The most underrated | The Boneyard

The most underrated

I say Kia Nurse but she was not underestimated by Geno. Considering he started her in 36 of 39 games in her freshman year. The UCONN fans went gaga over Gabby but not so much Kia. She was Gabby's roommate and friend but not the it girl. She was UCONN's John Stockton. Even Lou received more adulation from the fans. No one was disrespectful just not gushing except for a few perceptive fans. She was the rough and tumble hockey puck but no bright lights. Considering how successful she is at the professional level; she should have received more noteriety. She brought it every game.
 
SVCBeercats said:
I say Kia Nurse but she was not underestimated by Geno. Considering he started her in 36 of 39 games in her freshman year. The UCONN fans went gaga over Gabby but not so much Kia. She was Gabby's roommate and friend but not the it girl. She was UCONN's John Stockton. Even Lou received more adulation from the fans. No one was disrespectful just not gushing except for a few perceptive fans. She was the rough and tumble hockey puck but no bright lights. Considering how successful she is at the professional level; she should have received more noteriety. She brought it every game.
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You probably need to define what underrated and overrated means because anybody who was named the WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year can be considered underrated, I don't think.
 
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pvdoggy said:
You probably need to define what underrated and overrated means because anybody who was named the WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year can be considered underrated, I don't think.
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She wasn't an All-American tho. Now that's under rated!
 
But the point is that she was recognized on a national level, even if it was just on the defensive end.

Let's put some more parameters here. No All-American status (or honorable mention), National distinctions (i.e., Defensive Player of the Year, Fresh of the Year) or All-Conference awards. That to me is the definition of underrated.

For example, Krista Rappahahn at Stanford is one of the most underrated players for the Cardinal her senior year. She broke the school record for threes made as a senior (91)... and didn't get any recognition from the conference. Also played some pretty decent defense to boot. But everyone knew how important she was to the team and it's a shame they didn't make it to the Final Four her final year. But there are plenty of players like Rappahahn on every roster.
 
I think one of the most underappreciated players by Boneyarders is Kaleena. Perhaps Stewie and the Big 3 overshadowed her; perhaps her limited success at the pro level is a negative in people's minds. But she had a stellar college career. Kaleena led UConn in scoring for 2 seasons, was a 2-time All-American (probably 3 if not for injury), was arguably the greatest distance shooter ever when combining accuracy and volume, was a 3-time National Champion, and was one of the top scorers in NCAA tournament history. She set up the offense for 3 years by spreading the floor, so Stef, Stewie, and Morgan could go to work inside. When our greatest players are listed, K rarely makes the top 10.
 
Faris, Conlon, Strother and Moore are pretty good choices. Nurse didn’t make an all American team but she was a recognized player by the press. The previous ones were all players who filled their roles to perfection and made valuable contributions but didn’t get the spotlight
 
Sakibomb25 said:
But the point is that she was recognized on a national level, even if it was just on the defensive end.

Let's put some more parameters here. No All-American status (or honorable mention), National distinctions (i.e., Defensive Player of the Year, Fresh of the Year) or All-Conference awards. That to me is the definition of underrated.

For example, Krista Rappahahn at Stanford is one of the most underrated players for the Cardinal her senior year. She broke the school record for threes made as a senior (91)... and didn't get any recognition from the conference. Also played some pretty decent defense to boot. But everyone knew how important she was to the team and it's a shame they didn't make it to the Final Four her final year. But there are plenty of players like Rappahahn on every roster.
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And a Connecticut Native...
 
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Kaili McLaren is another post player like Kiah Stokes who came off the bench for her career.
Kelly Schumacher is another post who gets overlooked.
Feris of course but also Jes Moore, Strother, Conlon, Ashley Battle, Barb Turner, and Crockett from the 2003 and 2004 teams - everyone talks about how DT carried those teams and that when she graduated it 'fell apart', but those players were all integral to the championships.
 
Because she played before the birth of the UCONN dynasty it is without a doubt Kerry Bascom.
Bascom's Sophmore, Junior and Senior seasons in which she averaged 20+ PPG may have been the three best season run in UCONN history and comparable to Maya's & Stewie's last there season. Because it was before the birth of the dynasty and did not result in a championship Kerry always gets overlooked.
 
