An early look at the one and only Dee.

[Kibitzer]

I am not normally a saver. (Mrs. Kibitzer is.) But every now and then I get lucky.

Somehow I not only acquired (newstand? I don't recall) a copy of the March 8, 2004, issue of The New Yorker magazine. And I have kep it, because it contained the very best bio of Diana Taurasi I have ever read: "Be Like Dee," by Kevin Conley. I will bring this precious issue to the next game to share with Boneyard friends. For now, just one little tidbit:

"In her junior year at Don Lugo. . . Taurasi hit the winning shot in the final minute of five straight games: Against the Chaffey Tigers, in the last thirty seconds; against the Hanford High Bull Pups, with fifteen seconds left; against the Santa Barbara Dons, a buzzer beater; against the Ayala Bulldogs, with one second to go. Against the El Toro Chargers, with three minutes to go, she was elbowed in the throat and knocked out cold. 'I am not sure it was an accident,' her coach at Don Lugo, Larry Webster, says. When she came to, a moment later, she scored ten straight points, leaving her team down by one. Then, 'with I don't know how many seconds, I ended up with the ball on the free-throw line and just knocked down the jumper. Won the game.'"​

Six pages of this still leaves me wishing there was more.

We will not see her likes again.

 

[sarals24]

Try this link:

DEE

Worked for me, and I don't have a subscription.

 

[CCinCT]

Try this link:

DEE

Worked for me, and I don't have a subscription.

Thanks, sarals24. Works fine !

Has a chance to watch the special on CPTV yesterday "Domination" re: the 2003 Championship season. I had forgotten just how good Diana was - clutch shots, no look behind the back passes, full court one-handed passes, anything to hit the open man, and an obvious love for the game.

In my mind - the best !!

 

[RadyLady]

great article! thank you for posting the link.

Yes, we husky fans have been privileged to have had Diana to watch for those four magical years. Always a Diana fan, when the discussions are going back and forth about who is better, Diana or Maya, I am firmly and without wavering in the Diana column. It would take a stick of dynamite and someone outrageously special to unseat her in my mind.

 

[pap49cba]

Try this link:

DEE

Worked for me, and I don't have a subscription.

Thank You!!! One of the best sports articles I have ever read.

 

[blackbird]

great article! thank you for posting the link.

Yes, we husky fans have been privileged to have had Diana to watch for those four magical years. Always a Diana fan, when the discussions are going back and forth about who is better, Diana or Maya, I am firmly and without wavering in the Diana column. It would take a stick of dynamite and someone outrageously special to unseat her in my mind.

That's how I feel. Maya may have ended up with better stats, but I watched them both..no disrespect to Maya, but she's #2, and I don't even see it as a competition.

I've got a feeling it would take a stick of dynamite and someone outrageously special to unseat her in Geno's mind too.

 

[freekimchee]

Try this link:

DEE

Worked for me, and I don't have a subscription.

Wow. Thank you so much for the link. That was such a great read.

I've only started following wbb in '94 so I didn't really get a chance to watch Cheryl Miller and other greats prior to that...having said that it is without a doubt that the best I've ever seen play is Dee. She remains my favorite player of all time.

 

[semper]

I hate to admit it, but often, after a game nowadays, I go to YouTube and watch some old D clips. Cheers me up. There was just nothing like those days when she played for UConn, from the heartbreak of the freshman year all the way to the last NC. It was a magical ride, just magical.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

What a great article! Thanks.

I think most of the difference between Diana and Maya is in what they're like, their personalities, rather than how they played. Diana played against her opponents; Maya played more against the game. Both were ridiculously competitive.

 

[Fiftyish]

Wow - great read. A real wonderful walk down memory lane. She was one of a kind. It wasn't just her athletic ability but her personality that set her apart. One of my favorite moments was when she buried a 3 from the corner and as she ran back downcourt past the UConn bench she stretched out her hand to rough up Geno's carefully coiffed hairdo. She was the best.


]

 

[TimeWillTell]

Try this link:

DEE

Worked for me, and I don't have a subscription.

Great article..................thanks for the link, sarals24.

Here's one of my favorite Dee plays..........she was on offense, in the air, on the right baseline, 10'-12' from the basket and fading out of bounds. She couldn't shoot right handed because she was too far past the backboard, so Diana switched to her left hand, while in the air and made the basket anyway. She did it so effortlessly, I almost didn't notice....and neither did the announcers at first. They had to go back and replay the shot to make sure she took it left handed. Amazing! I'm not sure...but I think that shot was against Tenn. too

Dee is a super fierce competitor with uber basketball skills and confidence. I was so glad when she chose to come to UConn..............so was Geno. What a wonderful 4 years we all got to enjoy.

 

[ChicagoGG]

HUGE thank you to Kib and Sarals24....just spent a very enjoyable time reading this article and walking down memory lane. In my mind, Dee will ALWAYS be Number 1...and that comparison to Larry Bird sounds pretty sound to me.

Hard to believe it has been this long since she played for UConn (and then I remember those 3 Olympic medals, and know it is true....)

 

[sarals24]

You are all welcome! (On behalf of myself and Kib...I just did a Google search, Kib found the original article). It's a great read. My other favorite WCBB read is this article in Sports Illustrated about Jamila Wideman. A bit overwrought in places now that I read it again, but it really affected me the first time I read it. I specifically bought the book "In These Girls, Hope Is A Muscle" after reading it.

 

[Zorro]

So many great Dee moments. My personal fave is when she put the slug on the orange pylon and TBA because she "just had to hit something orange."