In a most unusual spring without sports, there have been polls and brackets done regarding things we've thought about in passing. That includes Geno Auriemma and the 32 best players bracket for his UConn Women's Basketball Team. There is little doubt that the three best players to wear the Husky Blue and White are Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart. Many will take Stewart due to the fact she did what she said she would do, win four National Championships. However, the argument has been made why Taurasi is the proper choice...and I'll reinforce that argument as we profile Diana.
Fresh off the 2000 National Championship and a loaded roster coming back, the Huskies were the favorite to repeat as Champs...And then they add a highly touted freshman from Chino, California who was a two time State Player of the Year and was the unanimous National Player of the Year. Scoring over 3,000 points in her High School Career and played in the WBCA All America Game where she was named MVP...The next stop was Storrs and to play for Geno Auriemma.
As the 2000-01 season evolved, Taurasi's talents were rising and needed. 8 double figure games heading into a showdown at Tennessee. Scoring a then season high 24 in a 92-88 loss in which the Huskies lost All American Senior Svetlana Abrosimova to a season ending foot injury that moved Dee into the starting rotation for the remainder of the season. And come Big East Tournament time, she took her game to another level. 22, 17 and 14 games in wins over BC, Rutgers and Notre Dame...Add Shea Ralph's ACL injury in the final, and Taurasi was needed even more to help the talented junior class of Sue Bird, Tamika Williams, Asjha Jone and Swin Cash. Yes, Bird's end to end dash as the buzzer won the game against the Irish. But Taurasi was named the Tournament MOP..And she wasn't done, scoring 41 points in the Regionals against NC State and La Tech to vault the Huskies to a second straight Final Four. As DT was named the Regional MOP. Her first Final Four was a shooting nightmare, just 1-15 and 0-11 from three in a team, second half collapse against Notre Dame. Geno Auriemma had a heart felt talk on the bench with Dee...A freshman shouldn't be burdened with the loss...In a season where Dee was named to the Big East Rookie Team, she averaged 11 points per game, shot 39% from three and dolled out 109 assists...
2001-02 would be special for the program....As dominant a season as any team had had before in Women's CBB. A 39-0 National Championship year where the Huskies wouldn't have a game decided by less than 10 points. 31 double figure games that included a career high 32 at Tennessee where she punched that basket stanchion after a second half "and one." Seven additional 20+ point games and 22 more where she handed out at least 5 assists per game, including 12 in a late November game against Ball State. Her two highlight game in the NCAA Tournament, the Regional Final against Old Dominion, where Lady Monarch Coach Wendy Larry mentioned Dee was a defensive liability. Taurasi had 5 steals to go along with 22 points and seven assists. Then in the 82-70 National Championship win over Oklahoma, it was Taurasi who was asked to seal the deal when Auriemma drew up a one on one play for Taurasi, backing down her defender on a clearout, spun, took a power dribble and nailed a 10ft jumper as she fouled out Stacey Dales...15 points per game, a sophomore record 209 assists, 44% from three and 83% from the line...A 2002 Kodak All American, AP Second Team All American, 2002 All Big East First Team and All Tournament Team Selections....
The 2002-03 season now meant new roles for everyone, Taurasi included. No Seniors, a group of talented freshman coming in and role players with the 2002 team suddenly starting. Dee was suddenly the leader of the team. Yet Taurasi's greatest aspect was making her teammates better. The wins continued to mount, clutch shots in an OT win at home against Tennessee at the Civic Center included...Then going into Cameron Indoor Stadium and beating Top Ranked Duke to regain the #1 Ranking...The win streak overall went to 70 before a stunning loss to a veteran Villanova Team in the Big East Finals...Perhaps the best thing to happen to the Huskies...Wins over BU and TCU, where Taurasi put up 35 at Home before beating BC and Purdue in Dayton vaulted UConn to a fourth straight Final Four in Atlanta...Where Taurasi scored 26 as UConn stole a two point win over Texas to give Geno Auriemma career win #500. Followed up with 28 against Tennessee in the Championship Game to earn Final Four MOP Honors...Taurasi, who averaged 18ppg, dished out 161 assists and shot 35% from three was named Big East POY, a first Team All American and Unanimous National Player of the Year in carrying the Huskies to a stunning 2nd consecutive Title...
The 2003-04 season would be hard on Taurasi and the Huskies...The expectations mounted as did the pressure where in Geno's book, he said he almost "broke" Dee...Yes, they won the Big East, but the first Big East Tournament in Hartford saw UConn lose in the Semi's to eventual Champ BC...To the NCAA's and Dee picked up her game 18p-9a against Penn followed by 27 against Auburn....Hartford hosted a regional...21 against UC-Santa Barbara and 27 in the Regional Final against Penn State to send the Huskies to another Final Four...The program's fifth straight...Where she led the Huskies with 18 over Lindsay Whalen and Minnesota, then one last time, helped slay Tennessee with 17 to again win Final Four MOP and a third straight National Championship..Mind you, the 03' and 04' Titles, only Taurasi was a All American. Moore and Stewart had one, maybe more All American Teammates in their Championship runs...
Another First Team All Big East and First Team All America selection..a second straight Naismith POY and Lieberman Award winner as the Nation's Best Point Guard averaging 16 ppg and handing out 170 assists...Her career numbers, 2,156 points (9th) 39% from three, 318 made...648 assists (2nd) and a career 82% free throw shooter. And the #1 overall pick by Phoenix in the WNBA Draft, where the rest is history...
A 3x WNBA Champion, 2009 League MVP, a 9x All Star...4 Olympic Gold's and looking for a 5th in 2021...6x Euroleague Titles, 7x Russian National League Titles, a Turkish League Champ..One of the 15 greatest players in WNBA History who is now the league's All Time Leading Scorer....Her WNBA Career, like her good friend and former Teammate at UConn, Sue Bird, Dee has played in just one city...Phoenix..Where Penny Taylor was a teammate and in 2017, the couple married. Today Dee and Penny are parents of a son, Leo.
In a program that has produced All Americans, National Players of the Year, WNBA Draft Picks and National Champions...UConn had Diana Taurasi and the others didn't....The great #3 and a UConn Legend...THE G-O-A-T, Diana Taurasi..