Breanna Stewart: A Superstar is Born

Most college basketball players set out to win a national title during their college careers. But four years ago, when Breanna Stewart said she came to Connecticut to win four national titles, that seemed a little extreme. Not anymore.

The 6'4" senior forward ended her college career by leading the Huskies to a win over the Syracuse Orange to claim a fourth straight championship. Stewart is the only college player — male or female — to win four national titles. She amassed a seemingly never-ending list of personal accolades. And she fundamentally altered women's basketball.

When people talk about a once-in-a-generation talent, Breanna Stewart is the kind of player they mean.

So how did Stewart make history? Her success has been a long time coming.

As soon as she could walk, Breanna (age two) found her passion. After that it was tough to take a basketball out of her hands — even if the ball seemed bigger than she was for a while.

She dabbled in other sports before age six — even graduating from T-ball to softball — but nothing compared with the excitement she felt playing on the hardwood.

On her 12th birthday, Breanna still found time to practice, even if it meant facing off against tough canine competition.

In 2004, Stewart (back row, far right)began playing AAU basketball, starting out with the Syracuse Stars.

She made varsity in eighth grade, then was named 2011--12 Gatorade National Player of the Year while at Cicero-North Syracuse (New York) High School.

In her first Final Four appearance, in 2013, Stewart scored 52 points in two games before helping the Huskies cut down the net.

All eyes were on Stewart (30) in Tampa, Florida, last spring when she helped UConn win its record 10th national title and the school's third in a row.

Breanna made her debut with USA Basketball at age 14 and was just the second high school player to compete in the Pan Am Games. In 2014, she played for Team USA in Paris, France (above).

Stewart was the only college player on the U.S. roster at the 2014 world championships, helping pro stars like Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi win gold in Istanbul.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have tried (and failed) to stop Stewart and the Huskies in back-to-back title games, but the lanky forward's guardlike skill set has made slowing down UConn a difficult feat at any point in the season.