Mt. Rushmore and Beyond

[Zanzman]

In my opinion its Stewie, can ya do better then winning 4 national championships. In this Goat talk it's like people wanna penalize Stewie for being on UConn and having good teammates. All true and sure she wouldn't have 4 of them just like Kareem wouldn't have 4 if he wasn't on UCLA.

Stewie had to come out of games early because she was too good. That includes ranked opponents and tournament games.

Alcindor only played 3 years at ucla

 

[Scoe]

Alcindor only played 3 years at ucla

Ya that's right but the point still remains the same. Highly doubtful Alcindor wins all those championships if he didn't play at UCLA like people say Stewie wouldn't have won 4 at UConn, but the fact of the matter she won 4 of them and you can't do better then that.

It's as if she gets penalized from people putting the goat list together for being too good. Of course a subjective list all entitled to one's own opinion.

 

[oldude]

Ya that's right but the point still remains the same. Highly doubtful Alcindor wins all those championships at UCLA

I beg to differ. In 1965, Alcindor (Kareem) was part of the most highly rated recruiting class in the country, one of 4 HS All-Americans. The freshman team was undefeated including a 15 point win over the UCLA varsity that had won the previous 2 national championships. Alcindor averaged 33 ppg as a freshman. The varsity went 18-8 that year, finishing 2nd in the Pac-8.

 

[Scoe]

I beg to differ. In 1965, Alcindor (Kareem) was part of the most highly rated recruiting class in the country, one of 4 HS All-Americans. The freshman team was undefeated including a 15 point win over the UCLA varsity that had won the previous 2 national championships. Alcindor averaged 33 ppg as a freshman. The varsity went 18-8 that year, finishing 2nd in the Pac-8.

My wording was off fixed it , I meant to say highly doubtful Alcindor wins 3 at UCLA, much like people say Stewie wouldn't have won 4 in a row anywhere else.

My point is it's like people wanna exclude a UConn player from being the GOAT in women's college basketball because they played for UConn. You can't do better than winning 4 national championships.

It's like general fans wanna penalize Stewie from the GOAT talk because she was too good. Geno had to take her out of games because it was unfair to our opponents. Only lost 5 games in her career, 3 vs ND in last possessions, 1 to a defending champ Baylor team at Baylor who had Griner and Sims, and at Stanford in OT.

 

[The deacon]

Fun thread by all concerned... thanks for the good reading.

FYI, the next Summer Olympics will be 2028 in LA, not in 2026, so Paige will need to wait a while. She'll be just two months shy of 27 years old for her first Games. (and, dare I say, I can't wait to see her teamed with Caitlin Clark, and most likely Sarah Strong...).

 

[my2cents]

I don't like the " Mt . Rushmore" analogy as it limits us to 4 choices. If we project out the future, there will be so many former UConn players in the Basketball Hall of Fame they will need to give them an entire wing of the place.
The discussion should be who will eventually have a plaque there,

 

[oldude]

Fun thread by all concerned... thanks for the good reading.

FYI, the next Summer Olympics will be 2028 in LA, not in 2026, so Paige will need to wait a while. She'll be just two months shy of 27 years old for her first Games. (and, dare I say, I can't wait to see her teamed with Caitlin Clark, and most likely Sarah Strong...).

Sarah will have just graduated from college heading into the 2028 Olympics. While I have no doubt that she would be talented enough to make the US Olympic team, it gets a little dicey putting a college grad on the Olympic team over a WNBA veteran. We all remember the brouhaha when the selection committee put Stewie on the team over Candace Parker in 2016.

Parker just wrote a book where she reminds everyone, as if they needed reminding, that she doesn’t like Geno, who coached the 2016 Olympic team and is often blamed for the decision to pick Stewie over Parker, even though he was not a member of the selection committee. I wonder if Parker is sending Geno an autographed copy of her book?

 

[The deacon]

Sarah will have just graduated from college heading into the 2028 Olympics. While I have no doubt that she would be talented enough to make the US Olympic team, it gets a little dicey putting a college grad on the Olympic team over a WNBA veteran. We all remember the brouhaha when the selection committee put Stewie on the team over Candace Parker in 2016.

Parker just wrote a book where she reminds everyone, as if they needed reminding, that she doesn’t like Geno, who coached the 2016 Olympic team and is often blamed for the decision to pick Stewie over Parker, even though he was not a member of the selection committee. I wonder if Parker is sending Geno an autographed copy of her book?

Good one re Geno and Candace.

Yes, Sarah will be just graduated but, as should have been the case with Caitlin last summer, Sarah will be good enough to earn a spot on the '28 team. The '24 team would have been better with Caitlin, and I'll bet that '28 team would love to have Sarah... heck, she appears ready for the Olympics now, right?

