Yahoo's Top 5 UCONN WBB players of all time...

[formerlurker]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/-...nnecticut-huskies--women-231715974-ncaab.html

Let the debates begin!

 

[johnnyc]

No Mo Jefferson was a big miss. She has got to at least be in the conversation.

 

[j66kicker]

Think they got it right. And so do the voters. Surprised Lobo getting so many more votes than Charles though - thought that would be the one controversial one.

 

[Kaizen]

G — Diana Tauras
The Huskies won three national titles with her leading the team. She is the program’s first two-time national player of the year. Her versatility made her a matchup nightmare for opponents. She could shoot from the perimeter, making nearly 40 percent of her 3-point attempts in her career, or drive past opponents attacking the basket. UConn went 139-8 in her career.

G — Sue Bird
A quintessential point guard armed with a deadly 3-point shot. She made 46 percent of her attempts from behind the arc in her career and also averaged nearly five assists per game. She was the national player of the year as a senior in 2002. Bird was a 90 percent free throw shooter and started all 118 games she played in her career.

G — Maya Moore
There might never be another player with a more dominant win-loss record throughout a four-year career. Moore won two national titles, played in four Final Fours and went 150-4. Only three players in NCAA history scored more than her 3,036 points. A three-time national player of the year and one of only two players in history to be named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press all four years in her career.

F — Breanna Stewart
Already one of the most accomplished players in the program’s history, Stewart is in the midst of her senior season trying to lead her team to another national title. She is a two-time Naismith Trophy winner and has been named the most outstanding player of the Final Four in three consecutive seasons.

C — Rebecca Lobo
She started an unbelievable run of Huskies winning the national player of the year award when she became the first to earn it in 1995. She averaged a double-double in her career and will always be remembered by UConn fans as the key player on the program’s first national title team in 1995. She was also a first-team All-American and the most outstanding player of the Final Four during her senior year.

I think this is a fair good selection.

 

[Kaizen]

No Mo Jefferson was a big miss. She has got to at least be in the conversation.

Also no Shea Ralph... is a big miss

 

[MilfordHusky]

"There might never be another player with a more dominant win-loss record throughout a four-year career. Moore won two national titles, played in four Final Fours and went 150-4. Only three players in NCAA history scored more than her 3,036 points. A three-time national player of the year and one of only two players in history to be named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press all four years in her career."

AP POY Voting:

2008: 1. Parker 2. Moore

2009: 1. Moore

2010: 1. Charles 2. Moore

2011: 1. Moore

No one else has ever done that. How good were the players who edged her out? FIBA Gold Medalists, Olympic Gold Medalists, WNBA MVPs. I guess they were pretty good. I guess SHE was pretty good.

 

[Huskies Rule]

G — Sue Bird
A quintessential point guard armed with a deadly 3-point shot. She made 46 percent of her attempts from behind the arc in her career and also averaged nearly five assists per game. She was the national player of the year as a senior in 2002. Bird was a 90 percent free throw shooter and started all 118 games she played in her career.

Sue Bird was exceptional, one of the all-time Husky greats...And so is Moriah Jefferson. I don't like comparing them (or comparing other UConn greats to one another) because they are all very special; however, I'm miffed by Moriah's omission here, so compare I must. Because...

1. "Quintessential point guard." That is the definition and embodiment of what Moriah Jefferson is.

2. "Deadly 3-point shot, 46 percent." Moriah is shooting a healthy 41% this year; she shot an incredible 50% from behind the arc last year. She, too, is deadly from three.

3. "Averaged nearly five assists per game." If you get past Moriah's freshman 'learning' year in which she only started 2 games, combining her sophomore, junior and as
yet unfinished senior year, Moriah is averaging better than 5 assists per game (5.1).

4. "National player of the year." Well, Sue has it over Moriah here, although one (and possibly two!) Nancy Liebermann Awards in Moriah's resume is incredibly impressive.

5. "Bird was a 90 % free throw shooter." Moriah is a career 81% FT shooter, last year shot 84% and this year is shooting 88%. Very comparable.

6. "Bird started all 118 games she played." An Iron-woman feat! Except for the growing pains of her freshman year in which she only started twice, Moriah started 40 of 40 games as a sophomore, 39 of 39 games as a junior, and 23 of 24 so far this year- and would have started them all had it not been for Geno's "Cincinnati experiment."

