pick, and when she does enter the draft in 2028 (hopefully) she is likely to be #1 overall.

Maybe not. Juju might be in the same draft.

 

[cferraro04]

Even if Juju is in the same draft, Sarah makes a case for herself. Her numbers are impressive, she will only get better. She was a major player in bringing a national title to her University. We also need to look at efficiency- percentage of twos, threes, and free throws. Finally, it always comes down to who wins the number one pick. What will be the specific needs of that team, and who fits their needs more?

 

[Next 12]

Sarah will leave an incredible mark at Uconn during her 4 years there .Sarah will be on the wall as that will be her place. I predict she will be in the top 10 in scoring and will have multiple AA awards.I predict she will win multiple NC's. Her future is ordained as one of the best player in the College game. As she progresses through her career, the accolades will be pouring as she will definitely get better and better. Sarah is going to be the face of Uconn in the future. GO SARAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Cuango]

Maybe not. Juju might be in the same draft.

I would choose Sarah over JuJu in a heartbeat! She scores from all three levels, she passes like a (top) point guard, she rebounds like Angel Reese, she might have the best hands I’ve ever seen, she literally vacuums the ball out of opponent’s hands, blocks shots as if she were 5 inches taller than she is, and has both a tremendous basketball IQ and she has the Paigelike ability to come up big in the biggest moments!

JuJu, on the other hand, is a big time scorer, (with questionable efficiency) does not/will not/cannot? pass to the open man, is a decent, not great rebounder, and seems content to play an individual style of basketball where she is almost totally focused on putting up shot after shot and driving into a crowd even when her teammates are open. Is there any possibility that Sarah would not have passed the ball to the open teammate on the play where JuJu suffered her unfortunate injury?
Unless JuJu changes her entire style of play upon returning from injury (not likely with her current coach) and starts to play team basketball (not saying she shouldn’t utilize her gift for scoring), she will never be in the same class as Sarah in terms of positively affecting her team!

To be fair, I believe JuJu is under tremendous pressure from virtually all quarters to continue to score, score, score. She seems to be a nice, intelligent, and gracious young woman but the people around her with influence (coach, parents?, influencers, business partners etc are not doing her any favors by pushing her to play the way she does.
Playing the game the right way benefits everyone on the team and invariably results in better results as a team. As an example, the Trojan’s loss to the portal of two of their stellar freshmen guards imo is likely the result of Gottlieb’s “get the ball to JuJu and get out of the way” style of play. No really good player wants to play that way, while every good player wants to play with someone who plays like Sarah Strong!

They may not be in the same draft class but if they were/are and assuming her style of play does not change, I would be totally shocked if JuJu were drafted before Sarah! I believe Sarah has the ability to be the best women’s player in the country over the next three years. JuJu is great but incomplete, while Sarah is the most complete player we’ve seen since….Paige, Maya, Stewie, etc.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

Why do some of you people feel the ridiculous need to attempt to tear down JuJu Watkins (the current NPOY) in order to build up freshman Sarah Strong? She doesn't need it! They are both years away from entering the WNBA, they play entirely different positions, for two completely different schools, in different systems, and under different coaching philosophies. The "right away" to play this game is to win! USC did a pretty good job of winning until they lost their star. JuJu has put USC women's basketball on the map, and her coach has been Gottlieb. Until JuJu went down, they had an excellent chance of winning it all. Gottlieb's biggest job this season was to blend the incoming freshman, along with the transfer in of Iriafen, with JuJu (the bread & butter of the team) and a style of BB that works for them. Had JuJu not gone down and most likely will miss next season as well, there's a high probability those transferring out wouldn't be.

JuJu drives into the lane against multiple defenders because (1) she's skilled enough to out maneuver them and score plus getting fouled, or (2) she gets fouled and is a good free throw shooter (82%). Stop berating her game, 'cuz it's making you look foolish.

She and Sarah will most likely start their junior seasons at the same time and will be battling it out for NPOY to the end of their careers. It will make for exciting basketball and I'm looking forward to it.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Why do some of you people feel the ridiculous need to attempt to tear down JuJu Watkins (the current NPOY) in order to build up freshman Sarah Strong? She doesn't need it! They are both years away from entering the WNBA, they play entirely different positions, for two completely different schools, in different systems, and under different coaching philosophies. The "right away" to play this game is to win! USC did a pretty good job of winning until they lost their star. JuJu has put USC women's basketball on the map, and her coach has been Gottlieb. Until JuJu went down, they had an excellent chance of winning it all. Gottlieb's biggest job this season was to blend the incoming freshman, along with the transfer in of Iriafen, with JuJu (the bread & butter of the team) and a style of BB that works for them. Had JuJu not gone down and most likely will miss next season as well, there's a high probability those transferring out wouldn't be.

