UCONN's all time defensive/offensive team

[hoopingcrane]

Offense: sue, diana, maya, tina, kara
Defense: kesha, AB, kiah and two kellys

 

[Phillyconn]

Right now, Sue, Sales, Maya, Stewie and Tina on offense and Mo, Sales, Faris, AB and Stokes on defense, but every year we add another layer of excellence and every year this question becomes more and more challenging.

No DT? Arguably the greatest Husky.

 

[hoopingcrane]

Never saw Bascom play. How good was she?

There is another thread with video of the 1991 team that went to the final four. Kerry Bascom had a talent for scoring, strong inside, good from three, relentless.

 

[Phillyconn]

Nobody, nobody and I mean nobody could shoot the 3 like KML. I think other facets of her scoring abilities are often over looked, such as her mid range and post scoring. Besides that I thought she was a good passer too.

 

[Phillyconn]

There is another thread with video of the 1991 team that went to the final four. Kerry Bascom had a talent for scoring, strong inside, good from three, relentless.

I'll have to look it up, thanks.

 

[Kibitzer]

I see all of these teams have one thing on common and that's Moriah Jefferson at PG, didn't UConn have two PG's named Sue Bird and Renee Montgomery that were pretty decent?

And Jenn Rizzotti.

 

[Gus Mahler]

Nobody, nobody and I mean nobody could shoot the 3 like KML. I think other facets of her scoring abilities are often over looked, such as her mid range and post scoring. Besides that I thought she was a good passer too.

I thought she was a terrific passer who didn't get much credit for it. Guess she overshadowed herself.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Have all of you forgot Schumaker swatting nine shots away vs. Tennessee in an NC game? Or Tiffany Hayes giving Angel McCaughtry fits?

Or Stewie for her D as well as O?

That was the game Summit got ACE angry and she didn't play (I believe) faked an injury to stay out of the Philly Championship game.
Commentors say she swatted more than 10 away--a record for Shuie (playing beach volley ball). Angel was/is a volume shooter --believes you throw up enough some must go in. Happy UN birthday KB'-zer!! I like your other comment too many great, really great, to select 5 and 5.

 

[Gus Mahler]

That was the game Summit got ACE angry and she didn't play (I believe) faked an injury to stay out of the Philly Championship game.
Commentors say she swatted more than 10 away--a record for Shuie (playing beach volley ball). Angel was/is a volume shooter --believes you throw up enough some must go in. Happy UN birthday KB'-zer!! I like your other comment too many great, really great, to select 5 and 5.

Broadway: I hadn't heard that (faking an injury). I had heard it was a fluke injury during shoot-around earlier in the day.

 

[VAUConnFan]

That was the game Summit got ACE angry and she didn't play (I believe) faked an injury to stay out of the Philly Championship game.
Commentors say she swatted more than 10 away--a record for Shuie (playing beach volley ball). Angel was/is a volume shooter --believes you throw up enough some must go in. Happy UN birthday KB'-zer!! I like your other comment too many great, really great, to select 5 and 5.

Define/describe volume shooting. Do you think it is a bad thing to be a volume shooter? Do you go back far enough to remember ballplayers like Pete Maravich, Dan Issel, Rick Mount, Bill Bradley, Austin Carr, Calvin Murphy, and Johnny Neumann?

 

[Bonpland]

Phillyconn, Maybe I was struck by lightning or had my memory altered by a Martian death ray because something must have struck me to cause me to leave the greatest Huskie off the list. I'll go upstairs and lock myself in my daughter's room where although she is long gone Taurasi still dominates the room's wall space. I swear, I can't explain the lapse, but thank you for bringing me back to earth.

 

[iamcbs]

I think this is a really silly premise. Its Basketball , not football players play the complete game. There aren't different players on offense and defense. Picking an all-time team from among your favorites is a great thing and sparks some really great discourse, it brings back memories of players you'd forgotten, but again this is silly. UConn has had a plethora of greats over the past 20 years and some all-time greats in WCBB but separating them by specialty does a disservice. Maya was a great defensive player, as is Stewie, so were Sue Bird and Jenn Rizzoti and DT3 when she wanted to be, but her last two years she carried so much of the offensive load she didn't show it. I only have one all-time team; Sue and DT3 at the guards, Maya and Stewie at the wings and Rebecca Lobo in the post. Give me Nykesha and KML off the bench and I believe that team could beat any one.

 

[meyers7]

I only have one all-time team; Sue and DT3 at the guards, Maya and Stewie at the wings and Rebecca Lobo in the post.

I'd have Charles in the post. But that's just my opinion. Can't really argue against Lobo if you're just looking at college.

 

[UcMiami]

I think this is a really silly premise. Its Basketball , not football players play the complete game. There aren't different players on offense and defense. Picking an all-time team from among your favorites is a great thing and sparks some really great discourse, it brings back memories of players you'd forgotten, but again this is silly. UConn has had a plethora of greats over the past 20 years and some all-time greats in WCBB but separating them by specialty does a disservice. Maya was a great defensive player, as is Stewie, so were Sue Bird and Jenn Rizzoti and DT3 when she wanted to be, but her last two years she carried so much of the offensive load she didn't show it. I only have one all-time team; Sue and DT3 at the guards, Maya and Stewie at the wings and Rebecca Lobo in the post. Give me Nykesha and KML off the bench and I believe that team could beat any one.