- In addition to being one of the greatest ever defenders from the guard position, as well as a 3 (or 4!) time National Championship winner, Moriah Jefferson's name
MUST be included on any roster of the Greatest Huskies of All Time.

[This is in no way an effort to minimize Sue Bird's greatness, but rather to elevate Moriah Jefferson to her well deserved and hard-earned status as one of the Greatest UConn WBB players of All Time.]

 

[NoelAustin]

No Mo Jefferson was a big miss. She has got to at least be in the conversation.

With both Stewie and Moriah, we are seeing things done in a way that we have not seen before. When the dust from this year is settled it might take some time to put it in perspective. Moriah has the best all-around skills I have seen in a college point guard. What is the value of having a lock-down defender at the point guard position? She is the best I have seen at finding openings in a defense, at taking her man off the dribble, at running the fast break. And she is an excellent shooter, from outside and from the free-throw line.

 

[Bonpland]

G — Diana Tauras
The Huskies won three national titles with her leading the team. She is the program’s first two-time national player of the year. Her versatility made her a matchup nightmare for opponents. She could shoot from the perimeter, making nearly 40 percent of her 3-point attempts in her career, or drive past opponents attacking the basket. UConn went 139-8 in her career.

G — Sue Bird
A quintessential point guard armed with a deadly 3-point shot. She made 46 percent of her attempts from behind the arc in her career and also averaged nearly five assists per game. She was the national player of the year as a senior in 2002. Bird was a 90 percent free throw shooter and started all 118 games she played in her career.

G — Maya Moore
There might never be another player with a more dominant win-loss record throughout a four-year career. Moore won two national titles, played in four Final Fours and went 150-4. Only three players in NCAA history scored more than her 3,036 points. A three-time national player of the year and one of only two players in history to be named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press all four years in her career.

F — Breanna Stewart
Already one of the most accomplished players in the program’s history, Stewart is in the midst of her senior season trying to lead her team to another national title. She is a two-time Naismith Trophy winner and has been named the most outstanding player of the Final Four in three consecutive seasons.

C — Rebecca Lobo
She started an unbelievable run of Huskies winning the national player of the year award when she became the first to earn it in 1995. She averaged a double-double in her career and will always be remembered by UConn fans as the key player on the program’s first national title team in 1995. She was also a first-team All-American and the most outstanding player of the Final Four during her senior year.

I think this is a fair good selection.

K, So as much as I love Sue (one of the great ambassadors of the game) and Rebecca (without her decision to come to Storrs who knows where we'd be today) a very strong case has to be made for Moriah and Tina for those two spots. The big three can't be challenged, but the conversation for the last two spots is interesting.

In ten years if Mo does not achieve greatness on the next level and Sue retires with four Olympic Golds and another WNBA title most will think of Sue as the choice at point, but for what has happened here while they were wearing Huskie blue, Mo will have done things with the basketball that Sue and the other great point guards that we've had (and ones that we will have) will have difficulty matching.

We've lived in a land of riches where all of our opinions are valid (we each judge from a unique perspective) and where an inordinate number of former players can be drawn into the discussion. Lucky us.

 

[Roundball fan]

No doubt Mo should be on the list. I hate when some one wants to compare different eras. Who is better and so on, They are all Huskies and we have been so fortunate to have watched and rooted for them the last 21 years. By the way were is Geno on this list? Go UConn.

 

[Vowelguy]

My list

1 = bird 02, Diana 04, maya 11, tbs 16, Tina 10
2 = Mo 16, Sales 98, Svet 01, lobo 95, karaW 97
3 = Rizz 96, Shea 01, kml 15, swin 02, bascom 91
4 = Renee 09, strother 04, tuck 1?, Asjha 02, Dolson 14
5 = Hartley 14, faris 13, berube 97, jamelle 96, tamika 02
6 = conlon 04, tiff 12, bt 04, charde 08, jmo 05
7 = Rita 98, lishness 91, melT 08, Greene 10, schuie 01
8 = doty 13, Davis 92, battle 05, pattyson 92, najarian 88
9 = swanier 08, lamb 90, Duran 99, mclaren 11, Crockett 06
10= Dixon 11, Gardler 10, bambam 00, Sauer 00, stokes 15

 

[tony yusef]

The fact that Mo Jeff isn't even on the list of candidates makes this article difficult to take seriously. Also the continual of Lobo over Charles is strange in many aspects. I think Lobo still gets love for being the first big star, but better than Tina?....lol

 

[tony yusef]

Sue Bird was exceptional, one of the all-time Husky greats...And so is Moriah Jefferson. I don't like comparing them (or comparing other UConn greats to one another) because they are all very special; however, I'm miffed by Moriah's omission here, so compare I must. Because...

