The Best of the Best

After her EPIC takedown of Michael Che during her surprise appearance on Weekend Update, you can add "has great comedic timing" to Caitlin Clark's list of skills!  Now, as she gets set to become the No. 1 pick of the Indiana Fever (which is a WNBA team, not an STD Michael Che gave to women at Purdue) and embark on her pro career, she'll have her chance to prove her critics wrong.  We'll also get to see how she stacks up against the best of the best in women's basketball.

Clark's career at Iowa was great.  There's no denying that.  It was transcendent.  There's no denying that, either.  It was arguably the most influential career for any women's college basketball player in history.  But was it the best?  That's an entirely different question.  And a much more complicated one.

She's the greatest scorer in college basketball history.  That much is obvious, and the stats back it up.  Clark had more points than anyone, man or woman, ever to play Division I basketball.  Yes, there was all the discussion about caveats, some of which was justified, some of which wasn't.  But being a great scorer alone doesn't necessarily make you the best.  So, I'd argue that while she's one of the best women's college players ever, she isn't the best.

Iowa made it to both the 2023 and 2024 National Championship Games, losing both.  Had they won, would that change my perception of where Clark's career ranks?  Perhaps.  Leading your team to a championship (or multiple championships) is a very important factor.  That's why I rank these players' careers (in no particular order) ahead of Caitlin Clark's:

Breanna Stewart: You're gonna see a lot of UConn players on this list.  There's an obvious reason for that.  And Stewie's right there at the top.  She played four years for the Huskies.  She won four championships and was Final Four Most Outstanding Player every time.  She was also the first three-time National Player of the Year.

Sue Bird: When Sue Bird arrived in Storrs, UConn had won only a single National title in 1994-95.  By the time she left, it was the start of a dynasty.  Bird was a sophomore on the 2000 National Championship team, then, after the Huskies lost in the 2001 Final Four, they wouldn't lose again for a long while.  The 2001-02 UConn team was one for the ages.  Bird was the National Player of the Year on a team that went 39-0 before moving on to the WNBA and passing the torch to...

Diana Taurasi: Taurasi picked up right where Bird left off.  She was a freshman on that 2000-01 team that lost to Notre Dame in the Final Four.  UConn went on to win the next three National Championships during what has since been referred to as the "Taurasi Era," including that incredible 2001-02 campaign.  Taurasi received back-to-back National Player of the Year nods in her junior and senior seasons.

Maya Moore: If ranking UConn's eras of dominance in order, it would probably go "Breanna Stewart Era," then "Maya Moore Era."  It's while they had Maya Moore that the Huskies went on their 90-game winning streak (which, it's crazy to think, is only the second-longest in program history!), including consecutive undefeated National Championships in 2008-09 and 2009-10.  The winning streak ended during the 2010-11 season, and they lost in the Final Four that year.  So, Moore had "only" two National titles to go along with her two National Player of the Year awards.

Tina Charles: It's easy to forget about Tina Charles (and Renee Montgomery, for that matter) because she was a teammate of Maya Moore.  But it's Charles who completes my all-time UConn starting five (joining the other four on this list).  She was the 2009-10 National Player of the Year and graduated as both UConn's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.  The Huskies won National Championships in her junior and senior years, going undefeated each time.

Candace Parker: Parker was hurt as a freshman, so she only played three years at Tennessee.  They were three damn good years!  In 2006-07, the Lady Vols won their first National Championship in a decade.  They repeated in 2007-08, the last title for the late, great Pat Summitt (as well as the program's most recent championship).  Parker was Final Four Most Outstanding Player both times and National Player of the Year in 2007-08.

Chamique Holdsclaw: Tennessee was a dynasty in the late 90s, becoming the first women's program ever to three-peat as National Champions.  Those just happened to come in Chamique Holdsclaw's first three years with the program (1996-98).  And that 1997-98 Tennessee team was one of the absolute best in history, going 39-0.  Holdsclaw was National Player of the Year that season, then won it again as a senior.

Cheryl Miller: The first NCAA-sponsored women's basketball tournament was in 1982.  It was won by Louisiana Tech.  USC, led by the great Cheryl Miller, won the next two.  She's much more than Reggie Miller's older sister.  She was the first women's basketball superstar of the NCAA era!  A four-time All-American, three-time National Player of the Year, two-time Final Four MVP, and still the third-leading rebounder in NCAA women's history.

Brittney Griner: As crazy as it sounds, Brittney Griner only won one National title at Baylor.  It's hard to believe because of how outstanding her college career was, but Baylor's only National Championship with Griner came during the dominant 2011-12 season.  Griner was National Player of the Year and Final Four MOP, as the Bears went 40-0.  She repeated as National Player of the Year the following season.

So, that leaves me with just one spot on my all-time women's college basketball Top 10.  With three players I want to include.  Which means that we're not looking at a Top 10 here.  We're looking at a Top 12.

One of those three is obviously Caitlin Clark.  What she's done is unmatched and simply too much to ignore.  Another is the woman whose team beat Iowa in the National Championship Game--South Carolina (and U.S. Olympic) coach Dawn Staley.  Staley's playing career at Virginia was actually very similar to Clark's.  She was a two-time National Player of the Year who led Virginia to three straight Final Fours...but no championships.

Finally, we've got Seimone Augustus.  She was there for the first three of LSU's five straight Final Fours in the mid-2000s.  They didn't win a title because they ran into three juggernauts from UConn (2004), Baylor (2005) and Maryland (2006), but Augustus was named National Player of the Year twice.  Sorry Angel Reese, but you're not LSU's all-time best player.  Seimone Augustus is.