Last week I gave you my choices for the men's All-Americans, and since I'm an equal opportunity college basketball fan, it's time to give the women their due. Now, there are only three spots available. Maya Moore and Brittany Griner are clearly so much better than everybody else that they really should create a separate category for the two of them. Anyway, there are four dominant teams in women's basketball, and UConn and Baylor are already taken care of. That leaves Stanford, Tennessee and everybody else. But while Stanford has two players that are worthy of All-American selections, Tennessee has a bunch of really good players. I don't think the Lady Vols have any All-Americans, though. But back to the point, here are my five selections, starting with the two obvious ones:
Maya Moore, Connecticut-The two-time reigning National Player of the Year, Moore looks like a lock to win her third. It's clear that she's the best player in the nation. Everyone gets that, but this year she made her case for best women's college player ever. (That contest would be between her, Diana Taurasi, Chamique Holdsclaw, Candice Parker and Cheryl Miller.) But back to this season. The numbers: 22.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 4.3 apg, 2.3 spg, 1.2 bpg, .538 FG, .386 3-pt, .878 FT. Point is, she's good. Yes, UConn lost a game this season--its third in her four years! So what? That snapped a 90-game winning streak, and they've won 19 straight since then. I think they rebounded nicely.
Brittany Griner, Baylor-Griner is primed to take over Moore's title as "Best Player In Women's College Basketball" next season. She almost had a triple-double when Baylor almost (and should've) beat UConn in November, and she single-handedly took them to the Final Four last season, when the Bears weren't anywhere near as good as they are this year. She's currently averaging 22.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. She's also second in the nation in blocks, averaging 4.5 per game. Griner's only a sophomore, but she's already second on the Big 12's all-time list with 357 career blocks.
Jeannette Pohlen, Stanford-There were really two choices from Stanford, and either one would be a good pick. But I'm going with Pohlen over Kayla Pedersen. (You could even include Nnemkadi Ogwumike and make the case that Stanford has three deserving players.) Pohlen's numbers don't kick you in the face like Moore's and Griner's, but she's put together a solid season with 15.8 points, 3.3 boards and 4.8 assists per game. She also drains 2.8 three-pointers per game and is shooting .432 from three-point range. But that's not why I'm giving her the nod. She was clearly the best player on the floor when Stanford beat UConn. That's why.
Jantel Lavender, Ohio State-The latest in a long line of great Ohio State post players (remember Jessica Davenport?), Lavender was just named MVP of the Big Ten Tournament for the third straight time. She was also the Big Ten Player of the Year...again. Ohio State had a bad year (by their standards), but it wasn't her fault. Lavender averaged a double-double (22.7 points, 10.9 rebounds) while playing 37.3 minutes per game. The Buckeyes underachieved all season, but are hosting the first two rounds of the tournament, which makes them dangerous. I wouldn't want to see Jantel Lavender in the tournament.
Amber Harris, Xavier-Xavier is the best team in the nation that nobody knows about. Amber Moore is Xavier's best player. She also averages a double-double (18.8 points, 10.3 rebounds), while also averaging 2.2 assists and 2.3 blocks. And she's shooting .516 from the field. Just like UConn, Xavier hasn't lost since playing Stanford. The Musketeers are 28-2 and playing the first two rounds at home. Look out in the tournament.
Harris's teammate Ta'Shia Phillips and the other two Stanford players could also have been considered, but they fall into that "Best of the Rest" category. Also included among the "Best of the Rest": Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot, Tennessee's Shekinna Stricklen, Duke's Karima Christmas, Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins, Texas A&M's Danielle Adams, Oklahoma's Danielle Robinson, and Courtney Hurt of VCU (who leads the nation in rebounding and is third in scoring).
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