I think she is the GOAT | The Boneyard

I think she is the GOAT

gold2323

gold2323

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She Wins team Championships everywhere she plays and wins MVP awards too….and still many more to go….she is my GOAT
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Agreed on Stewie. I always felt Maya was the GOAT but Diana's backers always cited the number of national champions won (Diana's three to Maya's two as a deciding factor) even if Maya holds the record for most points scored at UCONN (by a lot). Hard to argue with Stewie's four championships, though. As for Caitlin Clark, she is great and I enjoyed watching her excel in the tournament. However, it would appear that most of the awards she has won are based on individual, not team, performance, and she is a volume shooter. I don't see how she can be considered the GOAT, noting that the only comparisons we can make at this time are based on performance at the college level.
 
MilfordHusky said:
Stewie is definitely 1 of 1. For me, however, she needs more years for the GOAT discussion--like Sue, Diana, and even Maya.
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Once again.....the subject of who is the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) debate has found its way onto the Boneyard. I always find it interesting to read other people's points of view on this subject. Some of them offer some very compelling arguments. Even though I don't think it's a subject UConn Nation will ever agree on. It might help to agree on the parameters or ground rules for the consideration/selection of a goat.

I don't have an opinion on this subject, as I was not a UConn fan during the time Sue and Diana played. I didn't become a "staunch" full-time UConn fan until Maya Moore's sophomore year. Of course, I know who these players are, but I didn't see them night in and night out as many of you did, so I don't have the appreciation or attachment to them that many of you have.

I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Breanna Stewart in Las Vegas the day before Ace's inaugural game in their new city that year. Stewie was very cordial and even posed for a picture with me. Obviously, I had no idea I would run into her, but I had some UConn gear on, so that may have helped. THAT right there raises and solidifies her stature with me forever.

She and Kaleena Mosqueda Lewis are the only two UConn players I've ever met in person. Stewie got it done while she was at UConn, just like she's getting it done now. Just think, she and classmates Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson don't know what it's like to lose an NCAA tournament game or watch another team raise the championship trophy after the final horn. That trio was 4-4. No other class of players has done that before or since.

The Lakers Earvin "Magic" Johnson once said that "After you retire, the only thing fans remember about you is how many championships you won." Well, that's true in Stewie's case. We remember!! She and her classmates set the record, and still hold the record. One I don't think will ever be tied. It can't be broken. Maya and Diana hold most of the individual career records at UConn, but Stewie is a champion and has a distinction that none of the other candidates do (she's second to Maya in career scoring). What else could she have done? Remember what is said about "the best ability." Stewie was always available. This past year, we've witnessed up close to how a player's absence can affect a team's performance. If I had a vote, she'd get it. ;)
 
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I guess we at UConn really have a problem that other fan bases would love to have. We have had so much individual, accomplished talent come through UConn that deciding who the GOAT is becomes an extremely difficult task. DT, Bird, Maya, Stewie, Morgan Tuck, Swin Cash, Napheesa Collier, Moriah Jefferson, Ashja Jones, Tamika Williams, Renee Montgomery, Tiffany Hayes, Rita Williams, Rebecca Lobo, Jennifer Rizzotti, Katie Lou, Nykesha Sales, Kerry Bascom, Tina Charles, Kara Wolters, Shea Ralph, Svetlana Abrosinova, Barbara Turner, Kaleena Mosqueda Lewis, Crystal Dangerfield and now Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd and do we add Lou Lopez-Senechal even though she only played one year...are you kidding me? This is a problem that every other program in women's basketball would love to have.

I think we would be better served to try and pick a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th team of all time UConn greats...even that task is daunting when you actually set out to do it. Without trying to show any disrespect to the UConn pedigree of legendary players the above list accounts for 28 top historical UConn players. Please feel free to add others to the list.

The task is made even more difficult if you try to do it by position such as below. Because of the uneven distribution of guards in the top 25 vs Bigs...you may have to simply pick players based on the overall contribution to the sport and not be position-centrix.

1st Team - Center - Tina Charles; Power forward - Breanna Stewart; Small Forward - Maya Moore; Shooting Guard - Diana Taurasi; Point Guard - Sue Bird.

