The AP list of the 25 greatest women's college basketball players of the last 50 yrs

[FanSince17]

The 2023-2024 team? I'm sorry but how exactly was that roster undermanned?

Come on now. 2023-2024 suited 7, right, including Q and Ice. I love that team. There's a clip on Youtube of the last 4 minutes in the Final Four game vs. Iowa. We were down 7 with 4 minutes to go and 6 with 1 minute to go. Clutch plays! There was a row of UConn players in dark blue sweat suits on the bench, including Azzi, Carol, Yanna.
2022-2023 ended with a loss to Ohio State. McMahon and Sheldon had big games. We were missing #5. Ouch 2021-2022 was a loss to SC in the final game, with Azzi throwing up in the locker room among other issues. Paige's 2nd year.
Injuries and maladies have been the theme throughout.
Please clarify!

 

[cancontent]

Come on now. 2023-2024 suited 7, right, including Q and Ice. I love that team. There's a clip on Youtube of the last 4 minutes in the Final Four game vs. Iowa. We were down 7 with 4 minutes to go and 6 with 1 minute to go. Clutch plays! There was a row of UConn players in dark blue sweat suits on the bench, including Azzi, Carol, Yanna.
2022-2023 ended with a loss to Ohio State. McMahon and Sheldon had big games. We were missing #5. Ouch 2021-2022 was a loss to SC in the final game, with Azzi throwing up in the locker room among other issues. Paige's 2nd year.
Injuries and maladies have been the theme throughout.
Please clarify!

That's why I wanted to understand the undermanned question. I initially thought you were referring to the 2022-2023 roster. Yes, the 2023-2024 roster was shorter, but with who they still had including Edwards and Muhl, they were more than capable of challenging anyone and made the Final Four.

If Iowa didn't have Clark due to injuries could you see those rosters making a Final Four? I highly doubt it. Heck, I'm not sure how far they would have made it to or through a tournament in general without Clark on their roster during her entire career there.

 

[FanSince17]

That's why I wanted to understand the undermanned question. I initially thought you were referring to the 2022-2023 roster. Yes, the 2023-2024 roster was shorter, but with who they still had including Edwards and Muhl, they were more than capable of challenging anyone and made the Final Four.

If Iowa didn't have Clark due to injuries could you see those rosters making a Final Four? I highly doubt it. Heck, I'm not sure how far they would have made it to or through a tournament in general without Clark on their roster during her entire career there.

I would like to give you my Youtube password, so you can rewatch some games from the 2023-2024 season. (just kidding, you don't need a password)
I even initiated a thread imploring people to watch the Elite 8 game with USC in 2023-2024. (nobody was moved enough to rewatch it) How he pulled that team together IMO was incredible. Edwards was their post. 6'3". USC had a healthy JuJu. If anyone is remotely worried about Ash or KK, watch those games. They were ridiculously solid, almost impeccable. For those Nika naysayers, watch these 2 games. She was a rock. With 2 or 3 subs, he could have pressed.
Again, rewatch Iowa vs. UConn and SC in 2023-2024. That Iowa team was stacked. Best team they ever had. (ever will have?) There's a clip on youtube: last 4 minutes UConn vs Iowa. Clark was invisible. Hey Nika, what flavor was she? spearmint. She missed a FT, might have been on purpose. Kate Martin's exploits won that game. Period. End of story. People have seen her validate that performance in the W.
One more point: 2023-2024 UConn led to 2024-2025. That lockdown, connected defense started there. I told a friend, in February or so, that the only way UConn could go deep in March was to get hot shooting. I was wrong. They ended up standing toe-toe with anyone they faced because of that defense, that toughness. Like Sugar Ray Leonard standing in the center of the ring with Marvin Hagler. I'm not running around the ring. Let's box and punch and see who is left standing.

 

[cancontent]

I would like to give you my Youtube password, so you can rewatch some games from the 2023-2024 season. (just kidding, you don't need a password)
I even initiated a thread imploring people to watch the Elite 8 game with USC in 2023-2024. (nobody was moved enough to rewatch it) How he pulled that team together IMO was incredible. Edwards was their post. 6'3". USC had a healthy JuJu. If anyone is remotely worried about Ash or KK, watch those games. They were ridiculously solid, almost impeccable. For those Nika naysayers, watch these 2 games. She was a rock. With 2 or 3 subs, he could have pressed.
Again, rewatch Iowa vs. UConn and SC in 2023-2024. That Iowa team was stacked. Best team they ever had. (ever will have?) There's a clip on youtube: last 4 minutes UConn vs Iowa. Clark was invisible. Hey Nika, what flavor was she? spearmint. She missed a FT, might have been on purpose. Kate Martin's exploits won that game. Period. End of story. People have seen her validate that performance in the W.
One more point: 2023-2024 UConn led to 2024-2025. That lockdown, connected defense started there. I told a friend, in February or so, that the only way UConn could go deep in March was to get hot shooting. I was wrong. They ended up standing toe-toe with anyone they faced because of that defense, that toughness. Like Sugar Ray Leonard standing in the center of the ring with Marvin Hagler. I'm not running around the ring. Let's box and punch and see who is left standing.

Iowa team was stacked? Yes, they had solid players, but I wouldn't consider them stacked. With the exception of Stuelke, Iowa was a team that relied on their veterans. UConn was able to bring in Shade and Arnold to take over when they lost Fudd and others. Iowa would not have been if they lost theirs.