JuJu drives into the lane against multiple defenders because (1) she's skilled enough to out maneuver them and score plus getting fouled, or (2) she gets fouled and is a good free throw shooter (82%). Stop berating her game, 'cuz it's making you look foolish.

She and Sarah will most likely start their junior seasons at the same time and will be battling it out for NPOY to the end of their careers. It will make for exciting basketball and I'm looking forward to it.

and I think some over here didn't mind her going down. Also, remember Juju came to the XL Center and left with a victory. Thanks for speaking up, no need to beat up someone when they're down!

 

[BRS24]

I thought the OP was comparing Sarah's stats to Aaliyah's?

Interesting concept, although Sarah's development before coming to UConn seems to be a bit different that Aaliyah's, as she was already playing both in and outside, where as Aaliyah was more of a true post and didn't develop a mid range jumper until the latter part of her UConn career. That's where a post dad and a guard mom made this happen.

 

[my2cents]

I am not big on comparing players, not sure of the point of it.
Obviously Sarah is a very rare talent and boy we are lucky to have her.
Aaliyah ,on the other hand, if you look at her development over her time here, was the biggest success the coaches had. I could never imagine the improvement she had.

 

[Bone Dog]

I thought the OP was comparing Sarah's stats to Aaliyah's?

Interesting concept, although Sarah's development before coming to UConn seems to be a bit different that Aaliyah's, as she was already playing both in and outside, where as Aaliyah was more of a true post and didn't develop a mid range jumper until the latter part of her UConn career. That's where a post dad and a guard mom made this happen.

I’ve seen video of Aaliyah playing point-forward in high school. Of course, those may have been exceptions, since she was obviously more experienced as a post from the start, and as you observed, her midrange game was not a strength. And perimeter shooting was not a part of Aaliyah’s game until she got to the W.

What strikes me is how much Aaliyah elevated her game every year. The baseline drive she added junior year sticks in my mind. The elbow jumper, too. And the high hedges Geno got from her. And of course the perimeter shot she has now. Aaliyah is a student of the game.

Sarah came to Storrs with a broader set of skills, as a scorer, a passer, a defender a rebounder. Will she add more skills over the next few years, or merely sharpen the ones she has? The only skill I can think of that Sarah doesn’t already possess is leadership. Each year, Aaliyah had Paige or Nika or Evina to shoulder that burden for her. Next year, Sarah may need to take on this role herself, if Azzi or KK or Caroline need her to.

 

[Stagnant]

I never expected Sarah to be as good or better than Aaliyah in her first season. And I think she was. I think Sarah is a slightly better rebounder. She is a threat behind the 3 point line. And is less turnover prone than Aaliyah was. Both obviously were excellent and both are going to be on the wall. But those are the categories I think separate Sarah a little bit.

 

[Zarathustra]

Maybe not. Juju might be in the same draft.

Juju vs Sarah... no comparison?? Individual vs Team?? Lindsay vs Geno??

 

[cferraro04]

I thought the OP was comparing Sarah's stats to Aaliyah's?

Interesting concept, although Sarah's development before coming to UConn seems to be a bit different that Aaliyah's, as she was already playing both in and outside, where as Aaliyah was more of a true post and didn't develop a mid range jumper until the latter part of her UConn career. That's where a post dad and a guard mom made this happen.

BRS24 is right! The thread was hijacked by Boreifs, and the resulting responses were fans defending their all-American freshman.

 

[cancontent]

I’ve seen video of Aaliyah playing point-forward in high school. Of course, those may have been exceptions, since she was obviously more experienced as a post from the start, and as you observed, her midrange game was not a strength. And perimeter shooting was not a part of Aaliyah’s game until she got to the W.

What strikes me is how much Aaliyah elevated her game every year. The baseline drive she added junior year sticks in my mind. The elbow jumper, too. And the high hedges Geno got from her. And of course the perimeter shot she has now. Aaliyah is a student of the game.

Sarah came to Storrs with a broader set of skills, as a scorer, a passer, a defender a rebounder. Will she add more skills over the next few years, or merely sharpen the ones she has? The only skill I can think of that Sarah doesn’t already possess is leadership. Each year, Aaliyah had Paige or Nika or Evina to shoulder that burden for her. Next year, Sarah may need to take on this role herself, if Azzi or KK or Caroline need her to.