Bottom-line we have been blessed to the point of being spoiled. Being a fan of the UConn huskies even in the off-years is a privilege after all, we as adults (not to exclude the many young children who love their Huskies) for over a generation we have been able to sit by our "boob tubes", drive up to Storrs or Hartford or in some of our most dedicated fans traveled to the Virgin Islands and soon the Cayman Islands to get entertained by kids who in many cases aren't even 20 years old yet. How many 10 year old girls are out there dreaming of one day putting on a UConn Husky jersey and adding their names to the list above? What a blessing it has been.
 
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Lynx23 said:
Agreed on Stewie. I always felt Maya was the GOAT but Diana's backers always cited the number of national champions won (Diana's three to Maya's two as a deciding factor) even if Maya holds the record for most points scored at UCONN (by a lot). Hard to argue with Stewie's four championships, though. As for Caitlin Clark, she is great and I enjoyed watching her excel in the tournament. However, it would appear that most of the awards she has won are based on individual, not team, performance, and she is a volume shooter. I don't see how she can be considered the GOAT, noting that the only comparisons we can make at this time are based on performance at the college level.
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Caitlin Clark's loss and individual performance in the Final really hurts her claim to be the GOAT. Remember, Iowa was favored. Obviously, still a great player with great numbers, but not a GOAT.
 
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hoopsnloops32 said:
You haven’t seen Caitlin Clark play I guess.
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Get serious! Although Clark is a fine player, she hasn't even led her college team to a National Championship. And, as for a comparison to Stewie, as the saying goes, "she couldn't tie her shoes!"
 
She's just gathering receipts for her eventual coronation.....
 
My thoughts again on this oft repeated topic.

The whole matters. While each of Taurasi, Moore and Stewart had the talent and drive to win games even against elite opponents on their own, they differed as to what kind of team most benefited from their intangibles.

Taurasi - benefits a talented team that is inexperienced and/or lacks confidence, as she can make any teammate feel invincible.

Moore - benefits a talented team that needs discipline. This was evident with the Lynx, who kept getting #1 picks in the draft but did not turn into winners until Moore came on board to show them how it’s done.

Stewart - benefits a talented team that is too uptight and needs to ”settle down.” Most evident when we beat ND in the FF after losing to them three times that season.

While each one possesses all these intangibles, I am not sure Taurasi could turn around a team that mainly lacks discipline, nor Moore turn around a team that mainly needs to “settle down,” nor Stewart instill confidence into an inexperienced team.

Getting back to their talent, Taurasi did impossible things that made you shake your head, Moore did athletic things that left you in awe and admiration, Stewart made things look so effortless in comparison to others on the court that it looked unfair.
 
I agree that Breanna Stewart is a figure to be told as the GOAT, but I think Diana Taurasi is the one for the time
If Breanna and the NY team conquers the WNBA, she will be on D's steps
She won nearly everywhere, but I don't remember Shangai or Koursk winning a tittle ...
 
Lynx23 said:
Agreed on Stewie. I always felt Maya was the GOAT but Diana's backers always cited the number of national champions won (Diana's three to Maya's two as a deciding factor) even if Maya holds the record for most points scored at UCONN (by a lot). Hard to argue with Stewie's four championships, though. As for Caitlin Clark, she is great and I enjoyed watching her excel in the tournament. However, it would appear that most of the awards she has won are based on individual, not team, performance, and she is a volume shooter. I don't see how she can be considered the GOAT, noting that the only comparisons we can make at this time are based on performance at the college level.
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I agree about Maya. She ended her UConn career ranked in the top 10 of nearly every statistical category and is still UConn’s all-time leading scorer. She also won 2 Olympic golds, 2 FIBA golds, and 4 WNBA championships (in just 8 years in the W). All of that isn’t even including Euro championships, either!
 
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Carnac said:
Once again.....the subject of who is the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) debate has found its way onto the Boneyard. I always find it interesting to read other people's points of view on this subject. Some of them offer some very compelling arguments. Even though I don't think it's a subject UConn Nation will ever agree on. It might help to agree on the parameters or ground rules for the consideration/selection of a goat.

I don't have an opinion on this subject, as I was not a UConn fan during the time Sue and Diana played. I didn't become a "staunch" full-time UConn fan until Maya Moore's sophomore year. Of course, I know who these players are, but I didn't see them night in and night out as many of you did, so I don't have the appreciation or attachment to them that many of you have.

