More difficult to replace next year...Stewie or Mo

[rugbymate]

A number of posters are thinking about next years team and while there are some well thought out views it does raise the question of whose loss will have a bigger impact on the team. My initial thought was how could you replace Stewies offensive leadership and presence in the lane. However when one thinks about the court generalship of Mo I'm not sure my initial thoughts are correct. If Stewies minutes are distributed to NC, Gabby and perhaps Butler we lose the shot blocking but the rebounding should be fine. The three should also up their point production plus the emergence of KLS will probably cause our overall offense not to have a material drop off. Mo, however, has been so disruptive defensively, so adept at ball handling, and so in control of the game that its not clear to me that any combination of players can come close to equalling her production. Never thought I'd say this but it may be more difficult to replace the second best player in college BB than perhaps the best ever. Would be interested in others thoughts.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Mo. It starts with the pg... who identifies which offensive weapons you have and gets them the ball

 

[TitleTown]

Stewart and its not even close. Don't get me wrong, Jefferson is an amazing player and one of the best point guards ever at UConn but Stewart is arguably the best ever overall player at UConn.

 

[Dennygrnn]

A number of posters are thinking about next years team and while there are some well thought out views it does raise the question of whose loss will have a bigger impact on the team. My initial thought was how could you replace Stewies offensive leadership and presence in the lane. However when one thinks about the court generalship of Mo I'm not sure my initial thoughts are correct. If Stewies minutes are distributed to NC, Gabby and perhaps Butler we lose the shot blocking but the rebounding should be fine. The three should also up their point production plus the emergence of KLS will probably cause our overall offense not to have a material drop off. Mo, however, has been so disruptive defensively, so adept at ball handling, and so in control of the game that its not clear to me that any combination of players can come close to equalling her production. Never thought I'd say this but it may be more difficult to replace the second best player in college BB than perhaps the best ever. Would be interested in others thoughts.

I think that the skill that Stewie and Mo bring to their respective positions is unparalleled in the country today. There is no way that their level of talent can be replaced, and from my perspective, we're splitting hairs in discussing whose departure will be hardest to replace. My biggest concern is in the loss of leadership. Geno often talks about how easy it is for the younger players to rest on the fact the everything is ok - Stewie, Mo and Morgan will carry us. Next year we won't have the senior leadership that is so important in crunch time. Saniya will be our one senior, and for various reasons, she has had an inconsistent career - not allowing her to create leadership confidence.
I didn't intend to derail your excellent post by introducing the leadership question (which has been raised in another thread), Rugby, but I think it may be as important as points, rebounds, blocks, assists etc?

 

[CocoHusky]

Because of the roster it will definitely be Stewie. Crystal Dangerfield could turn into Moriah and even if she doesn't Kia can adequately run the point. There is nobody in WCBB or on the current UCONN roster that will replace Stewie ability to score, defend, rebound and block shots.

 

[UcMiami]

I agree. Stewart is amazing in the wide variety of what she brings at both ends of the floor, and the confidence she instills in her teammates because she can simply dominate a game if the others are struggling a bit. But she has never been responsible for organizing the offense or managing the tempo of the team and that is at least as important, nor has she needed to be the emotional rock both on and off the court on which the team (and she) depends. That isn't a knock on Stewart in any way, just the reality of good teams - there is only so much you can lay on any players shoulders - USA basketball recognizes this when they put her on a team, and Geno does as well. Moriah provides that 'orchestration', and Morgan (as she has done for Stewart for years on USA teams) provides the rock.

And if you look back at the greats - Lobo and Jen and Jamelle to shoulder these burdens, DT had Conlon, Battle, and Moore, Moore had Renee, and Kelly, and Bria.

Uconn has a committee of players preparing to take over offensive and defensive production to compensate for what Stewart has provided - it may look different but Uconn will score and they will rebound, and they will play strong defense. But with Moriah's departure we do not know who will orchestrate the team, and depending on Morgan's decision we don't know who will be the rock - someone will fill those roles, because someone always does, but will they be good at the task or just adequate. There is no heir apparent - with Bria and Stef we had pretty clear indicators and some confidence, with next year it is a lot more wide open.

 

[HGN]

Stewie........No one on the current roster can replace Stewie. It's very hard to replace record breaking : points , rebounds, blocks , assists, and overall skills play........In one(1) player. Moriah is exceptional and I believe the 2 of them would not be on the verge of history if not for the other. But Stewie is not easily going to be replaced.

 

[Charliebball]

Because of the roster it will definitely be Stewie. Crystal Dangerfield could turn into Moriah and even if she doesn't Kia can adequately run the point. There is nobody in WCBB or on the current UCONN roster that will replace Stewie ability to score, defend, rebound and block shots.

