Though she’s only a junior, Baylor’s championship victory helped to solidify Brittney Griner’s place amongst the all-time greats to have played women’s collegiate basketball. Her domination in the paint and on the stat sheet speaks volumes, but to be great, you have to actually win titles and perform well in big games. Griner showed that she is capable of doing that.
Here are five women widely considered the best to ever do it.
Nancy Lieberman; Old Dominion, 1980
At age 17, Lieberman was named to the USA Basketball team roster. She would play for the team in the 1975 USA Women's Pan American Team, three years younger than the next youngest teammates. As a player at Old Dominion University, the Brooklynite set a school record for career assists (961) that still stands today.
Cheryl Miller; Southern California, 1986
At USC, Miller scored 3018 career points (fifth all-time in NCAA history). Her career rebounding mark of 1534 ranks her third all-time in NCAA history. She led the Trojans to a 112-20 record and NCAA titles in 1983 and 1984 and was named NCAA Tournament MVP both years.
Chamique Holdsclaw; Tennessee, 1998
In 1996, 1997 and 1998 at the University of Tennessee, Chamique helped to lead the Lady Vols to the NCAA's first ever three consecutive Women's Basketball Championships. The 1998 championship was Tennessee's first ever undefeated season at 39–0 and also set an NCAA record for the most wins ever in a season.
Diana Taurasi; UConn, 2004
Playing at the point and shooting guard positions, Taurasi led the University of Connecticut to three consecutive NCAA championships from 2002 through 2004. Leading up to the final championship, her coach, Geno Auriemma, declared his likelihood of winning with the claim, “We have Diana, and you don’t.”
Candace Parker; Tennessee, 2008
Playing for Tennessee, in a January 2007 away game against Alabama, Parker scored her 1000th career point. It was her 56th game, making her the fastest player in Lady Vol history to do so. In 2008, Parker led her team to their second straight NCAA women's title. She was named the MVP for the second consecutive tournament.
