Stewie's comment

[Sonny44]

I took note about Stewie's comment. Enjoying this to the fullest now, because everyone tells her the next level is never the same. No way will it be as much fun; it's playing for money, earning a living. What she has experienced (not accomplished) here, playing for the love of the game and her team mates, coaches and family will never be overshadowed.

 

[EricLA]

I took note about Stewie's comment. Enjoying this to the fullest now, because everyone tells her the next level is never the same. No way will it be as much fun; it's playing for money, earning a living. What she has experienced (not accomplished) here, playing for the love of the game and her team mates, coaches and family will never be overshadowed.

Great point. Add to that the lack of family atmosphere in the pros - Don't get me wrong - teams try, but players can be traded. Once the season ends, players disperse - to go over seas, or train elsewhere, etc.

At UCONN, it's a family for each player for 4 years. In the summers, they can either stay on campus, go play for various US teams with their teammates, or visit their families at home. I think the pros are much more lonely too. I recall reading a great article/blog by Griner about her experience in China, I think, where few spoke English and she felt very alone. Of course it would help if she immersed herself in the culture and learned Mandarin or Cantonese or whatever, but my point is the pros are way different...

 

[Dennygrnn]

I took note about Stewie's comment. Enjoying this to the fullest now, because everyone tells her the next level is never the same. No way will it be as much fun; it's playing for money, earning a living. What she has experienced (not accomplished) here, playing for the love of the game and her team mates, coaches and family will never be overshadowed.

And isn't that the reason we love this sport and this program so much? We love our kids, we love their innocence and their purity and their love of the game?

 

[UcMiami]

Great point. Add to that the lack of family atmosphere in the pros - Don't get me wrong - teams try, but players can be traded. Once the season ends, players disperse - to go over seas, or train elsewhere, etc.

And it isn't just that, in college you live right next to all your teammates (except the freshmen, who are still within walking distance) and you are all doing the same things every day, and you are all nearly the same age. In the pros, while you may all live in the same general location, you may be an hour's drive apart, or even just ten minutes, but it takes planning and organization just to drop by and hang out with one or two teammates, let alone the whole team. And while you have the same job as your teammates, each year away from college your lives diverge exponentially - how many common interests do 21 year old Jewell and 35 year old Sue really have beyond basketball? Or mother of a young child Parker have with the rookies LA will bring in this year? Or a European with an Australian with a Brazilian with a US college graduate?

There is the commonality of the team goals and the game, but you are likely in a new city in a new region of the country, renting your first home, paying your first monthly utility bills, buying food and making your meals, and managing your free time - it is a huge change in lifestyle, and you are experiencing that change alone unlike that first year at college where you are surrounded by thousands of people experiencing the same issues. Yeah you have some help from your new teammates, and the team itself has a support system, but oh my goodness, we ain't in Kansas no more!

 

[warbler1055]

Actually, life at UConn is pretty good, charter plane, best restaurants, the Werth Family championship Center. Family atmosphere, friends, education. But they do have to work HARD!!! WNBA life is not really that great according to many reports and the pay for rookies is real low.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

As DT reiterated last week, the four years at UConn were the best four years of her life.

 

[MilfordHusky]

And Morgan can make them the best FIVE years of her life.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

And Morgan can make them the best FIVE years of her life.

Worth saying again.