Stewie 3rd FF MOP in a row!

[johnnyc]

TBS

 

[Huskies Rule]

Stewie was awesome on the boards and blocking shots, and while I think her 2nd half performance was hampered by that rolled ankle, Moriah's defense on Jewell Loyd was unbelievable, incredible, magnificent and questionably THE determining factor in the game. Moriah completely took Loyd out of the game (4 for 18 shooting!), shut her down and changed everything for a ND team that runs its offense through Loyd. Seeing their superstar unable to get good looks and score because #4 didn't give her the space to breath, had to be very disconcerting for ND. At the same time, Moriah managed to also run the offense- where that kid gets that energy, that relentless motor- just extraordinary. Moriah was the best player in a game loaded with All Americans. Love that kid !!!!!!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Stewie accurately said that Mo was the MOP. In the presser she reiterated it and said she got it so that they could say they had their first 3peater in WCBB history.

 

[Buzzyboy]

Forget Moriah's 15 points (2 huge 3's in the 2nd half), 5 assists and 4 steals- Her defense on Loyd was friggin' unbelievable, holding Loyd to 4 for 18 shooting from the field. Her amazing "D" was gigantic and game-changing. By virtue of her defense alone (though I know that never gets awards) Moriah was the MVP. Stewie humbly acknowledged that, and everyone else with a brain bigger than a pea knows it, too.
Beautiful, Moriah. Just beautiful.

It's always amazing how some of the writers or voters prejudge who should be the best before the game even starts and then work to justify it. It was classy that Stewie acknowledged it on live TV and I'm sure Moriah and her Dad, who was in the audience, appreciated it as did her teammates. She played well and played through an ankle sprain but it was obviously Moriah's performance that deserved MOP.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Stewie knows which side her Point Guard is buttered on. No, just fooling and the joke belittles the genuine feeling that Stewie had about that. I suspect there are few teams in which that interaction and honesty can take place.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I'll add my two cents that MoJeff was the MOP, offensively & defensively! KML was awesome late with 7 straight points!
Stewie showed much courage playing on an ankle that obviously limited her offensive moves!
Huge show of class announcing that MoJeff deserved the MOP!
The media always pre decides who they think should win and they look foolish when someone else outshines their choice!
Remember when Maya said the real MOP of Big East Tourney was Dolson during her freshman year!

 

[Bayareahusky]

Yes, I am in agreement that Moriah was deserving.... and i think it is a noble gesture of Stewie to publicly acknowledge Moriah at the ceremony......

I have a fundamental problem with this award to start with..... we are talking about a game where, if played properly, players sacrifice for the sake of team chemistry..... you play together as a team.... so we celebrate the fact that the game is being played the proper way in excellence, only to add an individual award on top of the team nature.... It cuts against the grain.... and also, it is a shameless publicity exercise as well..... several selected media, in a quick decision, look at the individual stats of this team oriented game and select her.
And then, of course, this recipient is known as the "most outstanding player"..... I appreciate the award and its intent, but they should can it.

 

[UcMiami]

I think the biggest problem with the MOP is that it is awarded right at the end of the final game, but is actually an award for the semi-finals and final (as is the FF team) so in the Semi, the order of most important players was probably Morgan Tuck, Stewart, and Moriah, and in the final it was probably Moriah, Stewart, and Kaleena, so ... combining those two games into a single 'award' is a balancing act - Stewart was certainly a legitimate choice and Moriah would have been as well.

I really don't think it was 'prejudging' so much as just balancing two very important contributors to both games and choosing one.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

It is MOP for the Final 4 and you could have made a strong case for Morgan Tuck.

 

[Icebear]

Unmentioned and always unseen on the stat sheet is the control and discipline with which she controlled and directed the team. No Moriah, no championship. She dominated everywhere on the floor. And apparently, she spoke the most in the locker room at halftime. And before thinking it is because it be across the two games go back and consider how Moriah was unbelievable against MD, too. She was fantastic there, too. The best really, as in the best PG in the country and we blessed to have her for another year.

Stewie understood what Moriah had done. It was immeasurable save one yardstick, a 10th National Championship.

 

[warbler1055]

Unmentioned and always unseen on the stat sheet is the control and discipline with which she controlled and directed the team. No Moriah, no championship. She dominated everywhere on the floor. And apparently, she spoke the most in the locker room at halftime. And before thinking it is because it be across the two games go back and consider how Moriah was unbelievable against MD, too. She was fantastic there, too. The best really, as in the best PG in the country and we blessed to have her for another year.

Stewie understood what Moriah had done. It was immeasurable save one yardstick, a 10th National Championship.

Well said. MoJeff was the greatest among all the great players on our team!!!! Stewie was a class act!!!

 

[Ouremblem]

Yes, I am in agreement that Moriah was deserving.... and i think it is a noble gesture of Stewie to publicly acknowledge Moriah at the ceremony.

I have a fundamental problem with this award to start with..... we are talking about a game where, if played properly, players sacrifice for the sake of team chemistry..... you play together as a team.... so we celebrate the fact that the game is being played the proper way in excellence, only to add an individual award on top of the team nature.... It cuts against the grain.... and also, it is a shameless publicity exercise as well..... several selected media, in a quick decision, look at the individual stats of this team oriented game and select her.
And then, of course, this recipient is known as the "most outstanding player"..... I appreciate the award and its intent, but they should can it.