 

[Skeets]

I don't like the " Mt . Rushmore" analogy as it limits us to 4 choices. If we project out the future, there will be so many former UConn players in the Basketball Hall of Fame they will need to give them an entire wing of the place.
The discussion should be who will eventually have a plaque there,

Yes, 4 choices is ridiculous but that's what makes it fun. If there was no controversy this would be a dead thread.

 

[meyers7]

Sarah will have just graduated from college heading into the 2028 Olympics. While I have no doubt that she would be talented enough to make the US Olympic team, it gets a little dicey putting a college grad on the Olympic team over a WNBA veteran. We all remember the brouhaha when the selection committee put Stewie on the team over Candace Parker in 2016.

Parker just wrote a book where she reminds everyone, as if they needed reminding, that she doesn’t like Geno, who coached the 2016 Olympic team and is often blamed for the decision to pick Stewie over Parker, even though he was not a member of the selection committee. I wonder if Parker is sending Geno an autographed copy of her book?

They didn't pick Stewart over Parker. They gave Catchings her last ride instead of putting Parker on the team. And Parker had made her own bed by picking and choosing when she wanted to play for the USA.

 

[oldude]

They didn't pick Stewart over Parker. They gave Catchings her last ride instead of putting Parker on the team. And Parker had made her own bed by picking and choosing when she wanted to play for the USA.

That may be the case in fact. But Parker chose to portray the decision as Geno picking Stewie over her. It even got wrapped up in the whole “falling out” between Pat & Geno, so it was viewed by Lady Vol fans under the animosity generated by the TN-UConn rivalry. LA sports personalities like Magic Johnson and others came out of the woodwork to criticize Geno.

In the end, it was much ado about nothing for everyone other than Parker, who continues to be bitter about the decision, to the point where she felt she had to take one more swing at Geno in the form of a new book. Not that Parker would ever listen to me, but if she would, I would tell her, “Let it go.”

 

[meyers7]

That may be the case in fact. But Parker chose to portray the decision as Geno picking Stewie over her. It even got wrapped up in the whole “falling out” between Pat & Geno, so it was viewed by Lady Vol fans under the animosity generated by the TN-UConn rivalry. LA sports personalities like Magic Johnson and others came out of the woodwork to criticize Geno.

In the end, it was much ado about nothing for everyone other than Parker, who continues to be bitter about the decision, to the point where she felt she had to take one more swing at Geno in the form of a new book. Not that Parker would ever listen to me, but if she would, I would tell her, “Let it go.”

That's all I was stating. The rest doesn't matter.

 

[oldude]

That's all I was stating. The rest doesn't matter.

It shouldn’t matter. But it certainly does to one individual.

 

[1974yankees]

Sarah will have just graduated from college heading into the 2028 Olympics. While I have no doubt that she would be talented enough to make the US Olympic team, it gets a little dicey putting a college grad on the Olympic team over a WNBA veteran. We all remember the brouhaha when the selection committee put Stewie on the team over Candace Parker in 2016.

Parker just wrote a book where she reminds everyone, as if they needed reminding, that she doesn’t like Geno, who coached the 2016 Olympic team and is often blamed for the decision to pick Stewie over Parker, even though he was not a member of the selection committee. I wonder if Parker is sending Geno an autographed copy of her book?

That is interesting that Parker blames Geno for picking Stewart....

I remember when Maya should have won the Naismith as a freshman because she deserved to win it as a freshman..(ie: her grade level shouldn't matter because she was the best player that year)

But somehow they picked Parker..

Maybe Geno wanted payback... But then again how was Stewart not making any team..

 

[oldude]

That is interesting that Parker blames Geno for picking Stewart....

I remember when Maya should have won the Naismith as a freshman because she deserved to win it as a freshman..(ie: her grade level shouldn't matter because she was the best player that year)

But somehow they picked Parker..

Maybe Geno wanted payback... But then again how was Stewart not making any team..

First off, it was not Geno’s decision. The Selection Committee made the decision, although it’s hard to imagine that they didn’t consult with Geno on what type of roster he was looking to assemble.

There was absolutely no payback involved. Parker had already played for Geno as a member of the 2012 Olympic team. By 2016 she was a 2x MVP in the W and a multiple allstar selection.

While Geno never expressed any animosity towards Parker, nor did he offer any insight into why she didn’t make the 2016 team, there were a number of concerns expressed behind the scenes. Parker was an absolute star in 2016. As meyers7 points out she played where she wanted to play, when she wanted to play. As such, she opted out of several FIBA World Championships for whatever reason.

