Ezi Magbegor signs w/ WNBL club for three years

[Longtime fan]

Links: Category: | Herald Sun
Rising star Ezi is staying put

"ONE of the world basketball’s best and most talked-about rising stars is staying in Australia.

Teenager Ezi Magbegor – who has been described by Australian Opals coach Sandy Brondello as “future of the Opals” – has signed with WNBL club Melbourne Boomers for three years.

Magbegor – last season’s WNBL rookie of the year with Canberra - was strongly tipped to move to the US to play college basketball, having visited a number of top line schools over the past few months.

But Magbegor said the chance to be mentored by Australian basketball legend and Boomers assistant general manager Lauren Jackson swayed her decision."

I know little about that league in Australia. I assume it is professional? That means she can never play for NCAA school , right?

 

[nwhoopfan]

I guess UConn will have to get by w/ Collier, Stevens and ONO next year. Sounds rough. Everyone else in the country will feel really bad for you. (sarcasm)

 

[nwhoopfan]

Maybe this will put to rest the silly idea that Lauren Jackson is a UConn booster.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I guess UConn will have to get by w/ Collier, Stevens and ONO next year. Sounds rough. Everyone else in the country will feel really bad for you. (sarcasm)

If Stevens returns. And ONO, of course, might not be a contributor as a freshmen. Only a select few are at UConn.

 

[pvdoggy]

I’ve heard Azura Stevens staying is no sure thing...

Azura's inside game is still quite raw at this point, she could/should use another year to develop it before going head/head with the bigs of WNBA.

 

[mbr33ct]

I’ve heard Azura Stevens staying is no sure thing...

Maybe the reporter from Australia should do a piece on Azura, drop an incorrect word or two about her going to the WNBA...and then find out that she's actually staying for her final year.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I’ve heard Azura Stevens staying is no sure thing...

Well that would of course change the situation significantly if she doesn't return.

 

[BobbyJ]

If Stevens returns. And ONO, of course, might not be a contributor as a freshmen. Only a select few are at UConn.

IMO, Stevens to the WNBA would be a mistake at this point. She'd have no chance against the physical, pro posts and she has no perimeter game whatsoever. Until she gets stronger and learns a post game, she would not be a factor as a pro.

 

[Dillon77]

And Amihere the year after.

Amihere and Boston are both Class of 2019, as is Brunelle.

 

[ndmb]

IMO, Stevens to the WNBA would be a mistake at this point. She'd have no chance against the physical, pro posts and she has no perimeter game whatsoever. Until she gets stronger and learns a post game, she would not be a factor as a pro.

It is quite simply wrong that she wouldn't be a factor as a pro. Defense is obviously her weak point, and she's going to get pushed around a little, but with her length, height, and quickness, she's got a lot of upside. At the same time, she's scoring .71 points per minute while shooting 60% from the floor, which is outstanding. For comparison, in Maya Moore's outstanding senior season, she scored .69 points per minute while shooting 52% from the floor (obviously at a different position). Breanna Stewart scored .67 points per minute. Tina Charles scored .66. We've never had a player come close to producing offensively what Azura has produced this year who wasn't a factor in the WNBA.

 

[Shenandoah]

Bummer for us, but good luck to her. Having a chance to be trained by Lauren Jackson or Geno? Tough call.

 

[oldude]

Ezi on Lauren Jackson. "She’s the best basketballer Australia has seen and most probably the world,” Magbegor said.

Really?


The cynic in me wonders whether or not Ezi courted US schools, always knowing that what she really wanted was to negotiate the best possible deal back in Australia.

 

[ndmb]

Ezi on Lauren Jackson. "She’s the best basketballer Australia has seen and most probably the world,” Magbegor said.

Really?


The cynic in me wonders whether or not Ezi courted US schools, always knowing that what she really wanted was to negotiate the best possible deal back in Australia.

Lol. If she did, more power to her.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Ezi on Lauren Jackson. "She’s the best basketballer Australia has seen and most probably the world,” Magbegor said.

Really?

She's on a very short list for best ever. You don't think so?

 

[oldude]

She's on a very short list for best ever. You don't think so?

No doubt Jackson was a great player. My skepticism has more to do with Ezi’s implication on playing for Jackson vs say, playing for the greatest WBB coach of all time...just saying.

 

[nwhoopfan]

No doubt Jackson was a great player. My skepticism has more to do with Ezi’s implication on playing for Jackson vs say, playing for the greatest WBB coach of all time...just saying.

