Magic declares Caitlin Clarke 2nd to Diana

[meyers7]

It's interesting that you feel Clark is not in the conversation and yet dozens of us here on the BY have posted more than 120 messages conversing on that very subject...

Nobody said posters on the BY were the brightest bunch.

And she's not in the conversation.....yet. She may well be in the future. But let's let her finish her college career and she what she's accomplished.

 

[The deacon]

Nobody said posters on the BY were the brightest bunch.

And she's not in the conversation.....yet. She may well be in the future. But let's let her finish her college career and she what she's accomplished.

And yet, Meyers7, we are still conversing about it...

 

[meyers7]

And yet, Meyers7, we are still conversing about it...

Not exactly. Saying there shouldn't be a conversation isn't really conversing about it. Semantics, I suppose.

 

[browns]

That's incredibly reductive and doesn't properly account for Stewie's impact.

2013 ND was loaded. Diggins, Achonwa, McBride, Loyd. Beat UConn 3 times. Then Stewie went supernova for the NCAA tournament and UConn cruised in the final four.

It's not like there were no other strong, star-studded teams in Stewie's era, they just couldn't touch UConn because they didn't have Stewie.

I picked up wcbb relatively recently, but I remember that era and Stewart, not Tuck or Jefferson or anyone else is the reason UConn felt unbeatable.

Their senior season Tuck was the best power forward in the nation and MoJo was the best PG in the nation along with Stewie being the best player..thats why they were picked #1,2, and 3 in the draft..if that wasn't enough you had Kia Nurse,Gabby Williams,Napheesa Collier,and KLS ..7 years later all of them still highly productive in the WNBA except Tuck who had to retire because of her injuries..no other team could come close to beating that team

 

[Iluvacc2]

I spelled her name wrong; it’s Ticha. Ines knows who she is but it’s sad others don’t

Ticha Penicheiro - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Yep, Ticha was one of the best passers I’ve ever seen and a great defender. She absolutely revitalized the ODU program in the late 90’s and went on to have a great WNBA career. If she was eligible for Team USA she would’ve won multiple gold medals.

 

[Iluvacc2]

Holdsclaw IMO is the clear cut best Lady Vol and has a case for best ever. Honestly though, anyone in the top 5-6 has a pretty solid case depending on what you value.

This! Holdsclaw’s mental health issues and off court activities prevented her from shining in the WNBA like she did in college. Make no mistake, she is still one of the best college players I ever seen (my top five: Holdsclaw, Taurasi, Parker, Moore, and Stewart) and had one of the top 3 freshman seasons ever along with Moore and Beuckers (I didn’t include Stewart, even though she started off on a tear and ended with a natty, she had a mid season lull, whereas the other 3 were great all season long). I’ve seen a few clips of Cheryl Miller and Holdsclaw was the first modern player to remind me of her with similar size, handles, and a mid range game that was out of this world.

 

[Iluvacc2]

Their senior season Tuck was the best power forward in the nation and MoJo was the best PG in the nation along with Stewie being the best player..thats why they were picked #1,2, and 3 in the draft..if that wasn't enough you had Kia Nurse,Gabby Williams,Napheesa Collier,and KLS ..7 years later all of them still highly productive in the WNBA except Tuck who had to retire because of her injuries..no other team could come close to beating that team

They were probably the best at their respective positions the season before as well. I remember them along with Stewart and KML absolutely torching a very good South Carolina squad at home. Unfortunately with Stewart, Jefferson, and KML ahead of her, she was not named a WBCA All American that year. No team has ever had 4 players on the list at the same time.

 

[tigers4ever]

Hard to predict where Caitlin Clark will end up in the history books but she is good for the game. There are just certain players that are fun to watch and Caitlin is one of those players.

 

[bballnut90]

This! Holdsclaw’s mental health issues and off court activities prevented her from shining in the WNBA like she did in college. Make no mistake, she is still one of the best college players I ever seen (my top five: Holdsclaw, Taurasi, Parker, Moore, and Stewart) and had one of the top 3 freshman seasons ever along with Moore and Beuckers (I didn’t include Stewart, even though she started off on a tear and ended with a natty, she had a mid season lull, whereas the other 3 were great all season long). I’ve seen a few clips of Cheryl Miller and Holdsclaw was the first modern player to remind me of her with similar size, handles, and a mid range game that was out of this world.

Agree with this, though Catchings first season was right there with those 3 too. Holdsclaw doesn’t get enough credit due to her pro career not panning out like the other collegiate greats.

 

[HopJim]

Nobody said posters on the BY were the brightest bunch.

And she's not in the conversation.....yet. She may well be in the future. But let's let her finish her college career and she what she's accomplished.

Good comments about holding back before anointing Clark. Comparing her to players like Diana Taurasi or Stewie is very premature. As UConn has proven in the past, good defense and defensive players like Aubrey can stop or at least slow down Clark. DT and Stewie were unstoppable, particularly in the big games.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

Larry Bird isn’t the greatest, but he isdefintely among the top 10-20. Iowa gets no where near winning an NC without her. Is she better than Paige? Maybe, maybe not. Is Paige potentially in a discussion of the top 10 or better? If so, so is Clark. It’s all kind of silly trying to decide among several uniquely talented players who is # 2 or who is # 7. But for me, bottom line as I’ve said, a team winning an NC is not an accurate way to assess individual greatness.

