Union University’s women’s basketball team is in the midst of yet another dominating season. For the purposes of this article, we’ll look at the four players who have started every game for Union and which NBA players they are most similar to.
Morgan Martin = Joel Embiid
Here’s the thing about Morgan Martin: there’s not a center who’s as good in the NBA as she is in Division II, so we just picked the best one. Martin ranks in the top 10 in the GSC in each of the following categories: scoring (3rd), rebounding (2nd), field goal percentage (1st), free throw percentage (7th) and blocks (1st), all without even cracking the top 20 in minutes per game. Joel Embiid is almost as good in the NBA as Martin is in Division II, but it’s really Martin > all NBA centers.
Jada Smith = DeMar DeRozen
One word: midrange. I literally don’t think I’ve seen Smith miss a pull-up midrange shot within 15 feet all season. My Most Unstoppable Signature Moves by a Union Basketball Player since I Started Covering the Teams Power Rankings are as follows: (6) Jarad Scott’s never-leave-the-floor-slow-as-a-snail-but-goes-in-every-time three-point “jumper,” (5) a Tiffany Rechis three-pointer when the home crowd is behind her, (4) literally any Nick Velasquez jumper, (3) Chelsey Shumpert going out of the way to heave up an NBA-range fade-away three-pointer at the end of the shot clock that would inevitably go in, (2) Jada Smith pulling up from midrange and (1) Sara Lytle ridiculous up-and-under that had even me cheating the wrong way 60 feet away in the twelfth row. I just asked my stat guys to figure out who’s more prolific from midrange between Smith and DeRozen, so hopefully we can have those numbers to you for the 5th annual NBA comparison piece.
Jada Perkins = Chris Paul
The race for the First-Team All-GSC point guard spot has been neck-and-neck all year long, but Jada Perkins will likely take home the honor after Anna Hall and West Florida were eliminated from the GSC tournament over the weekend. Perkins has been the definition of efficiency this season, averaging about 1.4 points per shot attempt and leads the Gulf South in assist-turnover ratio. On top of all that, she’s one of the premier defenders in the conference, leading all players with nearly 3 steals per game.
Tiffany Rechis = Joe Ingles
Rechis and Ingles are both players who are unfairly defined by how they shoot in a given game. Despite both players having taken a slight step back in their three-point percentage this season, their ability to knock them down from well beyond the three-point line extends the defense and creates invaluable driving lanes for players like Jada Smith and Donovan Mitchell.
