r/NCAAW • u/beasmiso • 3d ago
Discussion With UConn being declared champions once more, and Paige alongside many other stars declaring for the draft, who do you see being the face of the NCAAW next season?
With Juju being injured, it's not an easy answer though I feel like next year is Kitts' year to really shine.
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u/Clear_Duck2138 Connecticut Huskies 3d ago
If Azzi consistently plays like she did today and Friday, she will be up there with big names like Hidalgo, Betts, Flaujae, and Latson
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u/Hell_Camino 3d ago
Seems folks are quickly forgetting about Miles
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u/Clear_Duck2138 Connecticut Huskies 3d ago
It honestly depends where she goes. It could be a challenge for her to step into a new system and become an instant star. However it’s very possible I’m just unsure yet
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u/tabasamuthegreat 3d ago
Flaujae, Betts, Hannah - They are faces now with a lot of NIL deals and media coverage.
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u/BadParrot 3d ago
Plus they got Betts X 2. Could see ESPN going with twin towers marketing campaign
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u/rgar1981 3d ago
Yep sure do. Watched some of the McDonalds all American game and they would be tough on the floor together. Or to rotate back and forth to stay fresh.
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u/greyDiamondTurtle 3d ago
The Betts won their first Colorado state championship playing together. Then the younger Betts went on to win two more.
I hope Close lets them get in game reps together early.
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u/rgar1981 3d ago
I can’t imagine many high school girls teams ready to handle them two on the floor. They probably embarrassed a lot of teams.
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u/Moose_Muse_2021 Virginia Cavaliers 3d ago
Upvoted. I'm betting on Betts, but the others could give her a run... which would probably be good, as I don't know how comfortable Betts is in limelight.
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u/ExistingCarry4868 3d ago
Betts is the best player in the NCAA next year. But she isn't flashy and doesn't seek out attention so she isn't a good headliner.
Flau'jae is much more marketable despite not being anywhere as good a player.
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u/tabasamuthegreat 3d ago
96% of the time guards and forwards dominate the headlines and win the awards. Betts has mastered what she is good at but she isn't versatile. In my opinion her and Flaujae can't be compared. Betts can't do what Flaujae does and Flaujae can't do what Betts does.
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u/ExistingCarry4868 2d ago
Sure, but there are a dozen players that can do what Flau'jae does, and none that can do what Betts does.
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u/tabasamuthegreat 2d ago
agree 100% and unfortunately for centers that's why guards/forwards are usually chosen. People want to see flash and excitement, the 3 pointer, highlight plays, and good matchups.
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u/Aggressive-Film5590 Connecticut Huskies 3d ago
Your commitment to Carol is amazing! Can’t wait to see her play again next year.
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u/Jayh0va Connecticut Huskies 3d ago
For real. These posts make me so happy 😂
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u/beasmiso 3d ago
I'm so glad that I'm able to make people happy with my posts. I get a lot of negative feedback, but as long as I make some people happy I'll continue to post 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 It's fitting as well as Carol too has a tendency to make everyone around her have a smile on their face 💙
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u/Jayh0va Connecticut Huskies 3d ago
I hope everyone finds someone that loves them as much as you love Caroline. I've heard some really personal stories about how kind and generous she is, so she deserves the recognition you give. I hope you're enjoying that championship feeling right now!
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u/beasmiso 3d ago
Her story with Addy makes me cry everytime. Everyone deserves their own Carol in their life 🙏🏻💙
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u/beasmiso 3d ago
When she got hurt I was so defeated and almost stopped watching all together because I hated seeing my favorite player hurt. I stayed loyal to her throughout her injuries and I'm so proud of her. Ik I troll a lot but today when I saw her check in I was in tears because she's been through so much, concussions and neck injuries...she deserved that 3 minutes on the court tonight. If anyone deserves to play in the finals, it's her. People's favorite players often relate to their stats, but Carol is my favorite because of the smile she puts on not just my, but everybody's face with her caring and considerate attitude towards her fans and everyone around her. (I'm so sorry for this little rant lmao Carol just means a lot to me and I'll never not be in her corner.)
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u/PurpleArachnid8439 UConn Huskies 3d ago
I admire your dedication to her! (And your humor :) She really has been through a lot and it’s been very inspiring to watch her finally start to make it back this year. I can’t wait to see her next year when she’s hopefully fully up to speed. She is by all accounts a very kind person too and the Abby story really shows that.
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u/iluzan Stanford Cardinal 3d ago edited 3d ago
I always thought of NCAAW as having its "main characters" as opposed to one single face, so my locks for next year will be: Betts (esp. with the x2 boost), Azzi & Sarah, Flau'jae, and Hidalgo. Olivia Miles if she transfers to a marquee program. Similarly, if USC decides to snag a marquee player/mercenary to fill in for Juju, that player will get a bump as well (similar to the Lucy Olsen bump this year). I can also tell that the media is chomping at the bit to anoint the next big SC star--so I think the chatter around Milaysia's development will increase even more if the situation is similar to this year.
