Bird was not the best player on either of her NC teams. Those teams were loaded, Stiles on the other hand led a team of nobody's to the final four.Bird (2) was listed over Stiles (0).
Interesting as Bird was the best player in college basketball as a senior according to Wade, Honda and Naismith. And the best PG according to Lieberman for the third straight year.Bird was not the best player on either of her NC teams. Those teams were loaded, Stiles on the other hand led a team of nobody's to the final four.
Witherspoon averaged 8 points and 7 assists per game for her career. EDD average 26 points, 2 assists and 9 rebounds per game. Witherspoon was a great player, but not in the same class as EDD.Witherspoon (1) was listed over EDD (0).
The article was 'best players'. Playing on the best team does not make you the best player. I think players should at least be the best on their team in a year they won the Championship. Witherspoon can at least say that, Rizzotti was not the best player on 1995 Uconn team.National Championships appears to be the "tie breaker" in the ESPN article. Yes, teams win NC.
Bird was the best point guard, no doubt. While she may have been the best player, her Senior team was loaded with future NBA stars, including sophomore Taurasi, who scored as many points and had 5 assists/game vs Bird's 6. Swin Cash also had a strong year, Asjha Jones too. Bird was a media darling, which doesn't hurt who wins the awards. If I recall correctly, Uconn did not have a competitive game that year.Interesting as Bird was the best player in college basketball as a senior according to Wade, Honda and Naismith. And the best PG according to Lieberman for the third straight year.