We often debate the best starting five, second five, etc, or best by decade or whatever. This is an interesting exercise especially for the defensive team in that it puts focus on a number of players who were instrumental in winning championships and the program's success but may never have been considered AAs because their contributions were stronger on the defensive side of the ball. Kelly Faris is a prime example - she would never be put on a top 15 list of Uconn stars, but her ability to shut down opponents was instrumental in Uconn's success and NCs during her 4 years. It is fun to put her on a team of best ever.
There is a reason they have an award for defensive player of the year - too much of the focus of MVP awards is on offensive numbers.

 

[CocoHusky]

I think this is a really silly premise. Its Basketball , not football players play the complete game. There aren't different players on offense and defense. Picking an all-time team from among your favorites is a great thing and sparks some really great discourse, it brings back memories of players you'd forgotten, but again this is silly. UConn has had a plethora of greats over the past 20 years and some all-time greats in WCBB but separating them by specialty does a disservice. Maya was a great defensive player, as is Stewie, so were Sue Bird and Jenn Rizzoti and DT3 when she wanted to be, but her last two years she carried so much of the offensive load she didn't show it. I only have one all-time team; Sue and DT3 at the guards, Maya and Stewie at the wings and Rebecca Lobo in the post. Give me Nykesha and KML off the bench and I believe that team could beat any one.

Twice you mention how silly this is and what a disservice it is to the players , yet by the end you manage to actually make some sense. Try not to be so conflicted-Have fun with it.

 

[UcMiami]

Define/describe volume shooting. Do you think it is a bad thing to be a volume shooter? Do you go back far enough to remember ballplayers like Pete Maravich, Dan Issel, Rick Mount, Bill Bradley, Austin Carr, Calvin Murphy, and Johnny Neumann?

Volume shooting is typically use to identify players that have very high per game scoring averages, but do so in a less than efficient manner, shooting lower percentages from the field than average for their positions and or for their team. DD as a freshman led her UNC team in scoring I believe but she shot something like 200 more times than the next highest shooter for UNC and shot a lower percentage from the field and from three than any of the other starters on the team - she was a volume shooter. Doesn't mean that she was a bad player, or that her taking all those shots was the wrong strategy for UNC - just that when comparing her to another player who had a lower scoring average but shot a higher percentage that you would necessarily say she was a better offensive player.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I think this is a really silly premise. Its Basketball , not football players play the complete game. There aren't different players on offense and defense. Picking an all-time team from among your favorites is a great thing and sparks some really great discourse, it brings back memories of players you'd forgotten, but again this is silly. UConn has had a plethora of greats over the past 20 years and some all-time greats in WCBB but separating them by specialty does a disservice. Maya was a great defensive player, as is Stewie, so were Sue Bird and Jenn Rizzoti and DT3 when she wanted to be, but her last two years she carried so much of the offensive load she didn't show it. I only have one all-time team; Sue and DT3 at the guards, Maya and Stewie at the wings and Rebecca Lobo in the post. Give me Nykesha and KML off the bench and I believe that team could beat any one.

You may well be right.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Just thinking about defense, I like the following group:

Moriah
Nykesha
AB
Kalana
Tiffany
Kelly
Kiah
Tina
Schuey
Stewie
AJ

That's 11. Cutting it to 5 is tough, but I've got to include Nykesha, Kelly, Kiah, and probably AB. Then I think I'd take Kalana for her athleticism and versatility.

 

[MilfordHusky]

On offense, the top scorers are a good place to start. Just thinking quickly:

Maya (3,036 points speak for themselves)
Stewie (versatility and likely #2 career scorer)
Diana (arguably the best and most clutch)
Kaleena (nearly 400 treys and a great percentage)
Kerry (a stud in the early years)
Nykesha (athletic and versatile)
Sue (inspires a book title)
Tiffany (outside shooting and great first step)
Brit Hunter (if only she had been healthy)

Who makes the top 5? I think the first 5 I listed: Maya, Stewie, Diana, Kaleena, and Kerry. Tough competition!!

 

[Phillyconn]

I think this is a really silly premise. Its Basketball , not football players play the complete game. There aren't different players on offense and defense. Picking an all-time team from among your favorites is a great thing and sparks some really great discourse, it brings back memories of players you'd forgotten, but again this is silly. UConn has had a plethora of greats over the past 20 years and some all-time greats in WCBB but separating them by specialty does a disservice. Maya was a great defensive player, as is Stewie, so were Sue Bird and Jenn Rizzoti and DT3 when she wanted to be, but her last two years she carried so much of the offensive load she didn't show it. I only have one all-time team; Sue and DT3 at the guards, Maya and Stewie at the wings and Rebecca Lobo in the post. Give me Nykesha and KML off the bench and I believe that team could beat any one.

Don't rain on the parade. It's the off season, things are slow. What's wrong with a nice debate? We all have our opinions on who the greatest players are, I wanted to break it down by offense and defense. I don't think it's silly. After all the NBA has an all defensive team. Why not recognize players for what they're good at?
Disservice? I don't think so. Maya, I think, was a good defensive player but I don't ever remember her shutting anybody down like a KF or a KS. That's why I debate, to get different opinions on players. Players that may have been before my time. There are a lot of very knowledgeable posters on this board. By posing the question of who's the best, I get to hear different opinions on players and what made them great. Besides, I get a chance to see players like KF and KS make an all time team. Players that will never be recognized as the the greatest all around players but at least great at what they did best.