UConn All-Time Greatest

[Skeets]

DT put the entire team on her back and with no seniors carried them to an NC. Who ever heard of winning an NC with no seniors? It was the most audacious demonstration in the storied UConn history. That plus all her other accomplishments makes DT my GOAT.

Stewie had great numbers and Maya was a great athlete. That's why they are also up on the mountain.

 

[browns]

I feel like if you picked a single GOAT, based upon college years only, it has to be Stewie. Take a look at the partial list of college accomplishments below:

View attachment 111189

Would Stewie won all those awards if she didn't play with Mojo and T uck

 

[browns]

Agree

DT put the entire team on her back and with no seniors carried them to an NC. Who ever heard of winning an NC with no seniors? It was the most audacious demonstration in the storied UConn history. That plus all her other accomplishments makes DT my GOAT.

Stewie had great numbers and Maya was a great athlete. That's why they are also up on the mountain.

Agree 100 %..plus Stewie had Mojo and Tuck and Maya couldn't win her 3rd Naty after Tina left

 

[CL82]

Would Stewie won all those awards if she didn't play with Mojo and T uck

You mean if she had been forced to play her college career three on five? Well, it would be considerably less likely.

 

[hoopsdiva]

Geno will never let that record be broken for whatever reason. Kind of cheapens it TBH.

And if Geno let a player stay in a blowout game just to break a record, and that player got injured? Better to protect the athletes than the records.

 

[oldude]

Geno will never let that record be broken for whatever reason. Kind of cheapens it TBH.

I think the last thing Geno is thinking about when he’s on the sideline coaching is how many points a player has and whether or not they might be in line to break a record. If it happens. It happens.

The only possible exception I am aware of in all my many years watching UConn WBB was a regular season game where Gabby was very close to a triple double, needing one more assist to achieve it. It had only been done once before in UConn’s history.

Late in the 4th qtr, I believe Gabby passed to Natalie Butler, who hit a short baseline shot for Gabby’s 10th assist. The UConn bench went wild. Gabby was thoroughly confused, having no idea she was chasing a triple double. Geno just smiled and subbed Gabby out of the game at the next stoppage of play.

There was also the game against Villanova when Geno and the Villanova HC set up a predetermined exchange of baskets at the start of the game so that injured Nykesha Sales could get her 2000th career point. But that would be the opposite of pulling a player out of a game so they don’t set a record.

 

[Zanzman]

I think the last thing Geno is thinking about when he’s on the sideline coaching is how many points a player has and whether or not they might be in line to break a record. If it happens. It happens.

The only possible exception I am aware of in all my many years watching UConn WBB was a regular season game where Gabby was very close to a triple double, needing one more assist to achieve it. It had only been done once before in UConn’s history.

Late in the 4th qtr, I believe Gabby passed to Natalie Butler, who hit a short baseline shot for Gabby’s 10th assist. The UConn bench went wild. Gabby was thoroughly confused, having no idea she was chasing a triple double. Geno just smiled and subbed Gabby out of the game at the next stoppage of play.

There was also the game against Villanova when Geno and the Villanova HC set up a predetermined exchange of baskets at the start of the game so that injured Nykesha Sales could get her 2000th career point. But that would be the opposite of pulling a player out of a game so they don’t set a record.

Sales didnt score her 2000 point 2178 She scored a basket to pass kerry bascom for all time UConn leadimg scorer

 

[MilfordHusky]

Don't forget, Renee Montgomery was a big part of that team with Maya and Tina.

For 2009, but not 2010.

 

[Bigpetunia]

Ahhh, Tina...if perchance you are reading this, fret not! Some of us know.

 

[browns]

You mean if she had been forced to play her college career three on five? Well, it would be considerably less likely.

Point being Stewie was the best player in the nation and Tuck the best power forward while Mojo was the best point guard..pretty tough to beat a team that has 3 of the best players in the nation

 

[Suebird10fan]

Is it too early to add Sarah Strong to this conversation? 🤔

No

 

[JellyBean]

Stewie, Maya, and DT are the GOATs of UConn WBB.

 

[hoophuskee]

DT put the entire team on her back and with no seniors carried them to an NC. Who ever heard of winning an NC with no seniors? It was the most audacious demonstration in the storied UConn history. That plus all her other accomplishments makes DT my GOAT.

Stewie had great numbers and Maya was a great athlete. That's why they are also up on the mountain.

