Current:Home > InvestCaitlin Clark is astonishing. But no one is better than USC's Cheryl Miller. -Prime Money Path
Caitlin Clark is astonishing. But no one is better than USC's Cheryl Miller.
View
Date:2025-04-16 08:47:16
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! (1)
Related
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Teen with life-threatening depression finally found hope. Then insurance cut her off
- Toddlers and Tiaras' Eden Wood Is All Grown Up Graduating High School As Valedictorian
- This GOP member is urging for action on gun control and abortion rights
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Minnesota to join at least 4 other states in protecting transgender care this year
- MLB power rankings: Orioles in rare air, knocking Rays out of AL East lead for first time
- Basketball powers Kansas and North Carolina will face each other in home-and-home series
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Trump Admin. Halts Mountaintop Mining Health Risks Study by National Academies
Ranking
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- High Oil Subsidies Ensure Profit for Nearly Half New U.S. Investments, Study Shows
- North Dakota governor signs law limiting trans health care
- 'I am hearing anti-aircraft fire,' says a doctor in Sudan as he depicts medical crisis
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Idaho Murders Case: Judge Enters Not Guilty Plea for Bryan Kohberger
- Inside the Coal War Games
- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Targeted for Drilling in Senate Budget Plan
Recommendation
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
A Possible Explanation for Long COVID Gains Traction
Netflix switches up pricing plans for 2023: Cheapest plan without ads now $15.49
With Odds Stacked, Tiny Solar Manufacturer Looks to Create ‘American Success Story’
Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
Biden says his own age doesn't register with him as he seeks second term
Knoxville has only one Black-owned radio station. The FCC is threatening its license.
What happened to the missing Titanic sub? Our reporter who rode on vessel explains possible scenarios