I think it's more that Coach Auriemma leveraged that skillset Aaliyah had. High hedges have been a component of Canada Basketball defensive training from youth age and upwards. I've seen her cut off many players with that since her high school days and laughed every time coaches were surprised by it.

 

[Rowdy831]

Why do some of you people feel the ridiculous need to attempt to tear down JuJu Watkins (the current NPOY) in order to build up freshman Sarah Strong? She doesn't need it! They are both years away from entering the WNBA, they play entirely different positions, for two completely different schools, in different systems, and under different coaching philosophies. The "right away" to play this game is to win! USC did a pretty good job of winning until they lost their star. JuJu has put USC women's basketball on the map, and her coach has been Gottlieb. Until JuJu went down, they had an excellent chance of winning it all. Gottlieb's biggest job this season was to blend the incoming freshman, along with the transfer in of Iriafen, with JuJu (the bread & butter of the team) and a style of BB that works for them. Had JuJu not gone down and most likely will miss next season as well, there's a high probability those transferring out wouldn't be.

JuJu drives into the lane against multiple defenders because (1) she's skilled enough to out maneuver them and score plus getting fouled, or (2) she gets fouled and is a good free throw shooter (82%). Stop berating her game, 'cuz it's making you look foolish.

She and Sarah will most likely start their junior seasons at the same time and will be battling it out for NPOY to the end of their careers. It will make for exciting basketball and I'm looking forward to it.

I agree with what you are saying but I do think USC was a tougher opponent for UConn without Juju. She is a very good player but USC had a bad habit of watching her play instead of competing along side of her. Comparing players will happen until the end of time and when that happens one opinion is better or more correct than the other.

 

[cancontent]

I agree with what you are saying but I do think USC was a tougher opponent for UConn without Juju. She is a very good player but USC had a bad habit of watching her play instead of competing along side of her. Comparing players will happen until the end of time and when that happens one opinion is better or more correct than the other.

However, nothing you've said in this post is a shot at Juju or knocking her when comparing her to Sarah. Comparisons are fine and will happen forever as you say, but do they have to be at the detriment of another player to the degree some posters have gone?

It's like the Paige vs Caitlin comparisons that were happening the last few seasons. Some comparisons were fair, where others were based solely out of bias and weren't complimentary, on this board and others. It doesn't help the sport in any fashion when players like Paige, Caitlin, Juju and Sarah are having such an amazing impact on the game.

 

[Bone Dog]

I agree with what you are saying but I do think USC was a tougher opponent for UConn without Juju. She is a very good player but USC had a bad habit of watching her play instead of competing along side of her. Comparing players will happen until the end of time and when that happens one opinion is better or more correct than the other.

This is the essence of UConn fandom. Paige (and all the GOATs before her) never led the country in scoring. And yet they were recognizably among the best players in D1. This means we've learned to be suspicious of high volume shooters and to recognize when they cost more than what they add to a team. Caitlin Clark is one of the few such players who finally overcame this and carried her team to two NC finals. But she was more the exception than the rule. We may suspect that Juju will or maybe won't ever achieve what Caitlin did. But all the same paradoxes will beset her career either way.

 

[VA Huskie]

Why do some of you people feel the ridiculous need to attempt to tear down JuJu Watkins (the current NPOY) in order to build up freshman Sarah Strong? She doesn't need it! They are both years away from entering the WNBA, they play entirely different positions, for two completely different schools, in different systems, and under different coaching philosophies. The "right away" to play this game is to win! USC did a pretty good job of winning until they lost their star. JuJu has put USC women's basketball on the map, and her coach has been Gottlieb. Until JuJu went down, they had an excellent chance of winning it all. Gottlieb's biggest job this season was to blend the incoming freshman, along with the transfer in of Iriafen, with JuJu (the bread & butter of the team) and a style of BB that works for them. Had JuJu not gone down and most likely will miss next season as well, there's a high probability those transferring out wouldn't be.

JuJu drives into the lane against multiple defenders because (1) she's skilled enough to out maneuver them and score plus getting fouled, or (2) she gets fouled and is a good free throw shooter (82%). Stop berating her game, 'cuz it's making you look foolish.

She and Sarah will most likely start their junior seasons at the same time and will be battling it out for NPOY to the end of their careers. It will make for exciting basketball and I'm looking forward to it.

I didn’t read Cuango’s post as “tearing down” Juju. In fact they seemed to recognize Juju’s greatness.