I love DT but I go with Stewie. All our preferences as to who we like show. For me why I don't use 02-03 and 03-04 to put DT over Stewie is when DT won it all, the team she beat Tenn, the 2nd leading scorer on the team was 2nd team All-American Kara Lawson. At best Lawson would have been the 5th starter on UCONN's Stewie-led title teams for Stewie's soph - sr years. So while others say Stewie had a lot, I also say DT's competition wasn't that much. .

And as a fresman we know DT had a much better reg season and we know with Stewie it was the opposite. It's all preferences.

 

[maple]

Would Stewie won all those awards if she didn't play with Mojo and T uck

We can never know. Would people perceive DT's accomplishments as meaning more or less if she'd had two other stars on the team like Stewart had? Does Stewart's mean more or less? I'm asking facetiously, of course; you can only play with the team you have at any given time in the ever shifting landscape of WBB -- and both of them excelled at it.

 

[Lurker]

Ahhh, Tina...if perchance you are reading this, fret not! Some of us know.

If Tina isn't in it, it's NOT a conversation about all time greats!!!!

 

[fomalhaut]

Re: Stewart

She is the best women's player of all-time. But lets not get carried away lol because Michael Jordan is the best basketball player that ever lived. (Maybe even the best athlete in any sport) For real. (And I am a Celtics fan saying this)

Disagree. There's never been a basketball player like Wilt Chamberlain. And Jordan isn't even close to Babe Ruth or Wayne Gretzky.

 

[1974yankees]

Disagree. There's never been a basketball player like Wilt Chamberlain. And Jordan isn't even close to Babe Ruth or Wayne Gretzky.

Didn't Russell win 11 championships compared to Wilt winning 2?

Yeah Babe Ruth was great but I wouldn't consider him to be a superior athlete. Too many 🌭 (hotdogs) between innings from what I have heard.

Can't comment on Gretzky because I have never watched a hockey game in my life.

But from my own experience, I have never seen anyone in any sport comparable to Michael Jordan. (I might put Bo Jackson second as far as athleticism goes)

Also, even though Muhammad Ali was way before my time, I have seen enough videos of him to realize how unique he was too...

But I have to go with Jordan..

Btw,

There was an old Special addition SI magazine that had the top 100 athletes who ever lived. They put the top 3 in a special ELITE category separate from the other 97...

Their top 3

1. Ali
2. Jordan
3. Ruth

I still have this magazine. They also factored in their contributions to society as well though. (Ie: icon status)

 

[HopJim]

Subject: UConn All-Time Greats



I posted a variation of this message on June 26 on the subject of Mt. Rushmore and Beyond, but it got lost as the string was losing momentum and going on to other subjects. It had occurred to me that it would be an interesting exercise to rate the top five players at five year intervals from 1995 to the present and I enjoyed preparing the lists. I tried to avoid both the recency bias and championship bias. In addition, these ratings are based solely on their college performances not on subsequent pro careers and the players chosen must had to have completed their college careers. The bias, if there is one, happens to be in the direction of scoring, something that I only realized in retrospect. There is a general consensus on the top four, yet a number of wonderful players could fill the fifth spot. My choice happens to be Nykesha Sales, yet strong cases could be made for others, like Napheesa Collier and Tina Charles.

As of 1995 - Laura Lishness, Kris Lamb, Kerry Bascomb, Meghan Pattyson, Rebecca Lobo

As of 2000 - Kerry Bascomb, Rebecca Lobo, Nykesha Sales, Jen Rizzotti, Kara Wolters

As of 2005 - Diana Taurasi, Rebecca Lobo, Nykesha Sales, Sue Bird, Kara Wolters

As of 2010 - Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Nykesha Sales, Rebecca Lobo

As of 2015 - Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Tina Charles, Nykesha Sales

As of 2020 - Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Nykesha Sales, Napheesa Collier

As of 2025 - Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers, Nykesha Sales

Note that this list does not include even a single listing for a number of great UConn All-Americans - Svetlana Abrosimova, Shea Ralph, Swin Cash, Renee Montgomery, Stephanie Dolson, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Moriah Jefferson, Gabby Williams, and Katie Lou Samuelson.

If a list as of 2025 was based solely on professional careers, it would be Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, and either Napheesa Collier or Tina Charles.

Nice to see Kara Walters mentioned. While she was not as flashy as some in the pros, in her day she was a totally DOMINATE center. Few can say they were college Champion, WNBA Champion, and AP National Player of the Year. While rightly so, Lobo gets accolades for what she accomplished early in UConn dynasty, too many forget or never knew of the championships Kara had her fingerprints on.

 

[Kaizen]

My all time top 3,
1. Maya Moore
2. DT
3. Breanna Stewart