I totally agree with you. Coach said after the game he wanted to see who was going to pick up the slack when ND took away Stewie and KML, and ND did a great job of doing that until KML got some looks near the end. One thing that never gets addressed with Stewie is how many shots she alters during a game. That she had 4 blocks comes nowhere near the truth of the matter. She alters more shots than she blocks, and the 15 rebounds was huge. She didn't force things offensively just for numbers sake, and she played in pain. Anyone who has had that happen to them knows she gutted it out. One thing that baffled me on the SNY post game show was Gary brought up Kiah graduating and not once did he or Kara mention Natalie Butler being eligible next season. How many teams get a 6'5" transfer with playing experience and a year practicing with the team? A front line of Morgan, Stewie and Butler is going to cause serious problems for the opposition with Nurse & Mo Jeff in the backcourt. You know Gabby is going to work on her ball handling and outside shot in the off season. She reminds me of James Worthy with that explosive first step. And then there's Katie Lou coming with her nasty shot. Things look great for next year.

 

[Waquoit]

It is MOP for the Final 4 and you could have made a strong case for Morgan Tuck.

No, you couldn't.

 

[Aluminny69]

One thing that amazes me is how deceptively strong Stewart is. When she grabs a rebound, often with one hand, no one is taking it away from her. When Stewart blocks a shot, she often grabs that too. I for one am greatly impressed. Maybe the voters were too.

 

[01Neaggrad02]

It is MOP for the Final 4 and you could have made a strong case for Morgan Tuck.

I do not know if I would agree with that statement. Jefferson ran the show..... Tuck was good against Maryland.... but If not Stewie... it should have been Jefferson....

 

[UcMiami]

You know ... we all expect Stewart to score lots of points in big games so when she doesn't we are sure she didn't have a good game. She actually had a fabulous game - Moriah had 15 points, Stewart had 15 rebounds (44% of the team total!), Mo had 4 steals, Stewart had 4 blocks, etc. And while a lot of what Moriah did doesn't show on the stat sheet, the same can be said for Stewart - mo tipped passes, pressured the ball, and denied Jewel - Stewart altered shots, intimidated drivers, and gave confidence to the perimeter defense that when the guards got past them, they would not score at the basket.

And we always give Moriah credit for the efficiency of the offense when it runs smoothly, but as Geno would say, when Uconn shoots 40 percent instead of 50% that is the PGs fault!

I really think the award could have gone either way and I would have liked Moriah to get it, but ... I do not think awarding it to Stewart was 'wrong'. (And Moriah is my favorite player on the team!)

 

[Huskies Rule]

One question- Why was Stewie crying so uncontrollably and so choked up at the awards presentation? Don't get me wrong- I love it when young adults are mature and comfortable enough to bare their true feelings, but I have never before seen Stewie display anywhere near that kind of heartfelt emotion. I mean, she's won championships at all levels, so it likely wasn't the NC. Did she feel that bad about receiving an award she acknowledged Moriah should have received? Or maybe just exhausted at the end of a really long season?Whatever.... Stewie, Moriah, Kaleena, Morgan, Kia, Kiah, Gabby, Saniya, Courtney, Tierney, Briana treated us fans to a spectacular year, and I thank them all from the bottom of my heart. Now get some rest.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Moriah has emerged into a NPOY contender. Look for her on the AA All-American 1st team next year. A GREAT player.

 

[UcMiami]

One question- Why was Stewie crying so uncontrollably and so choked up at the awards presentation? Don't get me wrong- I love it when young adults are mature and comfortable enough to bare their true feelings, but I have never before seen Stewie display anywhere near that kind of heartfelt emotion. I mean, she's won championships at all levels, so it likely wasn't the NC. Did she feel that bad about receiving an award she acknowledged Moriah should have received? Or maybe just exhausted at the end of a really long season?Whatever.... Stewie, Moriah, Kaleena, Morgan, Kia, Kiah, Gabby, Saniya, Courtney, Tierney, Briana treated us fans to a spectacular year, and I thank them all from the bottom of my heart. Now get some rest.

I think Geno mentioned this - for Stewart and others on the team this really was a lot harder than last year. They came in to a team that had an already established leadership of Kelly and Stef and Bria, and they didn't have to really think about much except playing their game. And last year they still had Stef and Bria to take the brunt of the pressure. This year Kaleena, Moriah, and Breanna had to do it all themselves (Morgan got a little bit of a pass - she just to get back to playing her game after surgery) and that was a lot harder than I think they realized it would be.

So yes, exhaustion, and relief, and release.

 

[CocoHusky]

Stewie was very good..but I don't understand how they didn't give it to Mo either. Great game by her and she completely shut down Lloyd.

Laziness on the part of the people voting for the award. MoJeff’s defense on Loyd in the second half was exceptional. I have never seen a better sustained effort. Unfortunately for MoJeff that effort did not result in quantifiable (box score) numbers. Points and rebounds is as far as the selection people will look. On the High School levels it is points only.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

No, you couldn't.

Yes, you could.

Though MJ would have been my choice.

 

[baggerbob]

Moriah also said having Stewie, and Kiah back there to block, and alter Loyd's shots when she drove into the lane, helped her defense of Jewel. Notre Dame missed 13 layups thinking about Stewie, and Kiah. A great team defensive effort by Uconn.

 

[LadyVols9]

Jefferson was def the MVP. They got it wrong.

 

[Waquoit]

Yes, you could.

She wasn't nearly good enough in the final game for the top award consideration. Stewie and MJ were the iron.