1. "Quintessential point guard." That is the definition and embodiment of what Moriah Jefferson is.

2. "Deadly 3-point shot, 46 percent." Moriah is shooting a healthy 41% this year; she shot an incredible 50% from behind the arc last year. She, too, is deadly from three.

3. "Averaged nearly five assists per game." If you get past Moriah's freshman 'learning' year in which she only started 2 games, combining her sophomore, junior and as
yet unfinished senior year, Moriah is averaging better than 5 assists per game (5.1).

4. "National player of the year." Well, Sue has it over Moriah here, although one (and possibly two!) Nancy Liebermann Awards in Moriah's resume is incredibly impressive.

5. "Bird was a 90 % free throw shooter." Moriah is a career 81% FT shooter, last year shot 84% and this year is shooting 88%. Very comparable.

6. "Bird started all 118 games she played." An Iron-woman feat! Except for the growing pains of her freshman year in which she only started twice, Moriah started 40 of 40 games as a sophomore, 39 of 39 games as a junior, and 23 of 24 so far this year- and would have started them all had it not been for Geno's "Cincinnati experiment."

- In addition to being one of the greatest ever defenders from the guard position, as well as a 3 (or 4!) time National Championship winner, Moriah Jefferson's name
MUST be included on any roster of the Greatest Huskies of All Time.

[This is in no way an effort to minimize Sue Bird's greatness, but rather to elevate Moriah Jefferson to her well deserved and hard-earned status as one of the Greatest UConn WBB players of All Time.]

ICAM, I still would pick Sue Bird as the greatest PG in Huskie lore, but that is subject to change. If MoJeff finishes this year with her 4 NC and undoubtedly would be a major reason why. Then she walks away from this program not just the best PG to ever play, but one of the best ever to play the women's game!

 

[tony yusef]

My list

1 = bird 02, Diana 04, maya 11, tbs 16, Tina 10
2 = Mo 16, Sales 98, Svet 01, lobo 95, karaW 97
3 = Rizz 96, Shea 01, kml 15, swin 02, bascom 91
4 = Renee 09, strother 04, tuck 1?, Asjha 02, Dolson 14
5 = Hartley 14, faris 13, berube 97, jamelle 96, tamika 02
6 = conlon 04, tiff 12, bt 04, charde 08, jmo 05
7 = Rita 98, lishness 91, melT 08, Greene 10, schuie 01
8 = doty 13, Davis 92, battle 05, pattyson 92, najarian 88
9 = swanier 08, lamb 90, Duran 99, mclaren 11, Crockett 06
10= Dixon 11, Gardler 10, bambam 00, Sauer 00, stokes 15

I don't agree with everything here, but love the work you put into it....

 

[Waquoit]

If MoJeff finishes this year with her 4 NC and undoubtedly would be a major reason why. Then she walks away from this program not just the best PG to ever play, but one of the best ever to play the women's game!

MoJeff's greatness is already established, today. If she never sees the court again, she's still one of the best ever to play the women's game. She does it all, plus. Besides the regular litany of stuff we always read, she uses her off hand better than anyone else I've seen. Shooting and passing. If she went to any other school, they would have a statue already built.

 

[tony yusef]

MoJeff's greatness is already established, today. If she never sees the court again, she's still one of the best ever to play the women's game. She does it all, plus. Besides the regular litany of stuff we always read, she uses her off hand better than anyone else I've seen. Shooting and passing. If she went to any other school, they would have a statue already built.

No doubt, Mo is great now, but if she left the game today I don't think a lot of folks outside of Husky nation would think of her as one of the greatest to ever play. That is the danger when you play along side a teammate that is an immortal player, your slightly lesser greatness gets a bit overshadowed.

Hell, Mo didn't make this list of Huskie greats, so what does that tell you? .

I think another NC, along side another Lieberman award, and AA honors would be the icing on her brilliant career. There is no way she could be denied her rightful place in rarified air...