I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Breanna Stewart in Las Vegas the day before Ace's inaugural game in their new city that year. Stewie was very cordial and even posed for a picture with me. Obviously, I had no idea I would run into her, but I had some UConn gear on, so that may have helped. THAT right there raises and solidifies her stature with me forever.

She and Kaleena Mosqueda Lewis are the only two UConn players I've ever met in person. Stewie got it done while she was at UConn, just like she's getting it done now. Just think, she and classmates Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson don't know what it's like to lose an NCAA tournament game or watch another team raise the championship trophy after the final horn. That trio was 4-4. No other class of players has done that before or since.

The Lakers Earvin "Magic" Johnson once said that "After you retire, the only thing fans remember about you is how many championships you won." Well, that's true in Stewie's case. We remember!! She and her classmates set the record, and still hold the record. One I don't think will ever be tied. It can't be broken. Maya and Diana hold most of the individual career records at UConn, but Stewie is a champion and has a distinction that none of the other candidates do (she's second to Maya in career scoring). What else could she have done? Remember what is said about "the best ability." Stewie was always available. This past year, we've witnessed up close to how a player's absence can affect a team's performance. If I had a vote, she'd get it. ;)
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Maybe the title should be "Greatest Champion of All Time" with the moniker G-CAT! What comes to mind is that Stewie, when presented with her 4th Final Four Most Outstanding Player (MOP), said, "This should go to Moriah (Jefferson)." Humble in setting a record that can never be broken: 4 national Championships in a row [particularly now that the extra CoViD year will expire next year, and the NIL/Transfer portal almost guarantees that it will not happen anytime soon...].

Even though Stewie has a ways to go with Olympic Gold medals, she only has a couple of WNBA titles to go to catch and pass Sue. Pray for continued health for Stewie, as she is the best front line player when the stage is the biggest, and the lights are the brightest.

May the current and future UCONN players take on her approach to continued improvement, hustle, and game-time effort to move towards her level of success!

Go Huskies!
 
JellyBean said:
When it is all said and done and Breanna decides to hangup the Puma's, she is going to be the GOAT.
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Look at it this way, the Liberty GM had 3 names on his board for over a year. Stewie, Vandersloot, and JJ.
Those 3 also spent a year in talks between themselves to see if they could find a fit in the WNBA.
They also had played together on the Russian Super team, so they know had to blend their talents together to win.
This is a new era in the WNBA, it should be fun watching this year.
 
baggerbob said:
Look at it this way, the Liberty GM had 3 names on his board for over a year. Stewie, Vandersloot, and JJ.
Those 3 also spent a year in talks between themselves to see if they could find a fit in the WNBA.
They also had played together on the Russian Super team, so they know had to blend their talents together to win.
This is a new era in the WNBA, it should be fun watching this year.
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I am looking forward to watching this season more than any other WNBA season. Happy 27th, WNBA!!
 
gold2323 said:
She Wins team Championships everywhere she plays and wins MVP awards too….and still many more to go….she is my GOATView attachment 87851
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One of the most "popular" criteria for determining a G.O.A.T. in any sport is the number of championships a player won during their playing career. Michael Jeffery Jordan is considered THE GOAT on most NBA fans' "worship list" of ALL-TIME NBA greats. He won 6 championships. Lost or forgotten in this consideration is HOF Bill Russell (1956-1969) A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a 12-time NBA All-Star. Russell was equally notable for his rebounding abilities, and he led the NBA in rebounds four times. He won 11 championships, but few consider him THE goat because of the era he played in. There were only 8 NBA teams his first year in the league, and 14 when he left.

Like Russell, Stewart is a winner and has won EVERYWHERE she's gone. So, if winning championships is the best, most popular, and fairest way to judge a player, why can't Stewart be THE GOAT? Who has won more NCAA championships than her? She has Olympic gold, WNBA championships, and European championships as well. Who has more championships spread across the spectrum of women's collegiate and professional basketball than her? :eek:
 
The idea of the GOAT, to me, has much to be desired ... having followed the women since the early 1990's, the skills and attitudes and energy of the so many great players UConn has had makes the "who is the best" seem demeaning in that many someone's have to "lose" ... to me, it's not about wins and loses and how many ... Rebecca, Sue, Diana, Maya, Stewie, etc., etc. ... are such great players with unique individual qualities ... I prefer to just savor in the beauty of having watched such greatness over the years ...
 
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