As we all know, Geno is all about the team. There were rumors that during the 2012 Olympics Parker came off as a prima donna, clashing with Geno on several occasions.

Whether it was to give Tamika Catchings one last spot on the 2016 roster or to give Stewie her first of many, both were “team first” players who only cared about bringing home the gold medal. It should also be pointed out to those who felt it was a UConn-TN thing, that Catchings was a TN Vol who Geno absolutely loved.

 

[ctbbfn]

So Geno "would pick Paige out of that list"

Who is he cutting?

Lobo? Taursi? Maya? Tina? Stewart? Collier? Svetlana? Bird? Jefferson? Sales (his favorite player of all time)?

And Geno says a million things during the course of the day. He has called numerous players the "best"....

I remember not that long ago (and the threads are on this board) that he said Jana was going to be a star. I think he said something to the effect that Uconn fans are not going to believe how good she is....

There was even some talk that she was the next Stewart if I recollect.

Btw,

I still think Paige is a great player. But I have named 10 off the top of my head who were better. I am not sure how any Uconn fan can even argue with that list of players.

Taurasi not Taursi dammit

 

[meyers7]

Taurasi not Taursi dammit

Any relation to Dammit, Janet?

 

[MilfordHusky]

First off, it was not Geno’s decision. The Selection Committee made the decision, although it’s hard to imagine that they didn’t consult with Geno on what type of roster he was looking to assemble.

There was absolutely no payback involved. Parker had already played for Geno as a member of the 2012 Olympic team. By 2016 she was a 2x MVP in the W and a multiple allstar selection.

While Geno never expressed any animosity towards Parker, nor did he offer any insight into why she didn’t make the 2016 team, there were a number of concerns expressed behind the scenes. Parker was an absolute star in 2016. As meyers7 points out she played where she wanted to play, when she wanted to play. As such, she opted out of several FIBA World Championships for whatever reason.

As we all know, Geno is all about the team. There were rumors that during the 2012 Olympics Parker came off as a prima donna, clashing with Geno on several occasions.

Whether it was to give Tamika Catchings one last spot on the 2016 roster or to give Stewie her first of many, both were “team first” players who only cared about bringing home the gold medal. It should also be pointed out to those who felt it was a UConn-TN thing, that Catchings was a TN Vol who Geno absolutely loved.

Candace was a great player; however, she did not always play hard. In addition, she was a finesse player, and was averse to physical play. In 2012, Candace was unwilling and/or unable to get physical with Liz Cambage, who ate our lunch, as the Aussies took a halftime lead in the Olympic semi-finals. Fortunately, Liz tired out in the second half and was bodied effectively by Tina Charles and Asjha Jones. In the gold medal game, Candace was brilliant against the finesse-oriented French team. Fans remember the game against France, but not the game against Australia. Geno said something to the effect that Candace was great when she wanted to be, and he was glad that she decided to be against France.

 

[1974yankees]

Taurasi not Taursi dammit

Taursi, Taursi Taursi. Does that bother you so much that you have to curse?

Have you ever heard of predictive text? It's not like I spelled her name wrong on purpose. Geez...I didn't.

For the record I was never her biggest fan. I know that is probably sacrilegious to say such a thing here...But how many have 8 and 11 year olds who look up to these players?

If my 8 and 11 year old daughters were going to look up to someone then I prefer it to be someone like Maya. As it is now, I sometimes have to turn the volume down when watching games with them.

But that is my prerogative. (Ie: my right or my choice to make)

 

[1974yankees]

First off, it was not Geno’s decision. The Selection Committee made the decision, although it’s hard to imagine that they didn’t consult with Geno on what type of roster he was looking to assemble.

There was absolutely no payback involved. Parker had already played for Geno as a member of the 2012 Olympic team. By 2016 she was a 2x MVP in the W and a multiple allstar selection.

While Geno never expressed any animosity towards Parker, nor did he offer any insight into why she didn’t make the 2016 team, there were a number of concerns expressed behind the scenes. Parker was an absolute star in 2016. As meyers7 points out she played where she wanted to play, when she wanted to play. As such, she opted out of several FIBA World Championships for whatever reason.

As we all know, Geno is all about the team. There were rumors that during the 2012 Olympics Parker came off as a prima donna, clashing with Geno on several occasions.

Whether it was to give Tamika Catchings one last spot on the 2016 roster or to give Stewie her first of many, both were “team first” players who only cared about bringing home the gold medal. It should also be pointed out to those who felt it was a UConn-TN thing, that Catchings was a TN Vol who Geno absolutely loved.