 

[Paesano]

The problem with a top 5 are the toss ups. Plus, an all-star team should have 10 players. So add the obvious in Charles and Jefferson. Who are the final three? Sales? Jones? Cash? Abrosimova? Shea? Wolters?

Based on full career I think I would add Sales, Cash and, maybe Wolters. Shea was too limited by injury and Abrosimova just didn't play enough D. Not sure between Jones and Wolters. Maybe call Charles and Wolters our low post players and Lobo and Stewart our high post players. Tough calls.

 

[Bonpland]

MoJeff's greatness is already established, today. If she never sees the court again, she's still one of the best ever to play the women's game. She does it all, plus. Besides the regular litany of stuff we always read, she uses her off hand better than anyone else I've seen. Shooting and passing. If she went to any other school, they would have a statue already built.

Your quote opens up the larger question about all of the talent that has passed through here. Maybe you're right but maybe your not.

At another school does she refine her game to the point it is now without the coaching she's received here? And at another school would she have been asked to play the game the way that we play it? At ND and Stanford I think she probably would have looked a lot like the player we know now, but at a great number of other schools she would have been asked to torque her game to fit another mold and then, who knows?

What I, and the reat of us, love about Mo is the completeness of her game. Her handle, her drive, her vision, her outside shot, her defense, and perhaps most importantly, her leadership, were all mentored here. Of course arguments can be made by a dozen other schools that she would have been just as impressive wearing their colors, but I find no reason to think that that is true.

At the highest level the great players who choose UCONN improve dramatically in ways that they themselves might not have imagined possible. Three years from now do any of us think that KLS and Pheesa will resemble as seniors the talented freshman who enrolled here last summer?

Everyone who stays leaves as a much better basketball player than when they arrived (and that includes Stewie and Mo). UCONN developes potential and that's not true everywhere.

We'll never know that if D has stayed in Cali if she could have led The Cardinal to three straight, but we all watched her do it here. Mo for me sits atop the pedestal that's reserved for the very best. Elsewhere she might have never climbed that high.

 

[Wally East]

The fact that Mo Jeff isn't even on the list of candidates makes this article difficult to take seriously. Also the continual of Lobo over Charles is strange in many aspects. I think Lobo still gets love for being the first big star, but better than Tina?....lol

I'm not sure what's making you laugh out loud. Lobo has superior stats to Charles in every category except FG%.

 

[tony yusef]

The problem with a top 5 are the toss ups. Plus, an all-star team should have 10 players. So add the obvious in Charles and Jefferson. Who are the final three? Sales? Jones? Cash? Abrosimova? Shea? Wolters?

Based on full career I think I would add Sales, Cash and, maybe Wolters. Shea was too limited by injury and Abrosimova just didn't play enough D. Not sure between Jones and Wolters. Maybe call Charles and Wolters our low post players and Lobo and Stewart our high post players. Tough calls.

I think a lot of people here are overrating Shea Ralph, her career was too injuried filled to be on these lists, I think the next tier of greatness starts with the likes of Swin and Sales. I think Tuck will be up with them as well when all is said and done.

 

[tony yusef]

I'm not sure what's making you laugh out loud. Lobo has superior stats to Charles in every category except FG%.

I think Tina was and is a superior player... that what makes me LOL... Remember, Tina played along side an immortal player that stole some of her shine..

 

[MilfordHusky]

Moriah could be the NPOY this year--except for one thing:

 

[VAUConnFan]

There is no argument over Taurasi and Moore. Charles has to be there. I think Sales was better than any of the teammates with whom she played. Expectations now are such that we expect greatness from great players almost immediately. Rebecca Lobo might not get as much love here among the Top Huskies because of how other subsequent greats have stepped in almost immediately and produced.

 

[Wally East]

I think Tina was and is a superior player... that what makes me LOL... Remember, Tina played along side an immortal player that stole some of her shine..

You're cute: Rebecca played with TWO POYs and another All-American.

 

[Wally East]

Charles has to be there.

Could be? Yes. Has to be in the same way that D, Maya, and Stewie have to be? Well, please show your work

Rebecca Lobo might not get as much love here among the Top Huskies because of how other subsequent greats have stepped in almost immediately and produced.

I'm not sure what you're saying here. Are you saying Rebecca didn't have good stats her freshman season? (I hope not, because those stats are better than a certain "has to be there" player's )