Agreed.....I am going to enjoy the heck out of this season as next year will be far more daunting....forgetting about her offensive contributions, it is simply impossible to replace the defensive presence that Brianna provides....I'm confident that next year's team will win many games but they will have to struggle to do it......

 

[ME Husky Fan]

Based on overall contribution you have to say Stewie. But, if you fast forward to next December, you're going to say Mo. Reason being - turnovers, protecting the rock. Chong and Nurse just don't have it, at least based on what I see game over game. Now maybe they're each sort of laying back, waiting for the torch to officially be passed and to that they're lacking the confidence to be that premier ball handler but I see it as our biggest Achilles heel next year. The others will step up in one way shape or form but we'll have to get used to 4 to 5 losses and hopefully gel in time for March, take the #2 or #3 seed and make a run.

 

[masshusk77]

I think it has to be Stewie...Nobody in the history of WCBB has been able to do all the things she can do at her size with the effectiveness that she does the.

 

[DGHuskyFan]

I think it has to be Stewie...Nobody in the history of WCBB has been able to do all the things she can do at her size with the effectiveness that she does the.

Ditto. That sentence sums it up.

 

[cohenzone]

Neither can be replaced. The team will be different and will have to rely on different ways to win, maybe relying more on defense to win what stands to be several closer games.

Kia can assume the PG role if necessary, but her skill set isn't as unusual as Moriah's. It would be great if Dangerfield is prime time ready, but it usually takes PGs some time to adjust to the college game, just like it did for Moriah. I wouldn't write off Chong, but her knee condition and seeming lack of leadership skills make her a big question, certainly as to consistency. Is Bent an X factor? Although not a PG, I'm intrigued by Ekmark's seeming improvement in confidence. I'd love to see her get a little more time with the starters in what's left of the easier games.

Obviously, KLS is the closest thing to Stewie we will have returning with experience to assume the lead scorer role. The question that will have to be answered is how she will handle being the focus of every opponent's defense.

We might be looking at more offense by committee next year. Gabby made a leap forward this year and maybe will expand her game further. Collier might be the one with the most room to grow offensively. How much can Butler add to O?

The one thing that seems certain, is that UConn might not be favored next year, but we'll be part of the discussion.

 

[OldAlum]

We will miss both of them terribly, of course. But if Tuck stays, I think we have more frontcourt skills and so will miss Moriah more. Not so much scoring, but her ball handling, lack of turnovers and especially defense. If Tuck goes, then we might miss Stewie more without that anchor on offense and defense. And I agree that without Tuck, leadership is a huge question.

 

[warbler1055]

The answer is obvious. The MOP of the last 3 NCAA championships!!!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Trick question. Answer: Both. As Ms. Tomei said to the judge: "No Your Honor ... it's a bull***t question."

 

[bballnut90]

Because of the roster it will definitely be Stewie. Crystal Dangerfield could turn into Moriah and even if she doesn't Kia can adequately run the point. There is nobody in WCBB or on the current UCONN roster that will replace Stewie ability to score, defend, rebound and block shots.

Agreed. Losing Jefferson is a major blow but UCONN has the horses to replace her. They don't for Stewart though. And if you look at the top projected teams for next season, every team will be relying on big physical posts that can create problems now that Stewart's length and shot blocking is gone:
South Carolina-Wilson and Coates
Notre Dame-Turner
Baylor-Cox, Mompremier, Brown (and Nina Davis even though I wouldn't describe her as big)
Ohio State-Mavunga

Butler, Collier, Williams, etc. will have their work cut out for them.

 

[Alydar]

Trying to "replace" any player is futile. The era of Stewart,Tuck & Jefferson is coming to a close. Next season's squad will not compare favorably to this year's. So what? There isn't one team in the country that will field a team next season that looks comparable to this year's UConn team. This has been a very special year. They don't happen often. 2002. 2010. And yet UConn has 10 rings. There are a whole lot of coaches who would love to have the talent that Geno will have next year.

Dangerfield is a great HS player. Hopefully she will contribute more than Jefferson did as a freshman. But anyone who expects or even hopes that she will be anywhere near the player MJ is as a senior is setting themselves up for a big disappointment. If you want to know how that works out go over to vol nation and read.

UConn will be what next year's team makes themselves into. It will be a different team. It will likely not be as good as this year. But that could still be more than good enough to win another title. I have no idea if they will but as long as they work as hard as this team has worked I'll have no complaints.

UConn fans have been blessed to have this team. For myself, I intend to thoroughly enjoy the last 10 or so games that they have left. There's a long spring and summer ahead for wailing and wringing of hands over next year.

