I understand UConn folks think Sabrina should have had a national championship, but not a single UConn legend did what Sabrina did for her school when it comes to winning, which was lead a team which hadn't been to the NCAA tourney for 15 years to two straight Elite 8's her Freshman & Sophomore years, then their 1st Final 4 last year. Everyone expected them to be a 1 seed this year for the 1st time ever and get to the Final 4. Vegas odds had them winning it all, but the games weren't played so she can't count that championship for the ultimate "unfinished business". As for the WNBA, we'll see how she does. Still my guess when the Liberty make her #1 overall and Under Armour or Nike sign her to the richest shoe deal for a rookie coming out of college, those folks probably don't think she's "overrated".
I take this discussion as "college only." The "college only" GOAT.
What you don';t seem to understand is that most UCONN fans are right. You're bringing up irrelevant points about Oregon/ and your conference basketball and trying to use that in some twisted way to justify it for national basketball. What's more important-- conference championships or National Championships?
Further, not one player in NBA History did what Oscar Robertson did for as long as he did it and he is not in a logical discussion for GOAT. Just like Sabrina-- Oscar did accomplish something sensational with all those triple doubles for so long u
nlike any other player in NBA History. It doesn't make him GOAT. So using her stats to make any claims "unlike anyone else" has some meaning but not a decisive one when comparing GOATS.
Further, you're bringing up awards as if they have this "gotcha" meaning. Don't you understand why some might scoff at Individual awards that you want to cite (when you try to tie in Sabrina with Maya and Stewie.)? We've seen the absurdity of individual awards in the past. -Maybe you are too young or didn't pay attention until Oregon came alive. But look at DT not getting POY - instead they gave it to Beard. Look at the years in the NBA where Jordan didn't win MVP instead they gave to it Barkley or Malone. Or recent years with LeBron. I can understand tying these awards to a degree but it seems like you want to equate popularity contest awards to winning. And you seem to want to try to tie in Oregon Basketball and Conference Championships to National championships. That's ludicrous.
Instead what some have been trying to explain is that winning it all counts for the most. And winning counts a lot. For example this year your team was stacked - stacked yet in your peak year - at the peak of Sabrina's powers you allowed yourself to get beat twice. Now it's not that big of a deal - but your team this year was stacked. One loss vs two you could've gotten maybe #1 overall. It';s just a slight difference between super great players which Sabrina is too. But more importantly look at what happened to Sabrina when she went to the Final Four when competing against the best of the best which is where GOATS need to make their bones:
OFC frosh year it's excusable. Learning the ropes. Her soph year she had a very good game vs ND despite shooting 9-24 but what about her jr year? 6-24 from the floor vs Baylor. The point is-- when GOATS go against the best they can't be stopped. Maya was a scorer and was never stopped in big NCAA Tourney games other than struggle her frosh year a bit vs Stanford. In addition her defense was instrumental in 2009-2010. Stewie was a combo of scorer and defender that was super when she went against the best of the best.
Its unfortunate Sabrina didn't have a sr NCAA Tourney year to see what she could've done- but she did allow her stacked team to lose twice. it's understandable for the GOAT on stacked teams if they lose it's on buzzer beaters. Oregon was "beaten" by lesser teams TWICE.
Bottomline is that when you are talking GOAT- the world doesn't revolve around a team's history, or it's conference as much as it revolves around NATIONAL champions as the most important. And while awards are nice there has to be a note they can also be popularity contests when you discount other players as pointed out by DT not being named best player as well as Jordan and LeBron. . Another important point is that stats can be misleading as pointed by the Oscar Robertson example. And another point to rehash is that -- "was the superstar stopped for what they do best?" So what we could see from Sabrina - her last year in NCAA Tourney going against "the best" she shot 6-24. For what Maya and Stewie and DT did as upperclassmen (and their soph year) what they did best going against the very best - their game was not stopped. That's the difference between being a GOAT vs being "just" "GREAT." Which Sabrina was-- "great."
And a final point while you are heaping great praise deservedly with the great Sabrina which she was. Graves is an excellent coach too. He helped getting talent. It isn't all Sabrina for Oregon. Take away Sabrina and if we count popularity contests then you have a couple other big time players you (Oregon) haven't had in the past on 1 team too, right?
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