Well I'm sure her perspective is very different than a UConn fan's is. She's Australian, LJ is probably a hero of hers, the draw to be mentored by her must be strong. Geno's reputation probably is not nearly as prominent in Australia as it is here.

 

[oldude]

Well I'm sure her perspective is very different than a UConn fan's is. She's Australian, LJ is probably a hero of hers, the draw to be mentored by her must be strong. Geno's reputation probably is not nearly as prominent in Australia as it is here.

Back to my original post, I don’t think it has anything to do with playing for Jackson or Geno. I suspect that the courtship of UCLA & UConn by Ezi had as its express purpose, the effort to negotiate the best possible contract with the WNBL.

I say that because of the string of stories that all were published by the same sportswriter in Canberra. First, her coach was praying that Ezi didn’t leave. Next she was definitely going to the states. Finally, she was going to the states to play for UConn.

Then silence for two weeks, followed by the announcement of a 3 year contract to play for Melbourne in the WNBL.

Call me skeptical that Ezi ever really considered going to school in the U.S.

 

[CocoHusky]

I posted that he just probably made a mistake or was inaccurate with his reporting and everybody told me I was crazy. When the reporter was contacted by UConn beat writers to confirm that Magbehor was coming to UConn and he did not reply back I knew that he was incorrect in his reporting.

I'm not sure that thought was specific to this thread or had anything to do with Ezi.

 

[Shades]

I know little about that league in Australia. I assume it is professional? That means she can never play for NCAA school, right?

I think you can play in NCAA if you weren’t paid. She must not have gotten paid for playing in the WNBL last season, but now she’s probably getting paid. Even if she’s not getting paid, she signed for three years and they play during our winter (summer for them), so she won’t be available for college for three more years. By then will anybody care?

 

[Fairfield Fan]

I know little about that league in Australia. I assume it is professional? That means she can never play for NCAA school , right?

Wonder how much she's making there? I'm guessing that it's not a small sum.

As the saying goes, "Money talks"!

 

[HoopsFan21]

Back to my original post, I don’t think it has anything to do with playing for Jackson or Geno. I suspect that the courtship of UCLA & UConn by Ezi had as its express purpose, the effort to negotiate the best possible contract with the WNBL.

I say that because of the string of stories that all were published by the same sportswriter in Canberra. First, her coach was praying that Ezi didn’t leave. Next she was definitely going to the states. Finally, she was going to the states to play for UConn.

Then silence for two weeks, followed by the announcement of a 3 year contract to play for Melbourne in the WNBL.

Call me skeptical that Ezi ever really considered going to school in the U.S.

I hope it wasn't some kind of ploy. Wasting the team's time entertaining her while trying to prepare for a big game (Louisville) would be irritating.

 

[oldude]

I hope it wasn't some kind of ploy. Wasting the team's time entertaining her while trying to prepare for a big game (Louisville) would be irritating.

Agreed, but given the stream of stories coming out of Australia, all pointing to the conclusion that she was heading to the states to play basketball, this about face is difficult to fathom.

 

[JustinesGuy]

Certainly a bit deflating. An Aliyah Boston would more than make up for it though, imo. She may not have Ezi' quickness but her IQ and timing are fantastic. Built like a powerhouse too. Be nice if she'd make her list public.

Boston is talented, but don't sleep on Watson. I understand she's a few inches shorter that Boston but Watson seems to be a tough interior defender but its a bit quicker and aglile and maybe less plotting. Watson would be a solid get too.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Agreed, but given the stream of stories coming out of Australia, all pointing to the conclusion that she was heading to the states to play basketball, this about face is difficult to fathom.

We don't really know if it's an about face though do we? All we have to go on is that one reporter, and for all we know Ezi herself was feeding him the "stories."

 

[bags27]

Deeply disappointing for UConn and its fans, but hoping it's exactly the right decision for Ezi. College and college ball isn't the only avenue to a happy life. She'd have been going a long way from home, and there were certainly enough comments in the previous threads that explored the differences in life style in Storrs and her current home. Far worse than her not coming at all is her coming and then soon deciding to leave (we've seen that movie before). Honesty and clarity is best, and now the coaches know what they have to do. Speculating on what we knew, what we thought we knew, what Ezi was saying, what Ezi was trying to say, who is, who isn't a friend of UConn's is just pure guessing.