 

[Superhuskies]

Not even close

 

[Jonathan14]

Thanks for pulling those stats together, @JoePgh . When I look at them side by side, I am struck by how fortunate we UConn fans are to have had two such gifted All-American–level post players over the past few years on our team. With Aaliyah, we were lucky to see her blossom into the powerful, multi-faceted player who has continued to develop in the WNBA and Unrivaled. With Sarah, we are bearing witness to the beginnings of what might just become one of the most outstanding college careers in the history of women's basketball. What's more, both of these young women seem to be hard-working, humble, and beloved by their teammates. They're not the same, but they're both incredible, and they're both Huskies for life.

 

[cancontent]

I didn’t read Cuango’s post as “tearing down” Juju. In fact they seemed to recognize Juju’s greatness.

The paragraph prior to the one you're referring could be interpreted differently.

"JuJu, on the other hand, is a big time scorer, (with questionable efficiency) does not/will not/cannot? pass to the open man, is a decent, not great rebounder, and seems content to play an individual style of basketball where she is almost totally focused on putting up shot after shot and driving into a crowd even when her teammates are open. Is there any possibility that Sarah would not have passed the ball to the open teammate on the play where JuJu suffered her unfortunate injury?
Unless JuJu changes her entire style of play upon returning from injury (not likely with her current coach) and starts to play team basketball (not saying she shouldn’t utilize her gift for scoring), she will never be in the same class as Sarah in terms of positively affecting her team!"

It came across implying that Juju is a "me first" type of player unwilling to distribute the ball when in reality the stats show differently (Juju was 3.4 and Sarah was 3.6). Just because they have different playing styles doesn't mean Juju doesn't look to pass or get her team mates involved.

 

[BRS24]

Thanks for pulling those stats together, @JoePgh . When I look at them side by side, I am struck by how fortunate we UConn fans are to have had two such gifted All-American–level post players over the past few years on our team. With Aaliyah, we were lucky to see her blossom into the powerful, multi-faceted player who has continued to develop in the WNBA and Unrivaled. With Sarah, we are bearing witness to the beginnings of what might just become one of the most outstanding college careers in the history of women's basketball. What's more, both of these young women seem to be hard-working, humble, and beloved by their teammates. They're not the same, but they're both incredible, and they're both Huskies for life.

The next three years of Sarah will be amazing. For years, Geno has prodded his stars to be more than just shooters and develop an inside game. He got on Maya, Stewie, and in reverse, probably pushed Edwards to work on her middies. Sarah already has both and out and inside game, so what she does with that baseline of skills will be interesting.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

I agree with what you are saying but I do think USC was a tougher opponent for UConn without Juju. She is a very good player but USC had a bad habit of watching her play instead of competing along side of her. Comparing players will happen until the end of time and when that happens one opinion is better or more correct than the other.

Let me get this straight, you think USC was a tougher opponent without the reigning NPOY JuJu Watkins in the lineup? Wow, and here I've been thinking you had some BB knowledge. How many of USC's games have you watched this year ... two? That's about the average when people without a clue make statements like that. I do agree that people will always compare players and I have no problem with that if & when they do so fairly and without bias.

 

[Bone Dog]

Let me get this straight, you think USC was a tougher opponent without the reigning NPOY JuJu Watkins in the lineup? Wow, and here I've been thinking you had some BB knowledge. How many of USC's games have you watched this year ... two? That's about the average when people without a clue make statements like that. I do agree that people will always compare players and I have no problem with that if & when they do so fairly and without bias.

I kinda agree with @Rowdy831. Maybe ‘tougher’ is a slight exaggeration. But the essential point seems valid to me, namely that having Juju wouldn’t have changed the result of that game. In an early season game, without Azzi, USC squeaked out a close win. By the elite eight, both teams had improved their games. But I think UConn had improved a lot more. It’s not just the return of a healthy Azzi. It’s that the entire team coordination was simply at a much higher level than anything USC had achieved before Juju’s injury.

 

[Just.A.Fan]

I kinda agree with @Rowdy831. Maybe ‘tougher’ is a slight exaggeration. But the essential point seems valid to me, namely that having Juju wouldn’t have changed the result of that game. In an early season game, without Azzi, USC squeaked out a close win. By the elite eight, both teams had improved their games. But I think UConn had improved a lot more. It’s not just the return of a healthy Azzi. It’s that the entire team coordination was simply at a much higher level than anything USC had achieved before Juju’s injury.

Look, USC played above their heads in that game and performed better than expected. That's natural. They were trying to win one for JuJu ... the star that got them there! Look at the box score, how many big games this season did Marshall score 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds? I'm certainly not saying I think UConn would have lost to them again, because I don't think that at all. But, if they had JuJu Watkins, the reigning NPOY, it would have definitely made it a closer game. I know you are wise enough to see that.