Clark is an elite 3 tier scorer..the only one in WCBB..she takes it to the rim as good as anyone..Paige will occasionally but not often..right now Caitlin is the best player in the nation an it's not even close..time will tell if Paige can get to her level..what Caitlin did during this tournament was fantastic..she also took down mighty SC almost by herself
How soon they forget. Go back and watch Paige’s game vs SC during her freshman year or the Elite 8 game vs NC State last year. Paige is absolutely a “3 tier scorer” who can get her shot whenever she wants. UConn does not win either game without Paige’s brilliant play. Paige is already at Clark’s level, and a better all-around player imo.
To be a 3 tier scorer you have to be able to take it to the rim.There is no way Paige drives to the rim like Caitlin..not even close..Paige may have been at Clark's level 2 years ago but Clark showed the world how good she is during this tournament ..next year it will be 3 years since Paige won the NPOY award and last year missed half the year an missed all of this year..Clark has improved every year and stands alone in WCBB..Paige has a lot to prove next year to get to Clark's level..not to mention most people believe it takes 2 years to get back to what a player was before tearing an ACL.. Besides..for Paige to show she is equal to Caitlin she has to stay on the court..the last 2 years she hasn't been able to
All true but this is consistent with what old dude and I are saying. Yes, her tourney play was unparalleled in terms of her scoring and she is sheer beauty to watch on the court and she was the greatest player in America this year and has drawn attention to the women's game from viewers who never followed women's basketball before. Her game against SC was iconic. I still think Paige is a better all around player. DT never scored like Clark in the tourney but she was the reason for 2 titles in 2003 and 2004 and was a better all around player than her. And in terms of recognizing Clark's greatness previously who hasn't who is a serious fan of the women's game? If Paige is healthy, she and Caitlin will be the face of USA basketball for many years and people will tune in to see them play together. They are better combined in pure offense than the duo of DT and Sue ever were IMO, but better all around and at winning games? It's no contest yet. That's where the all around nature of the player says it all. Both Sue and Diana made everyone around them better and did so their entire careers. To me, Paige has that gift as well. It's very rare. Who had the greatest offensive skills of all time as a basketball player? Think long and hard. Not MJ, not Kobe, not Elgin. It was Pistol Pete Maravich to me. Did he make everyone around him better? No one ever says that about him.
Again, watch Paige take it to the rim against Boston & SC or against Brink & Stanford and perhaps you may need to reconsider your comment about Paige’s ability to attack the basket.
But she would say she didn't. She made Marie Conlon into a one game star as an example. She played with nerves of steel and her life and whole career have been changed by that game. That is Diana's legacy. The elevation of others by will, example, and courage. Geno finding her sobbing uncontrollably in the locker room alone, knowing she had the weight of the program, the coaches, her teammates and her school on her but finding a way. That's heroic to me.Can one player win a championship by themselves? I don't know. Let's ask Diana.
Also Clark was covering her but handcuffed by the two early fouls, which among others, added up to the single worst officiated Championship game, men's or women's, in the the history of the NCAA. It was disgraceful and fortunately has gotten plenty of press.
That's exactly right. The 2003 and 2004 titles were amazing. I still think that of the 4, the least all around best player is Clark, but she is the greatest offensive player. I give her a lot of credit. She stayed home, elevated the program and the visibility of the school, and had 2 iconic performances in a row in the Elite 8 and Semis. Too bad the officials prevented it from being 3 in a row.
You hit the nail on the head. I was going to use the same players in my illustration, but you beat me to it.
That's a couple of examples but for the most part Paige does not take it to the rim..certainly not like caitlin..it wasn't meant as a cheap shot but the reality is she can't stay on the court..last year her leg blew out and there was no contact against ND..this year she tore the ACL and I never read how that happened..you bring up the game 2 yrs ago when Paige bested her..first of all that's just one game and secondly Paige was better than Clark that year but not by much but look what Clark has done the last 2 yrs..the only woman to ever lead the nation in scoring and assists!!then this year she put on a display in the dance that almost rivaled DT
While I don’t think it’s fair to include injuries when we compare Paige and Clark as “basketball players,” since you want to focus on it, let’s take a look.
One great player can make the difference between winning or losing but only with help unless the opposing team stinks.
Woah, woah, woah, woah. Now this is ridiculous. You can't put Clark and Bueckers in the same sentence with DT and Bird. Really not even yet for college, let alone WBB (college and pro and NT).
Being able to stay on the court is a quality all of its own, and part of what makes a great player great.
I agree with your points but here's a correction on Bueckers' knee injury.
That sounds catchy, until you consider all the great players who dealt with and overcame serious injuries. At UConn that includes Shea, Sveta, Sue, DT & Stewie along with Paige. There are countless other great athletes in many different sports who have overcome major injuries: Peyton Manning, Adrian Peterson, Buster Posey, Paul George….and the list goes on and on.
meyers7- - -Ooopps! I meant Paige and Caitlin POTENTIALLY can be among the best point guards!
You missed the point there. Sure everybody gets injured. But actually playing is a crucial part of being great. When a player has missed half their career, so far, you have to take that into account when comparing players. So far Clark has had a better career than Bueckers. A lot by virtue of being available.
We have different metrics when it comes to what makes a player great. I will continue to argue that not getting injured is a measure of “durability.” Karl Malone played 19 seasons in the NBA. He was a great player and perhaps the most durable player ever. But I would argue that Bill Walton was a better basketball player, despite being plagued by injuries throughout his 13 year career in the NBA.
I think the original point was that the difference between Clark on the one hand and Sue, DT and Paige on the other is the ability to make teammates better during a game, to elevate them to greatness for that moment. I suppose the quintessential example is MJ with Steve Kerr or John Paxson. Sure, they were both pros, but incapable of rising to that special moment of being epic and throwing the championship punch without MJ. He willed it through them with his confidence.
And you would be right. Of course, the injured and hobbled Walton was not a better player than Malone was healthy but that is not the test. Take Walton in his healthy prime and Malone in his healthy prime and there is no comparison in my mind. Let's not forget the performance against Memphis State in the NCAA finals. 21-22 from the field. 44 points. The lingering mystery is only 2 free throws?
It's not "not getting injured". Like I said everyone gets injured. But actually playing is a metric that goes into greatness (just 1 of many). Can't say a player had a couple great seasons, so they're the best. You gotta have a career.
There’s a lot of ways to look at the question. If I had to win one game for all the marbles, I would have Paige running my team over Clark. It’s a close call to be sure, and it comes with the assumption that both players are healthy. But that’s my choice.
Mine too. Human memory is very imperfect and I don't think that the "floor" portion off her game ( passing for assists, passing for "hockey" assists, defense, anticipation on both ends of the court, running the offense, seeing the floor) is adequately recalled. When you see a healthy Paige play live and up close, as I was able to do at Seton Hall on December 3, 2021 before her first major injury, you see a basketball brain at work unlike any other right now, not even Clark's. She had 23 points, 9 rebounds , 7 assists, 5 steals and 0 turnovers. Her eyes were all over the court. I saw her anticipate a pass while playing defense 2 passes before. She also made a long pass to CW on a break that made everyone a believer. She is a different player than Clark. Both are truly great but I will take Paige for the win.
