I love seeing women’s basketball (and sports in general) getting so much attention right now. I thought this would be the perfect time to put together my dream team of UCONN Lady Huskies from over the years.
While there were some great players before 2004, I became a UCONN fan because of Diana Taurasi, so that’s where I’m starting. I also know that many women get super excited to talk about women holding head coach positions so they bypass UCONN, but Geno Auriemma has been coaching there since before I was born, and he has proven that he is nothing but a strong supporter of women and women’s sports by not taking his highly-sought-after abilities anywhere else.
So let’s get started!
DianaTaurasi (2001-2004)
As a kid, my dad tried to get me to watch more college basketball, but of course, I didn’t want to listen and instead took in the games of the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs in the late 90s and early 2000s. That was until I came across Diana Taurasi. Although, after getting scammed like $75 from an e-mail thing that I talked him into because I thought I could get a Diana Taurasi plaque, he might have wished I would’ve just stuck watching the NBA!
At 6’0’’ she doesn’t look super intimidating but she will make you pay on both ends of the court. Playing high school ball in California, Taurasi had her pick of colleges to attend but wanted to push herself and fuel her confidence by playing with and for the best. Her stat lines are crazy for both college and WNBA, she is a gold medalist, a 3x Collegiate National Champion, and 3x WNBA Champion, and she is still playing in 2024.
You’re welcome to check out her stat lines on ESPN, and WNBA, but you’ll probably get tired of reading before you take them all in.
Taurasi began changing the women’s game to help pave the way for all of the women who would step onto a basketball court after her. Her style of play, tenacity, confident attitude, and swagger showed young girls that women’s basketball was the place to be.
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Maya Moore (2007-2011)
If you want to learn how to play the game technically sound then you need to rewatch some videos of Maya Moore. While many people in today’s world know her more from quitting the WNBA to focus on social justice and then getting married, this Lawrenceville, Georgia native (actually born in Jefferson City, MO, but lived in Georgia through high school), was a tough defender and even more lethal offensive shooter.
She could shoot from all over the court, but also never hesitated to take the defender all the way to the basket. She had a 4-year career winning total of 150-4 and scored over 3,000 points on her way to two National Championships.
Moore would go on to be drafted #1 in 2011 by the Minnesota Lynx, where she played until 2023 when she officially retired from the game of basketball. She won 4 WNBA titles with the Lynx and is also a gold medalist from her time with Team USA.
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Breanna Stewart (2012-2016)
While Taurasi will always be my favorite UCONN Lady Husky, being a fan during the Breanna Stewart era was an amazing opportunity that I will always be grateful for. At 6’4’’ this long, lanky player from North Syracuse, NY looked innocent enough when she stepped onto the court, but it didn’t take very long after the ball was put into play to know that she meant business.
“Stewie” as she was fondly referred to by Coach Auriemma would lead her Huskies to 4 NCAA Championships in 4 years on her way to a 151-5 collegiate record. She was the ultimate threat leading her team in rebounds, points, assists, and blocked shots.
She is every coach’s dream and every opposing player’s worst nightmare. Her play wasn’t flashy or “Instagram-worthy” by today’s standards, but if you are a fan of the game of basketball and want to see it played efficiently at the highest level, Stewie is your girl. Her accolades continue to add up as her successful WNBA career continues. She has two WNBA championships under her belt along with numerous All-Star nominations and MVP awards.
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"There's always going to be a tendency to try to put the three of them in some sort of holy trinity because of their talent and impact on the program."
UConn coach Geno Auriemma on Moore, Stewart and Taurasi
Moriah Jefferson (2012-2016)
If you have watched UCONN Lady Husky basketball for very long you will see that Coach Auriemma is always on the lookout for a point guard that can make things happen with the weapons they have surrounding them. I was able to narrow it down to my top 3 (Renee Montgomery, Crystal Dangerfield, and Jefferson), but when it came down to it, Jefferson is the one I will always remember as making the right plays at the right time.
Out of Glenn Heights, TX, Jefferson standing at 5’6” could see the floor as though she was a 7” center. She could make plays happen when you thought there was no chance, and she utilized all of the players around her to create an unstoppable unit. A two-time Nancy Lieberman Award winner, Jefferson (@_bonnbonn on Instagram) knew her role and made everything look effortless.
Jefferson has had a successful WNBA career with several different teams, but she will always be treasured as a UCONN Lady Husky, and who I would want to see at point-guard any day of the week.
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Aaliyah Edwards (2020-2024)
UCONN has had some great players at the center, although they are most known for their shooting guards, this year’s current senior Aaliyah Edwards would be my dream team pick for the position. Out of Kingston, Canada, Edwards is most recognizable by her long purple and yellow braids that she has said she wears to honor the late Kobe Bryant, and she uses that Mamba mentality to power her way to the bucket and was most recently named as a 1st Team All-American.
The only thing she is missing that the others on the list have under their belts is that National Championship and she gets the opportunity to chase that this weekend. She has won several awards throughout her collegiate career, but her versatility is why I think she is the top center in the most recent UCONN era of players. She is a beast in the paint and can grab rebounds and make tough shots, but she is also a threat from the outside and makes the other team’s defenders have to come out and guard her. This opens up the opportunity to dribble and drive as well as find cutting teammates.
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Paige Bueckers (2020-2024)
Reigning from Edina, Minnesota, Paige Bueckers (aka Paige Buckets) has surely graced your newsfeed at some point over the last 4 years in one way or the other. Whether it was from UCONN fans super excited to see her commit back in 2020 where she would take multiple player-of-the-year honors and lead her team in assists, points, steals and 3-point baskets made. Husky fans could see the glory days coming back and were so excited about the potential this young lady brought to Storrs.
However, the next two years would see Bueckers plagued with injuries, including an ACL injury that would take her out for her entire Junior season. Bueckers remained positive and used her spirited personality to continue to build relationships with her teammates and her coaches so that she could make her comeback in her senior season.
Pushing her team to a trip to the Final Four this weekend, Bueckers has reminded all UCONN faithful why she was such an electric spark to this team, and again, while she might not look like the most intimidating or strong player on the court, you probably shouldn’t lose sight of her for even a second or you will probably regret it.
In her Elite Eight game against USC, Bueckers knocked down 28 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, had 6 assists, and 3 steals showing that she is a threat literally anywhere that she exists. It’s an exciting time to see the Lady Huskies with this type of talent at the realm and here’s to their journey continuing!
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While I thoroughly enjoyed researching and writing this article, the stat lines of these players could take up pages and pages on their own. Coach Auriemma knows what to look for when it comes to solid players who want to be pushed to their highest potential.
It has been fun to see women’s basketball grow and other universities and teams build their own dynasties and power teams, when you are a competitor, competition is what you thrive on, and it’s good for everyone involved. While many of these players were part of teams before the Transfer Portal and NIL deals, Edwards and Bueckers are both great examples of players who come in as freshmen and stay for 4 years to better themselves as players and not just hop on the next bandwagon that comes along.
I do want to also list out the honorable mentions that I wrote down before I settled on my Top 6, and let’s be honest when I say, there is no losing when picking top players from UCONN rosters.
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis was my other center, but I just felt that Edwards has a stronger all-around game. Kia Nurse, Napheesa Collier, and Katie Lou Samuelson are all players that I followed in their entire college (and post-college) careers. They all had strong work ethics and made major improvements in their games from when they arrived in Storrs and when they left.
At the end of the day, I truly just love the game of basketball, but it’s even more exciting and fun when your team is still in the running as the final days of the season close in!
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