STORRS, Conn. – American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Breanna Stewart will appear on one of six regional covers of the Sports Illustrated NCAA Tournament Preview edition, which will hit newsstands this week.  The North Syracuse, N.Y. native who was recently tabbed as the espnW National Player of the Year, is also profiled in a piece by SI’s Emma Carmichael.

Stewart’s appearance marks the eighth time UConn women’s basketball has been represented on the cover of SI.  Other regional covers feature Michigan State’s Gary Harris, Syracuse’s Tyler Ennis, Florida’s Casey Prather, Arizona’s Nick Johnson and Wichita State’s Tekele Cotton.

The following is a preview of the magazine’s profile of Stewart;  “Carmichael profiles UConn women’s basketball star Breanna Stewart, the 6’4″ sophomore who can score from every place on the floor and draws similarities to the NBA’s Kevin Durant.” Writes Carmichael: “What makes Stewart special isn’t difficult to qualify – she has averaged 19.7 points this season and scored 1,000 in just 63 games, the second fastest to reach that mark in school history. But there’s something else: Stewart is a new prototype for women’s hoops.” (Page 56) Her skill set includes much more than the average post player which is why Stewart is considered a new prototype in women’s college basketball. Says Stewart, “The fact that they expect me to do so many different things means [coach Geno Auriemma] can get on me for not doing so many different things if I don’t do them,” Stewart says with a laugh.  “I wouldn’t want it any other way.” (Page 60)

The truth is Stewart still has a postseason run and two full years with the Huskies to hone her skills on both sides of the court. Thus far, the Huskies have outscored opponents by 35.7 points, the highest average margin of victory in NCAA history for both men and women, largely in part to Stewart’s prowess. When asked about her future, Stewart said, “I envision leaving Connecticut with four national championships. I couldn’t expect anything else.” (Page 61)

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