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u/beasmiso 3d ago
where would you place Carol?
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u/Cute_Appointment6457 South Carolina Gamecocks 3d ago
Who is Carol?
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u/beasmiso 3d ago
look at the picture in the post
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u/Cute_Appointment6457 South Carolina Gamecocks 3d ago
I’m sorry, but I have never heard of her. Is she supposed to be face of NCAAW next year?
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u/mrscarter0904 3d ago
I think next year Flaujae is gonna be everywhere. Like everywhere.
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u/beasmiso 3d ago
even more than carol?
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u/mrscarter0904 3d ago
Are you joking?
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u/Cute_Appointment6457 South Carolina Gamecocks 3d ago
Azzi, Kitts, Miles, Flaujae, Betts, MiLaysia, Hidalgo, Booker, Strong, Edwards, Kiki, Latson…I know that’s a lot but we need more faces of women’s bb
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u/bcocfbhp St. Joseph's Hawks 3d ago
Kitts is going to need to average a lot more points, no one on Carolina has a high enough usage rate
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u/DSmooth425 3d ago
They’ve included MiLaysia in some of the stars of the NCAAW coverage this season, I expect her to be Carolina’s option followed by Chloe then Joyce. Hopefully Lay will start next season and stay disciplined enough to keep Dawn from putting her in timeout
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u/lazerdab NCAA 3d ago
On paper, I agree with you, but I don’t think the casual audience is ready for the face of women’s basketball to not be a ball dominant guard. When I look at the NBA, we see a player like Jokić who for five years now has been the most statistically dominant player we have ever seen yet It is still up to debate whether he’s the MVP. Forwards and post players are still an enigma to most people since the Jordan era.
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u/Blue-Inspiration LSU Tigers 3d ago
If LSU is a real contender next year, it'll be Flau'jae. She already has a lot of media exposure, and she's obviously super talented.
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u/FunImprovement166 West Virginia Mountaineers 3d ago
Are we going back to Uconn dominance? Time is a flat circle
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u/Fun-Cauliflower-1724 Iowa Hawkeyes • UAlbany Great Danes 3d ago
Juju is the face of the NCAAW
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u/beasmiso 3d ago
Not while sitting on the sidelines she isn't.
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u/choicemeats USC Trojans 3d ago
this just means she has 100% more time to do media during recovery
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u/SimonaMeow 3d ago
Why do people want to act like there's ONE face? It's annoying..
Lauren, Flau'jae, Sarah Strong. Juju (despite injury)
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u/beasmiso 3d ago
and carol right?
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u/SimonaMeow 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yeah definitely. My comment wasn't meant to mean not her. I was just listing some of the many off the top of my head... Audi, Joyce, Olivia, Syla Swords, etc. I just love the diversity of beautiful strong women for young girls to get to see exceling and being stars.
So I just feel sad when I see people wanting there to be THE face. Like it sounds like only one.
I love that skinny little blondes who used to likely be pushed to be cheerleaders can see Britt Prince and think "Hey I could try basketball!" Ditto for little girls that look like Audi Crooks or Aaliyah Chavez or Joyce Edwards or Hannah Hidalgo or Clara Strack...etc
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u/ThatLineOfTriplets 3d ago
It’s crazy how Paige had some of her worst games of her collegiate career shooting the ball in the final four and the finals and her team blew the doors off two number 1 seeds. That UConn team is beyond stocked and that isn’t going to change next year.
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u/beasmiso 2d ago
thank you everyone for the positivity of this post, i wasnt intending for it to be recieved this well, and i honestly expected to be like kicked from this sub or something because of how many people get annoyed with something as simple as me sharing my love towards my favorite player. many of you have shared experiences with carol to me in dms and i encourage you all to keep doing that. i also love how when she checked into the past two games, you guys thought of me. i had no intent on that happening, but it's really cool. thank you all 🙏🏻
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u/bythesunrise34 Iowa Hawkeyes • Syracuse Orange 3d ago
Sarah Strong!!! Especially after that tournament run!! Flau'jae will also be the other major face I'm sure!
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u/MFFplayer 3d ago
I'll be honest, I haven't been impressed by what I've seen from Aaliyah Chavez so far, but fans tend to like high scoring guards, especially 3 point bombers, so if she can score like she did in high school, she could get some buzz.
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u/COMMUTER7932 2d ago
Just commenting to say I love Caroline too! I remember how GREAT she was when Paige went down. She really saved the UCONN program that year. So glad she’s well enough to play a little bit and hope that expands next season!
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u/FunLisa1228 3d ago
Juju
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u/beasmiso 3d ago
shes injured
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u/Meanteenbirder Vermont Catamounts • Sickos 3d ago
Her status for next season is probably the biggest unknown in women’s college hoops PERIOD. But if she recovers well and plays most of the season, she likely gets the nod
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u/Butterfreek 3d ago
Sarah Strong was the best player on the floor last few games.