1. Nykesha Sales - None of the great UConn players gets as little respect, as little recognition or their contributions to the program, or took more heat(the head coach inspired scoring record gesture) than Ms Sales. In my opinion, the single most important recruit in UConn WBB history and still one of its all time best players.
2. Mel Thomas and Sue Bird. Not because of their play but the extraordinary lengths to which they both went to improve their respective games and put themselves in position to be recruited by a top D1 program.
Mel Thomas, a Cincinnati resident, played her summer AAU ball in Columbus, an hour and a half away, with an all black team; Spending weekends sleeping in a basement with the other members of the team to do so; Barbara Turner, a rival high school player and AAU teammate suggested to Ms Thomas that she try out for the team. How many kids in Ms Thomas's position have ever been known to do anything similar?
Sue Bird from Syosset NY, realized that she would need better competition to improve her chances/game and made the decision to attend Christ The King High School in Queens; A distance of no more than 30 miles but a tough commute on the best days; There has to be at least 15 or more public school districts between Syosset and Middle Village; and certainly no guarantee of playing time in a top high school program(although it can be assumed that she had evaluated her competition).