Current:Home > StocksCaitlin Clark is astonishing. But no one is better than USC's Cheryl Miller. -TradeGrid
Caitlin Clark is astonishing. But no one is better than USC's Cheryl Miller.
View
Date:2025-04-14 13:24:38
In February for Black History Month, USA TODAY Sports is publishing the series "29 Black Stories in 29 Days." We examine the issues, challenges and opportunities Black athletes and sports officials continue to face after the nation’s reckoning on race following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. This is the fourth installment of the series.
Let's be clear from the jump: Caitlin Clark is an all-time great player. Some people have tried to say she's not. Oh yeah. She is. A legendary, devastating player. Anyone who says otherwise is a goofball hater.
Yet something has happened when it comes to Clark that's been interesting to watch. There's been a classic case of recency bias. It's been all over the place in the Clark coverage and analysis. She's been anointed as the greatest player ever by some and there's an argument for that but it ignores what is a plethora of greats ... and I mean a staggering number of stunning players who are at least as good as Clark.
We saw this recency bias when Shaquille O'Neal declared Clark as "the best female collegiate player ever."
Again, it's okay, and also fun, to have this debate, as long as there's some historical perspective, which doesn't seem present. That's because you cannot have the discussion about greatest women's college player ever without mentioning one name: Cheryl Miller.
Some of you may know about Miller, some of you might not. For historical, basketball old heads, no woman player is better than Miller, and I mean no one.
There are a number of greats like Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi, among others. But to me Miller tops them all.
I believe Miller, at her height, would have destroyed almost any other woman college player at theirs. And some men, too. She was generally viewed as better than her brother, Reggie Miller. That's not an exaggeration. That's how good she was.
Cheryl played at 6 foot 2 and was fast, physical and could shoot. She handled the ball like a point guard but also physically dominated the interior. Almost no one could stop her.
It's true that the women's game is far deeper and more athletic than when Miller played at USC from 1982-1986 but it doesn't matter. If you took Miller from the 1980s, placed her in a time machine, and put her in today's game, she would obliterate everyone.
Miller averaged 23 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists a game. She was a two-time NCAA champion, a two-time tournament Most Outstanding Player, three-time player of the year, and four-time All-American.
Again, Clark is terrific, and none of this is about diminishing what she's accomplished. It's also true we're allowed to just let Clark enjoy her moment. But what's been lacking since Clark broke the scoring record is historical context. This is where people are failing.
Because they're forgetting all about Miller.
veryGood! (4227)
Related
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Why Baseball Player Jackson Olson Feels Like He Struck Out With Taylor Swift
- Philadelphia native and Eagles RB D'Andre Swift has career game vs. Vikings
- UN calls for more fairness for developing nations at a G77 summit in Cuba
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- Why Maren Morris Is Stepping Back From Country Music
- Who is Travis Kelce dating? Rumors are buzzing over a possible Taylor Swift courtship
- US military orders new interviews on the deadly 2021 Afghan airport attack as criticism persists
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Elijah McClain case: Trial of two officers begins in connection with 2019 death
Ranking
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Iowa man is found guilty in death of 10-year-old girl whose disappearance prompted a huge search
- UAW strike: Workers at 3 plants in 3 states launch historic action against Detroit Three
- Economics, boosternomics and Swiftnomics
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Here's the top country for retirement. Hint: it's not the U.S.
- Latino voters want Biden to take more aggressive action on immigration, polls find
- Baby babble isn't just goo goo! And hearing 2 languages is better than one
Recommendation
What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
What’s streaming now: ‘Barbie,’ Dan & Shay, ‘The Morning Show’ and ‘Welcome to Wrexham’
NYPD issues warnings of antisemitic hate ahead of Jewish High Holidays
Republican presidential hopefuls generally overlook New Hampshire in effort to blunt Trump in Iowa
South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
The Taliban have detained 18 staff, including a foreigner, from an Afghanistan-based NGO, it says
Caesars Entertainment ransomware attack targeting loyalty members revealed in SEC filing
Caesars Entertainment ransomware attack targeting loyalty members revealed in SEC filing