Caitlin Clark is bringing attention to the women’s college basketball game like few before her. She’s an incredibly fun player to watch — her deep shooting and fiery attitude make her must-see any time she’s on the court.
She will soon become the all-time leading scorer in the women’s college basketball ranks too, needing just eight more points to pass Kelsey Plum. She’s a surefire No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft. Many new fans are calling her the best to ever play in college.
While Clark is certainly a terrific college player, there were some players before her that have probably had better careers. Here’s where she ranks all-time.
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NCAA accomplishments:
Clark might be the best offensive player ever at the college level. She will shortly have the most points, her 51 games of 30 or points is a Division I record, and she’s the only player in the men’s or women’s game to record back-to-back 30-point triple-doubles. The list of accolades goes on and on.
She’s also a much better passer than she’s given credit for. Most people know her for her audacious 3-point shooting, but she’s sixth all-time on the assists list too, having just crossed the 1,000-mark.
Clark is about to repeat as the Naismith Award winner, the first since Breanna Stewart.
Clark’s career averages of 28.2 points, 8.0 assists, and 7.0 rebounds speak for themselves. The last thing missing on her resume is a championship.
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NCAA accomplishments:
Griner was the most dominant center the college game has ever seen. She averaged 22.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks per game for Baylor.
Griner was a defensive force for Baylor. Her 223 blocks as a freshmen set the all-time single season record. As a junior, she blocked more shots by herself than any other Division I team.
She was also an unbelievable scorer. Her low post moves were unguardable.
NCAA accomplishments:
Parker stuffed the stat sheet with career averages of 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.5 blocks.
She did everything on the floor, acting as a two-way force at Tennessee. She was listed as a guard, forward, and center. She became the first player to dunk in an NCAA tournament game, and later became the first player to dunk twice in a tournament game.
Parker was a two-time consensus national player of the year and two-time SEC player of the year. She had some very clutch moments, including winning the SEC tournament championship game by hitting a shot with 17 seconds left as a freshman.
NCAA accomplishments:
Taurasi has a lengthy resume. She won three consecutive NCAA championships from 2002-2004, and her UConn team went 39-0 in her final two seasons.
She was named a First Team All-American in all four years of career, and won the Naismith College Player of the Year award in 2003 and 2004.
NCAA accomplishments:
Holdsclaw’s Tennessee teams were the first to ever go undefeated and the first to win three consecutive championships. Her 3,025 points and 1,295 rebounds made her the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in Tennessee history.
Holdsclaw was a two-time national player of the year, a four-time All American, and the No. 1 pick of the 1999 WNBA draft. She became the face of women’s basketball, playing a point forward role.
NCAA accomplishments:
Miller racked up the awards at USC. She was a four-time All-American, three-time Naismith College Player of the Year, and two National Championships.
She was prodigious statistically, averaging a double-double over her final three seasons at USC and averaging 23.6 points and 12.0 rebounds over her college career. Even more impressively, she could have averaged more if her USC team wasn’t so stacked with other greats. She’s widely considered a top-two all-time player.
NCAA accomplishments:
Stewart’s college resume is unassailable. She averaged 17.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game. She’s the first player to ever have 400 assists and 400 blocks.
Stewart’s individual awards are just as impressive. She won three straight Naismith awards and was the first player to ever be named to four consecutive Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards.
Most importantly, she won a championship in every year of her college career at UConn. She had one of the most dominant runs in college basketball history.