Current:Home > FinanceCaitlin Clark is astonishing. But no one is better than USC's Cheryl Miller. -Visionary Wealth Guides
Caitlin Clark is astonishing. But no one is better than USC's Cheryl Miller.
View
Date:2025-04-13 19:26:20
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! (56)
Related
- This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
- Watch Carlee Russell press conference's: Police give update on missing Alabama woman
- When insurers can't get insurance
- Shell plans to increase fossil fuel production despite its net-zero pledge
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- States Have Proposals, But No Consensus, On Curbing Water Shortages In Colorado River Basin
- Mike The Mover vs. The Furniture Police
- Over 130 Power Plants That Have Spawned Leaking Toxic Coal Ash Ponds and Landfills Don’t Think Cleanup Is Necessary
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- OceanGate wants to change deep-sea tourism, but its missing sub highlights the risks
Ranking
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- The Sweet Way Cardi B and Offset Are Celebrating Daughter Kulture's 5th Birthday
- A 3-hour phone call that brought her to tears: Imposter scams cost Americans billions
- How Jill Duggar Is Parenting Her Own Way Apart From Her Famous Family
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- Wayfair’s 60% Off Back-to-School Sale: Best Deals on College Living Essentials from Bedding to Storage
- Listener Questions: the 30-year fixed mortgage, upgrade auctions, PCE inflation
- On The Global Stage, Jacinda Ardern Was a Climate Champion, But Victories Were Hard to Come by at Home
Recommendation
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Lung Cancer in Nonsmokers? Study Identifies Air Pollution as a Trigger
Birmingham honors the Black businessman who quietly backed the Civil Rights Movement
Georgia is becoming a hub for electric vehicle production. Just don't mention climate
US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
Arizona’s New Governor Takes on Water Conservation and Promises to Revise the State’s Groundwater Management Act
Supreme Court says 1st Amendment entitles web designer to refuse same-sex wedding work
Erin Andrews and Husband Jarret Stoll Welcome First Baby Via Surrogate