#4 plays like she is #1
April 27, 2015 Assumptions 4 comments mcrosby15
Moriah Jefferson, a junior at the University of Connecticut is one of the best point guards among top D1 college women’s basketball teams. She is surrounded by the top players from around the nation and has stepped up as a leader. Being only 5 feet 7 inches, there is a lot of challenge in college from players like her teammate Breanna Stewart, being 6’4’ and playing perimeter as well as post. She does not let her height stop her though she is always finding different ways to contribute to her team.
After the Huskies’ first lost in 2 years to Stanford at the beginning of the season, she as well as her team had a reality check. Moriah knew that as the point guard, she needed to start playing the role. The point guard has big responsibilities like controlling the offense, call play making, and knowing each of the plays. The point guard usually is the one who takes the blame if something does not go right. Although she is small, she has filled that big role perfectly.
She is hands down the best defender in her league, with her quick feet and hands, she applies intense pressure making it hard to generate any offense. Jefferson is the player the Coach Auriemma and her team go to when they need to shut down a key player of the opposing team. On the offensive side of the game she is just of a threat to her opponents. She is not a big point scorer unless she needs to be. Her ability to beat her defender and find the open pass is phenomenal. Her size allows her to find open gaps and split the defenders to beat them too the hoop.
Even though her teammate Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis is named the best 3-point shooter, Jefferson is 50% from beyond the arc. She knows what her role is each game and is the player her team needs her to be. In my opinion she is one of the most underrated players and does not get the spotlight, but it does not bother her and she continues to do what she does best. As the point guard, she led her team to back to back national titles. Although not selected to be the official MVP, she sure did contribute full throttle in the 10 point victory over Notre Dame.
4 Comments
So is her being 5’7″ more of an advantage because she can find gaps easily or disadvantage because everyone else is taller than her?
Considering her height, is defending taller girls more of a challenge for her, or does she keep with her quick feet, or make up for her height, with speed?
So a point guard would be like a class president, one who is suppose to lead our class and take all the responsibilities as a president should.
To respond to your question Kayla – in my opinion it is an advantage because her size, speed, and skills allow her to pass through defenders that are larger than her. People such as Breanna Stewart who is 6’4″ may have a harder time finagling her way through those same defenders. In the long run it’s all really opinionated.