"There was absolutely no payback involved"

I was being sarcastic.

And yes Parker was a star. I thought she was the best Tennessee player I ever saw..

 

[Cuango]

So Geno "would pick Paige out of that list"

Who is he cutting?

Lobo? Taursi? Maya? Tina? Stewart? Collier? Svetlana? Bird? Jefferson? Sales (his favorite player of all time)?

And Geno says a million things during the course of the day. He has called numerous players the "best"....

I remember not that long ago (and the threads are on this board) that he said Jana was going to be a star. I think he said something to the effect that Uconn fans are not going to believe how good she is....

There was even some talk that she was the next Stewart if I recollect.

Btw,

I still think Paige is a great player. But I have named 10 off the top of my head who were better. I am not sure how any Uconn fan can even argue with that list of players.

There is no chance that there are 10 players better than Paige in the UConn historical roster! I am completely gobsmacked at such a statement.
I suppose “to each his own” applies here but Paige certainly is (at minimum) one of the top five players that has ever played at UConn! Personally, I would put her in the top three (with a possible tie) but I’m willing to accept the top five.

 

[BfromCT]

In my last post in which I briefly discussed UConn’s Mt. Rushmore, I also wrote about six other players below the radar in all the discussions about the all-time Husky bests. I enjoyed reading all the comments. As the posts went on, the thought occurred to me, who were the greatest UConn players if seen from different five year intervals. So I decided to construct all-time great teams at every five year period from 1995 to 2025 composed of five players for each team. Here are my evaluations and I had a good deal of fun preparing each squad. I tried to avoid both the recentcy bias and championship bias. The bias, if there is one, is in the direction of scoring. As it turned out, the top four all-time scorers are on the final list. Fire away. This is just one person’s opinion.

As of 1995 - Laura Lishness, Kris Lamb, Kerry Bascomb, Meghan Pattyson, Rebecca Lobo

As of 2000 - Kerry Bascomb, Rebecca Lobo, Nykesha Sales, Jen Rizzotti, Kara Wolters

As of 2005 - Diana Taurasi, Rebecca Lobo, Nykesha Sales, Sue Bird, Kara Wolters

As of 2010 - Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Nykesha Sales, Rebecca Lobo

As of 2015 - Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Tina Charles, Nykesha Sales

As of 2020 - Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Nykesha Sales, Napheesa Collier

As of 2025 - Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers, Napheesa Collier

Note that this list does not include a number of great UConn All-Americans - Svetlana Abrosimova, Shea Ralph, Swin Cash, Renee Montgomery, Stephanie Dolson, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Moriah, Jefferson, or Katie Lou Samuelson.

 

[oldude]

"There was absolutely no payback involved"

I was being sarcastic.

And yes Parker was a star. I thought she was the best Tennessee player I ever saw..

Odd use of sarcasm considering that Parker played for Geno in 2012. Were you even aware that she was on the 2012 US team that won the gold medal in London?

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Reminds me of an infamous line from the movie "Jaws"... "You're gonna need a bigger boat!" That's where UCONN Women's Basketball is... "We're gonna need a Bigger Mountain." There are so many UCONN Greats...and frankly 4 spots just doesn't do justice to the talented women who played in Storrs ...and who improved their games while playing under Geno, Chris and so many other great Coaches.

We are spoiled!!!

 

[1974yankees]

Odd use of sarcasm considering that Parker played for Geno in 2012. Were you even aware that she was on the 2012 US team that won the gold medal in London?

Yes I am aware. I am also aware that Geno and whatever/U.S. advisors/staff/board members or whoever is in charge of picking/selecting a U.S. Olympic team was NOT going to leave Stewart off the team.

No matter who Parker is or how good she was. So she can complain in her book (or wherever she was complaining about it) all day long or until the cows come home.

On the other hand, and this is gonna most definitely be sacrilegious here: I didn't think it was OK to have a couple of 40 year olds (won't mention names) on the last U.S. team... Especially since they have been on that team for decades and some of the younger players (Like C.Clark) should have gotten a chance.

 

[oldude]

Yes I am aware. I am also aware that Geno and whatever/U.S. advisors/staff/board members or whoever is in charge of picking/selecting a U.S. Olympic team was NOT going to leave Stewart off the team.

No matter who Parker is or how good she was. So she can complain in her book (or wherever she was complaining about it) about all day long.

If you were aware that Parker was a member of the 2012 team, your sarcasm makes no sense, as there is no foundation for the remark, real or imagined.

 

[1974yankees]

If you were aware that Parker was a member of the 2012 team, your sarcasm makes no sense, as there is no foundation for the remark, real or imagined.

