The Best Uconn Women's Basketball Team Ever

[60'sfan]

When Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Morgan Tuck return, could we be looking at the best women's team at Uconn ever? All nine scholarship players would start for almost any other program.

The competition would be the 2008/9 team that went 39-0 and featured Tina Charles, Renee Montgomery, Maya Moore, Kalana Greene, Carolina Doty and Tiffany Hayes.

Plus the 2001/2 team that also went 39-0 and featured Swin Cash, Tamika Williams, Asjha Jones, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.

Plus the 1994/5 team that went 35-0 and featured Rebecca Lobo, Jennifer Rizzotti, Nykesha Sales, Kara Wolters and Jamelle Elliott.

Interestingly, the most talented team ever may have been the 2000/1 team that had all of the players from the 2002 team except for Diana, but also had Shea Ralph and Svetlana Abrosimova. That team came up short due to injuries.

 

[EricLA]

I think it's going to be very difficult for a team to ever be as good as the team that had Swin, Tamika, Asjha, Sue and DT. But not withstanding injuries, I'd say among the best teams ever was Diana's freshman year...

Sveta, Schuey, Swin, Sue, Ashja, Tamika, Diana. That was the core 7. 5 of those players have been Olympians.

 

[blackbird]

I think we could argue it's the deepest.

But the best starting five, to me, will probably always be Sue, Diana, Asjha, Tamika, and Swin. (I mean really, that backcourt is the Olympic backcourt..)

 

[Icebear]

We have ten scholarship players. Polly's scholarship has been reallocated to women's basketball as required under NCAA rules.

 

[meyers7]

We have ten scholarship players.

Technically.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Not technically at all. I doubt if there is an asterisk involved. I'm sure Auriemma was fully aware that she would end up getting a basketball scholarship.

 

[EricLA]

We have ten scholarship players. Polly's scholarship has been reallocated to women's basketball as required under NCAA rules.

So would one still consider her a "walk on"?

 

[Icebear]

So would one still consider her a "walk on"?

I would say, yes, being a walk on is technically how you get on the team recruited vs a walk on, not whether you end up with a scholarship.

 

[pvdoggy]

I think it's going to be very difficult for a team to ever be as good as the team that had Swin, Tamika, Asjha, Sue and DT. But not withstanding injuries, I'd say among the best teams ever was Diana's freshman year...

Sveta, Schuey, Swin, Sue, Ashja, Tamika, Diana. That was the core 7. 5 of those players have been Olympians.

Being a relatively new Uconn WBB fan, I never get to watch those previous teams but after watching all the national
championship games available on Youtube, it seems to me like the 2003/2004 team, while not as talented on paper,
played the best as a team in the NC game both year. The 2001 team probably has the most talent but that NC game
was a bit messy, same with the Maya Moore's era NC game.

I have no tie/association with Uconn but became a Uconn WBB fan purely because of the excellence of the program.

 

[meyers7]

Not technically at all.

Yes, absolutely technically. Technically if you have a scholarship you are a scholarship player. However, when talking of scholarship players vs walk-ons, scholarship players are ones the coaches went out and recruited and offered scholarships to. Walk-ons are walk-ons even if they eventually are given (or in this case came with) a scholarship.

 

[Old Jim]

Going back to tje original thread, I believe the 2000-01 team with Shea Ralph, Svetlana Abrasimova, Kelly Schumacher, Swin Cash, Tamika Williams, Asjha Jones, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi had to be the best. IMO if it wasn't for the injuries to Shea & Svetlana we could have been looking at 5 NC's in a row. In the semi-final game when Sue and Diana couldn't hit a shot and Notre Dame packed the lane Shea and Svetlana weren' there to bail them out with the drive and kick to the open shooter.

 

[Icebear]

Yes, absolutely technically. Technically if you have a scholarship you are a scholarship player. However, when talking of scholarship players vs walk-ons, scholarship players are ones the coaches went out and recruited and offered scholarships to. Walk-ons are walk-ons even if they eventually are given (or in this case came with) a scholarship.

But she already had a scholarship not because a coach gave it to her to be nice. She earned it as a track athlete. Geno accepted her knowing that she came with a scholarship obligation. Nothing technical. He could have said, "No, we can't do that."