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CocoHusky said:
Because she played before the birth of the UCONN dynasty it is without a doubt it is Kerry Bascom.
Bascom's Sophmore, Junior and Senior seasons in which she averaged 20+ PPG may have been the three best season run in UCONN history and comparable to Maya's & Stewie's last there season. Because it was before the birth of the dynasty and did not result in a championship Kerry always get overlooked.
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I say you are likely correct. I confess to not seeing Bascom play since it was before the program exploded on the national scene. Plus there were fewer opportunities to see women’s basketball on TV at that time.
 
CocoHusky said:
Because she played before the birth of the UCONN dynasty it is without a doubt Kerry Bascom.
Bascom's Sophmore, Junior and Senior seasons in which she averaged 20+ PPG may have been the three best season run in UCONN history and comparable to Maya's & Stewie's last there season. Because it was before the birth of the dynasty and did not result in a championship Kerry always gets overlooked.
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Yep. Unfortunately this is one of the negatives about the passage of time. Great players become "Yea, didn't they play for?" or "I don't even know if they could make the team today." Kerry was probably, more so than the majority of players he later brought into the program, Geno's type of player.
 
Steelerone said:
Yep. Unfortunately this is one of the negatives about the passage of time. Great players become "Yea, didn't they play for?" or "I don't even know if they could make the team today." Kerry was probably, more so than the majority of players he later brought into the program, Geno's type of player.
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I find this statistical leap absolutely stunning by Bascom.
As a freshman Bascom attempted (3) three pointers and missed them all. Her overall FG% as a Freshman was 46.5%. As a sophomore she went from attempting 3 to attempting 126 three pointers at a 47.6% clip. Her overall FG% rose to 55.5%. Talk about a sophomore leap!
 
pvdoggy said:
You probably need to define what underrated and overrated means because anybody who was named the WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year can be considered underrated, I don't think.
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When is the WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year awarded? At year end! So throughout the year it is possible for fans to ignore her defensive prowess while gagaing over others offense and athleticism. It is possible. For every person there is a different definition for anything.
 
hoopsdiva said:
Kelly Faris.
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You did know this is underrated, not overrated .... Kelly Faris was quite good, particularly in her senior year where she finally seemed to develop into an offensive player but prior to that was primarily a hard nosed, exceptional defensive player but some people here seem to think of her at a level that she doesn't come close to, in my opinion. I feel she is one of the least underrated players that has ever played at UConn. Some people here have talked about her (erroneously) on the boneyard in the same breath as people like Maya and Shea and Sveta, basically super star type terms and she's UNDERRATED???????????
 
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Buzzyboy said:
You did know this is underrated, not overrated .... Kelly Faris was quite good, particularly in her senior year where she finally seemed to develop into an offensive player but prior to that was primarily a hard nosed, exceptional defensive player but some people here seem to think of her at a level that she doesn't come close to, in my opinion. I feel she is one of the least underrated players that has ever played at UConn. Some people here have talked about her (erroneously) on the boneyard in the same breath as people like Maya and Shea and Sveta, basically super star type terms and she's UNDERRATED???????????
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Well I can’t say I ever thought of her in the same way as those other players. No, Faris wasn’t the go to for points but she was very much a glue player every program needs. She wasn’t going to scare opponents with her shooting but she helped control the tempo as much as anyone when she was on the floor.
 
The kid who Geno said will never play a bad game at UCONN is underrated? I consider that pretty high praise, right up there with "I like my chances because I have Diana and they don't".
 
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I agree that the definition of "underrated" is unclear. If the definition is, "Who exceeded the coaches' expectations for her by the widest margin?", I would nominate Mel Thomas.
 
I remember a Geno interview where he stated that Maria Conlon was too small and she was slow. She was one of my favorites
 
I would say Kelly Schumacher. One of UConn's best shot-blockers of all-time. She was a defensive force & pitched in on the offensive end. I believe she still has the record for most blocked shots in a Final Four game - 9 in the 2000 Championship against Tenn. Also had a successful WNBA career.
 
If by underrated you go by less positive press than she deserved I could not pick one, same problem I had when thinking about a player most thwarted by injuries. Everyone has brought up good arguments for their own pick.

However, if by underrated you go by the most negative press that a person does not deserve, then I think Conlon stands out. Coincidentally, there was another UConn point guard around the same time getting the same treatment, Taliek Brown. Fortunately, both proved to be champions despite their "shortcomings."

Could you imagine the comments about Conlon these past four years if she was our point guard?
 
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