"Is she better than Paige?" How sad that question makes me. If only...If only Paige hadn't been injured, if only Paige had competed for her entire sophomore year, for her junior year...What could have been...

I'm just hoping that Paige will be able to return to health, and be able to compete without pain. I'm holding my breath. We all remember Caroline Doty, who was but a shadow of her freshman self after that injury.

If only....

 

[Rowdy831]

Because if you want to be in that conversation at some point you have to put up the numbers, and being able to stay on the court is part of that. There are probably lots of Paiges in the history of sports - players with unbelievable talent but because of injuries never realized their full potential and thus we never even knew their names let alone saw them ascend to GOAT status.

Paige not only was injured but she lost a lot of court time growth. When Paige was a Freshman I though she was amazing but I also thought Clark was right there with her. Clark has had a couple of years of court growth on Paige and now she will have some catching up to do.

 

[Rowdy831]

This is great discussion. I remember the first time I saw DT on the court she was head and shoulders above any player in the women's game I had seen to that point. She just did things at a much higher level than the great before her. Well now a player that plays that way isn't that unusual but DT still had the grit too.

Clark is much the same type of player. What she does isn't great, it is simply amazing. At this point in her career I would say she is the best I have seen. Her range is unbelievable, she rebounds the ball and she is a very good passer. She dominates when every team she plays know they have to keep her contained to win. No, she isn't the GOAT but she is the most remarkable college player that I have seen and she will one day possibly mentioned with the other greats of the game.

 

[nwhoopfan]

It's unfair to compare someone still in the midst of their college to career to long time pros...but Clark is simply phenomenal. If you don't see it, you aren't paying attention. She definitely just added a big feather to her cap just now.

 

[Orc]

Clark is so fun to watch. Amazing player

 

[meyers7]

Another fantastic game by Clark. Hopefully she gets her NC on Sunday.

 

[cohenzone]

It's unfair to compare someone still in the midst of their college to career to long time pros...but Clark is simply phenomenal. If you don't see it, you aren't paying attention. She definitely just added a big feather to her cap just now.

It takes a lot of denial to think only an an NC would validate Clark. Iowa could not sniff the final four without her, let alone winning. but it still takes a team to win it all. Clark certainly has DTs attitude. That is undeniable.

 

[Scud49]

It's why I put Russ over MJ, LeBron, Wilt, and any others.

You sir, are absolutely correct.

 

[fomalhaut]

Lest we forget that, 2 years ago, one Paige Bueckers was equal, if not better than Caitlin Clark. IJS...

2 years ago. Bueckers has a lot ot prove next year.

 

[Ardenque]

Probably best this season, but only because someone else is injured.

Showing up is part of the deal.
You don’t make history by spending the majority of your career in the trainer’s room.
As a thus far successful NFL coach says:
“I want players who are smart, tough and dependable.”
Clark has displayed all three of those traits.
Oh, and she also has some talent to boot.

 

[JellyBean]

I just hope that whatever team Caitlin goes to in the WNBA, the coaching staff, the players, and the GM understand one thing, Caitlin is that good so don't screw things up. Don't turn a Ferrari into a Nissan Altima. Let this young lady play! The WNBA better figure out their expansion plans, quickly!

 

[maple]

CC is a great player, but for me she isn’t in the top 5 of WCBB players of all time. There are others (UConn and non-UConn) with far more illustrious college careers.

 

[maple]

Take a good, long look at CC’s WCBB stats—each game, each year. Look at the cast assembled on her teams. Consider that every team knows what’s coming. Watch her play.

Now…image she’s wearing a UConn uniform throughout her college career and presently stands poised to carry her team past an undefeated SC powerhouse and into the finals, with a chance at a national title. Then tell me you wouldn’t be making a case that she’s at least in the conversation as GOAT.

But that’s assuming she would have had the same career at UConn that she is having at Iowa. And no one can know if that would have happened. She might have just been “one of” those really great UConn players but not necessarily the star of the team.

And even by UConn’s standards she would have needed to have won at least a single title, if not more. Lobo only won 1, but she won the first one. The big 3 (DT, Moore, Stewie) all won multiple titles.

So it’s not a forgone conclusion to assume she would have been the greatest UConn player of all time.

 

[cohenzone]

Paige not only was injured but she lost a lot of court time growth. When Paige was a Freshman I though she was amazing but I also thought Clark was right there with her. Clark has had a couple of years of court growth on Paige and now she will have some catching up to do.

Yes. Hopefully her leg injuries don’t rob her of anything. Two phenomenal players. I think Paige may not ever have or need to have the same kind of scoring numbers simply because she might have better overall scorers around her. Both worth the price of admission.

 

[cohenzone]

I just hope that whatever team Caitlin goes to in the WNBA, the coaching staff, the players, and the GM understand one thing, Caitlin is that good so don't screw things up. Don't turn a Ferrari into a Nissan Altima. Let this young lady play! The WNBA better figure out their expansion plans, quickly!

The great U of North Carolina coach Dean Smith once said “The only one who can stop Michael Jordan is me.” Smith knew not to mess with what he had.