 

[UcMiami]

I have always thought the 2000-1 team was the most talented up until the two injuries - Shea, Svet, Sue, Swin, Asjha, Tamika, and Diana plus: Kelly Schumacher, Ashley Battle, Maria Conlin, Kennitra Johnson, Morgan Valley, Marci Czel, and Christine Rigby. I know some of those folks had yet to fully develop into the finished product but ... talk about a pipeline. If either Svet or Shea had not gotten injured I think they would have won it all - even with both injured it took a furious comeback by ND in the FF and Diana having probably her worst game ever at Uconn to knock them out.
2002 as far as NCAA champions is probably the best ever though Tina, Maya, and Rene formed a devastating trio but I think 2002 went 5 deep as starters and a solid and long bench.

 

[msf22b]

If 3.5 of our girls go off tonight and we score 90
The object of this thread may swing to this group.
Not saying it's gonna happen.
But it might.

 

[UcMiami]

But she already had a scholarship not because a coach gave it to her to be nice. She earned it as a track athlete. Geno accepted her knowing that she came with a scholarship obligation. Nothing technical. He could have said, "No, we can't do that."

But I do wonder if he treated her the way he did Fernandez - saying ... I can afford the scholarship this year but I cannot guarantee that I will have it available next year or for your senior year - I believe I will, but no guarantee.
I have never had a problem with coaches doing that, though I think this is a slightly different case than the non-scholarship walk-on.

 

[Icebear]

But I do wonder if he treated her the way he did Fernandez - saying ... I can afford the scholarship this year but I cannot guarantee that I will have it available next year or for your senior year - I believe I will, but no guarantee.
I have never had a problem with coaches doing that, though I think this is a slightly different case than the non-scholarship walk-on.

Yes, very different.

 

[wire chief]

You can call her one or the other, but the pudding is how Geno will use her.

 

[meyers7]

But she already had a scholarship not because a coach gave it to her to be nice. She earned it as a track athlete. Geno accepted her knowing that she came with a scholarship obligation. Nothing technical. He could have said, "No, we can't do that."

What??????

Come one Ice, read the whole thing.

 

[chrissaran]

Who would have guarded Stewie from the other best teams?

 

[Suebird10fan]

I have always thought the 2000-1 team was the most talented up until the two injuries - Shea, Svet, Sue, Swin, Asjha, Tamika, and Diana plus: Kelly Schumacher, Ashley Battle, Maria Conlin, Kennitra Johnson, Morgan Valley, Marci Czel, and Christine Rigby. I know some of those folks had yet to fully develop into the finished product but ... talk about a pipeline. If either Svet or Shea had not gotten injured I think they would have won it all - even with both injured it took a furious comeback by ND in the FF and Diana having probably her worst game ever at Uconn to knock them out.
2002 as far as NCAA champions is probably the best ever though Tina, Maya, and Rene formed a devastating trio but I think 2002 went 5 deep as starters and a solid and long bench.

2002 did not have a great bench. JMo, Battle and Conlon iirc, but none of them had developed yet. Nothing to compare to a tuck or stokes.

 

[UcMiami]

2002 did not have a great bench. JMo, Battle and Conlon iirc, but none of them had developed yet. Nothing to compare to a tuck or stokes.

Yes but that starting five was four of the first six picks in the draft at the end of that year and Diana - As much as I love the current starters they do not compare to that quality from 1-5.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I think we could argue it's the deepest.

But the best starting five, to me, will probably always be Sue, Diana, Asjha, Tamika, and Swin. (I mean really, that backcourt is the Olympic backcourt..)

And the 2009 and 2010 teams will have two-thirds of the Olympic front court.

One way to look at it is in terms of Olympic gold medals:

Dee 3
Sue 3
Swin 2
Asjha 1

That's 9. They could easily finish with 11. That's insane. Who else has more than 3?

 

[UcMiami]

And the 2009 and 2010 teams will have two-thirds of the Olympic front court.

One way to look at it is in terms of Olympic gold medals:

Dee 3
Sue 3
Swin 2
Asjha 1

That's 9. They could easily finish with 11. That's insane. Who else has more than 3?

Well - 2001 has the same 9 plus didn't Svet win at least a bronze with Russia? And but for those damn knees, I think Shea might have been able to get a few as well.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Well - 2001 has the same 9 plus didn't Svet win at least a bronze with Russia? And but for those damn knees, I think Shea might have been able to get a few as well.

Yes, I think you're right on all.

 

[UcMiami]

Finally - what a treat to be able to have this debate every year and have so many teams be serious contenders! God, I like being a Uconn fan. Sort of like being a Celtics fan back in the sixties!