Guard play was key for Iowa to be successful. Who on that roster would have been their point guard without Clark? Davis was solid, but not enough for UConn to dedicate Muhl against for majority of the game. Could say the same for Martin as well. Marshall was a streaky shooter and you couldn't rely on her to be the ball handler. I just don't see Iowa being anything like they were those last two seasons without Clark.

 

[MSGRET]

Last year Paige won the Wade Trophy she was denied as a freshman.

The only reason why Paige didn't win the Wade Trophy was at the time Freshman were not eligible to win it. If I remember correctly they changed it the following year after all of the hoopla of her not getting it.

 

[PvP]

That should be 42.3% for Bueckers.

My error, thanks for picking that up.

 

[1974yankees]

Come on now. 2023-2024 suited 7, right, including Q and Ice. I love that team. There's a clip on Youtube of the last 4 minutes in the Final Four game vs. Iowa. We were down 7 with 4 minutes to go and 6 with 1 minute to go. Clutch plays! There was a row of UConn players in dark blue sweat suits on the bench, including Azzi, Carol, Yanna.
2022-2023 ended with a loss to Ohio State. McMahon and Sheldon had big games. We were missing #5. Ouch 2021-2022 was a loss to SC in the final game, with Azzi throwing up in the locker room among other issues. Paige's 2nd year.
Injuries and maladies have been the theme throughout.
Please clarify!

I agree with this and would like to mention one more thing regarding the 2023-2024 team being unmanned. Specifically against Iowa in the final four.

We are forgetting Iowa/Clark had the benefit of 3 more players. (The Refs) Especially on the last play of the game.

In the end, Uconn got shafted (with several NBA players yelling about this injustice)

And the NCAA and television networks got what they wanted. Clark in the championship game. All at Uconns expense.

Of course South Carolina humiliated Iowa/Clark but at least the network and NCAA made a bundle.

 

[FanSince17]

I agree with this and would like to mention one more thing regarding the 2023-2024 team being unmanned. Specifically against Iowa in the final four.

We are forgetting Iowa/Clark had the benefit of 3 more players. (The Refs) Especially on the last play of the game.

In the end, Uconn got shafted (with several NBA players yelling about this injustice)

And the NCAA and television networks got what they wanted. Clark in the championship game. All at Uconns expense.

Of course South Carolina humiliated Iowa/Clark but at least the network and NCAA made a bundle.

They were dogs as the kids say! They may have had something for SC. SC hadn’t played anyone as locked in as UConn was.
Remember KK kind of posting up and breaking out mad post moves for an easy layup, and the steal at the end.
KK is gunna be major this year. Ash and KK have been in these situations two years. They were savvy players by the end of their first year and before that.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

In her time I loved Bird, but she didn't win a single game. 5 have to be out there at all times. Sue does not come close to the total game that Paige possesses.

PS 10/20: This is perhaps the only thing I agree with Dawn Staley on. Dawn thinks Paige is the most elite player to ever grace the women's game.

 

[FanSince17]

What a crappy job IMO. This was AP.
Do people remember "The NBA at 50". What a great tribute. 50 players all listed together, right? There was a brilliant documentary package narrated by Denzel that came out around this happening. The Bird-Magic section is unbelievable. What a celebration. No 1st or 2nd teams, blah blah blah. If I was in charge of this, if I had to print a list and Maya Moore had to be anything but first team ever, I would throw it in the garbage. Like not having Jim Brown as your running back. Come on folks, commonsense. How do you mess up something like this? Same regarding Cheryl Miller. Funny how nobody ever lists Bill Russell as the GOAT.

 

[1974yankees]

What a crappy job IMO. This was AP.
Do people remember "The NBA at 50". What a great tribute. 50 players all listed together, right? There was a brilliant documentary package narrated by Denzel that came out around this happening. The Bird-Magic section is unbelievable. What a celebration. No 1st or 2nd teams, blah blah blah. If I was in charge of this, if I had to print a list and Maya Moore had to be anything but first team ever, I would throw it in the garbage. Like not having Jim Brown as your running back. Come on folks, commonsense. How do you mess up something like this? Same regarding Cheryl Miller. Funny how nobody ever lists Bill Russell as the GOAT.

You are right on the money...

I liked the "it's like not having Jim Brown as your running back by not picking Maya"

I also heard nothing but great things about Cheryl Miller too. Isn't she sort of the Babe Ruth of Women's basketball..

 

[fomalhaut]

UConn players are not just judged on scoring points. Bueckers has a National Championship which Clark does not. No team was more undermanned than UConn in '24. in a Championship game.

By underpowered I meant that Iowa was not overall as talented as South Carolina, Connecticut, or even LSU. I wasn't referring to being short of players. The championship teams of 2003 and 2004 I would also call underpowered.

 

[Cuango]

I love Paige! She is and will always be one of the “Rushmore” players at UConn. However, Clark was/is also great and any comparison of the respective teams around both has to end with the conclusion that Paige had (always) the better team around her. Yes, we had major ill fortune with
injuries for about four years but even so, the quality of players around Paige was clearly superior.

Obviously, I am and always will be a Paige man but that doesn’t mean I can’t acknowledge Clark’s incredible career and achievements. Trying to compare them however, is simply impossible. They are both generational players whose respective playing environments were so different that they really defy comparison. Clearly, the WNBA has hit the jackpot with these two players and hopefully, will recognize their good fortune and treat them both as the potential Magic/Bird combination for the women’s game that they clearly could be!