I said "Geno was paying Parker back because she won the player of the year award over Maya"...

That was sarcastic. It was a joke. Get ahold of yourself.Smile.

 

[DRBackup]

Those of us who have been following the Huskies for a long time (I started in 1994) have been blessed with seeing a number of exceptional players. The general consensus is that UConn’s Mt. Rushmore consists of four players - Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, and Paige Bueckers. To my view, Taurasi was the best leader, Moore the best all around player, Stewart the most unguardable, and Bueckers the best shooter.

We sometimes overlook, however, some of the other great players that the Huskies have been blessed with for the past thirty years. I think of six in particular - Rebecca Lobo, Nykesha Sales, Svetlana Abrosimova, Sue Bird, Tina Charles, and Napheesa Collier. Others will have different choices for their next top five or six.

Lest we forget, Rebecca Lobo was national player of the year, Nykesha Sales was an outstanding offensive and defensive player, no one who has ever seen Abrosimova play doubts her talent, Sue Bird was the best point guard in UConn history, Charles was arguably the best pure center, and the undersized Napheesa Collier was outstanding at both ends of the court. Go, for example, to replays from the 1997-98 season to see Sales and Abrosimova who was then just 17 in action. All six were all All-Americans and all, I think, selected for multiple years.

No other college team, not Tennessee, not Notre Dame, not Stanford, and not South Carolina has, thanks to superb scouting, excellent coaching, and player work ethic, produced such a roster of super stars and the above lists only scratches the surface of the outstanding athletes who have played at Storrs under Geno’s tenure. What a wonderful ride we have all had and we expect it to continue for as long as Geno and Chris Dailey coach the team.

There are more than 4. Sue Bird and Rebecca Lobo belong, for sure.

 

[DRBackup]

Yes I am aware. I am also aware that Geno and whatever/U.S. advisors/staff/board members or whoever is in charge of picking/selecting a U.S. Olympic team was NOT going to leave Stewart off the team.

No matter who Parker is or how good she was. So she can complain in her book (or wherever she was complaining about it) all day long or until the cows come home.

On the other hand, and this is gonna most definitely be sacrilegious here: I didn't think it was OK to have a couple of 40 year olds (won't mention names) on the last U.S. team... Especially since they have been on that team for decades and some of the younger players (Like C.Clark) should have gotten a chance.

One of those old 40 yo players' record for playing on 6 gold medal teams is unlikely to ever be matched, let alone broken. As if anyone doesn't know who you're talking about.

 

[DRBackup]

Lol. This argument about who should and should not be on "MT. Rushmore" is funny...

I would argue that Stewart/Maya are definitely on there.... If we are picking only 2... If we are picking 4 like the real mount Rushmore I think I would put Collier on that mountain..


At the end of her UConn career, Collier ranked 3rd in scoring, 4th in rebounds, and 7th in blocks. She ranks 4th in most consecutive starts at UConn, with 112, had 49 career double-doubles, and averaged a double-double (20.8/10.8) her senior season. She became the fifth player in the exclusive 2000/1000 club, joining UConn greats Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Breanna Stewart and Rebecca Lobo. Collier reached the 1000 rebound mark in the game against Louisville, and reached 2000 points in the very next game against Cincinnati.[13] She was a member of the 2016 Connecticut Huskies National Champion team and reached the Final Four in each of her four years at UConn. She received the Katrina McClain Award for Power Forward of the Year from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in her senior season. She was an AP 1st Team All-American in both her senior and sophomore seasons, and 2nd Team in her junior season. Collier has the most rebounds (411) in a season at UConn, and finished 2nd with most points in a season at 792 points, trailing only Maya Moore. As a duo, Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson scored the most points in UConn WBB history (4688), topping B. Stewart and M. Jefferson, two teammates from their freshman season.

I guess I would put Taursi as the 4th player...

But if we are picking 2 it's Stewart/Maya.....If we are picking 3 it's Stewart/Maya/Collier..... If it's 4 then it's Stewart/Maya/Collier/Taursi....

Eventually it will be Stewart/Maya/Collier/Sara...

I don't know how anyone could disagree. But everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

Why would I take Collier over Taursi? Because she was/is a complete player that had/has no weakness. As evidence by the mark she left at Uconn...

Even today she is probably the second best player in the world behind Stewart...

LOL!!! What Diana did with the supporting cast she had in 2003 and 2004 is more than any other player in UConn history did. The closest is probably Maya because there were only a couple players on her teams better than what Taurasi had - Tina Charles and Tiff Hayes. Stewart won 4 titles, but there are probably a dozen players across those 4 years that were better than anyone but Diana on the 2003 and 2004 teams.