 

[CTtransplant]

The answer is obvious. The MOP of the last 3 NCAA championships!!!

Please remember Stewie herself said Moriah was the MOP of the last NCAA final four.

 

[Kaizen]

This is a tough question. I will choice both.
Stewie is once a century diamond player. Moriah is also a priceless mercedes player.

 

[PalPa]

The hardest thing to replace next year is Moriah's great smile. I just loved watching all four seniors this season, they had so much passion, skill, and determination. In response to the OP I don't know which is the harder to replace. I don't think you can say KLS will replace any part of Stewie's game. KLS became a starter this season, so if you use her to replace Stewie that means you have to find someone to do what KLS did this season. That is still a big problem, hasn't solved much of anything. Next year's team will be good enough for the Final 4.

 

[malevocalist#]

Stewie...No one on the current roster can replace Stewie. It's very hard to replace record breaking : points , rebounds, blocks , assists, and overall skills play...In one(1) player. Moriah is exceptional and I believe the 2 of them would not be on the verge of history if not for the other. But Stewie is not easily going to be replaced.

I am sure this was said about previous players before Stewie and that some will be saying this when the next great one comes alone.

Just like records are made to be broken, an athelet is born and one day will be put in position to replace another.

However, regarding the record - If this group wins their 4th National Championship....That will be hard to duplicate. And not that It can't be done, it will just be hard to repeat that If this group accomplish it first.

Can't wait until next season already.

 

[JordyG]

If we're talking long term the answer is obviously Stewie. If however we are talking just next year it will be StewieMo. Or MoStewie depending on the game.

 

[geneticrex]

There is no replacing either one, but as great as Jefferson is, the Stewart's of the world are far beyond rare.

 

[cferraro04]

One of Geno's most telling quotes was something to the effect of "Don't worry next year UConn will come back to the rest of the field"... What he is alluding to there is that UConn will not be the favored number one team in the country. They will be a normal elite team that has 6 or 7 All-Americans but not that stand-out go to player that makes the difference (Taurasi, Maya or Stewie...type player). They will be a different kind of team. Butler will develop into a more dependable rebounder and scorer...she will somewhat do in prime time what she has been doing in mop-up time this year. Believe me this alone will be big time...think Stefanie Dolson towards the end of her sophomore year. Saniya hopefully will put the IT band injury behind her and be able to take the reins as the floor general. If not we will have Kia and Chrystal who can move over. Collier will really show that sophomore leap...probably more than any of the current freshmen. She already fills the stat sheet with steals, blocks, rebounds...I have no doubt she will add scoring to that list of stat stuffing abilities. Samuelson, quite frankly in my opinion is ahead of schedule where I expected her to be...her confidence is through the roof right now and she knows that she can contribute in more ways than just shooting the three. It took KML two years to realize that and to start making up in other ways when her three wasn't falling. Samuelson is a full 3 inches taller and has a better handle than KML. Geno will agonize over where to play Gabby...she is too good to leave on the bench and she is an inbetweener with regards to who do you start her over. She will be a spark both defensively and offensively whether she starts or comes off the bench. She has added a mid range jumper to her arsenal. I would look to that continuing to get even better and she will be a consistent flash out to the foul line extended and hit the zone buster mid-range jumper. Her ability to get to the hole will begin to become legendary and her defense will put the fear of God into other teams. Our reserves will be Courtney who will be called upon to come off the bench and hit some threes...Maria Conlon before she became a starter. Kyla Irwin is going to surprise folks...good footwork around the basket, good rebounder and defender. Work ethic will impress UConn fans as will Molly Bent. Geno says, "Molly is a throw back player (I keep thinking Mel Thomas with a slightly better shot). Chrystal Dangerfield is the real deal she is simply our starting point guard in waiting...by the end of the season Geno will be depending on her big time. Now the "X" factor = Morgan Tuck...no one knows what she is going to do next season...the conventional wisdom is going with her going to the WNBA but on the outside chance that she stays... Morgan will be our only AA who will assuming she stays healthy have an AA season and will be a big difference maker in UConn's chances to get to the final four.

Starters:

1. Natalie Butler (Morgan Tuck if she stays)
2. Napheesa Collier
3. Katie Lou Samuelson
4. Gabby Williams
5. Kia Nurse (Saniya Chong and Kia moves over to the 2)

Or:

1. Natalie Butler (Morgan Tuck if she stays)
2. Napheesa Collier (Gabby Williams splitting time)
3. Katie Lou Samuelson
4. Kia Nurse
5. Saniya Chong (With Chyrstal coming off the bench)

 

[Siestakeyfan]

SOME VERY HARD work is a needed agenda this Summer !!