Morgan Warburton’s recent and past accomplishments speak for themselves.
There is no doubt Luke Nevill has had a terrific season. His improvement in the game since he first stepped on campus has been incredible, and he has really flourished under head coach Jim Boylen. And without Nevill, Utah would not be the team it is right now.
But make no mistake about it8212;although I’m a huge fan of Nevill’s game, he isn’t the most critical player for a Ute basketball team.
That distinction belongs to Warburton. Without her, the Utes’ chances of getting yet another Mountain West Conference title goes from a “great shot” to “not much of a shot.”
Nevill has been a big part of the Utes’ success. He leads the team in scoring at 17.3, and is pulling down 8.5 boards a game, which also leads the team. But this is what separates Warburton from any other player attending the U8212;so far no one has proven that she can be stopped. Warburton is averaging 19.2 points, making her No. 20 in the nation.
But that’s only the beginning of it.
Warburton has scored in double figures in a MWC-record 51 straight games. She is seventh on Utah’s all-time leading scorer list with 1,601 career points. She also leads all MWC players in career points. She has more than 500 rebounds in her career and is averaging 6.3 a game. She has more assists this season than anyone else on the team. She has led the team in scoring since she was a sophomore. She was an honorable mention Associated Press All-American last year. She was the MWC preseason pick for Player of the Year.
I could list more accomplishments, but my editor only allows me a limited amount of space. I think you get the idea.
Warburton has been having quite the season and quite the career. She will undoubtedly go down as one of the best players to ever put on a Utah basketball jersey.
Nevill is a great player, but he doesn’t have the résumé to match up with Warburton. He hasn’t been held under double digits yet, but teams have been able to keep him in check a couple times this season.
And then there is the matter of team accomplishments. Warburton has shown in her four-year career that she can help lead a team to a conference title. She is a big reason the Utes went 16-0 last year in conference play and is the main reason Utah is 4-0 to begin conference play this season. As long as her list of personal accomplishments are, Warburton’s team has accomplished just as much.
Nevill has been a good player for what has turned into a good team. He has a shot at being in the NBA one day. But Warburton has been the best player on the best team in the MWC. With the difficult loss of Leilani Mitchell to the WNBA, Warburton has made sure the Utes haven’t skipped a beat. Without her, Utah just wouldn’t be the same.
Quinn Wilcox