Women's Final Four: Who would make the all-time starting 5, coach for each team?
Women's Final Four: Who would make the all-time starting 5, coach for each team?
There is tons of history and plenty of storylines with the participants in the women's Final Four.
Tampa, Fla., will feature one team's first appearance in the Final Four, compared to another team looking for a repeat of last year and its third national title in four years. There's one team that hasn't competed in the Final Four in 22 years, while another is the reliable visitor — a Final Four appearance in 16 of the last 17 years and 24 collectively under the same head coach.
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Women's college basketball's giants will collide at Amalie Arena on Friday. Texas will meet defending national champion South Carolina in the first semifinal, while UConn and UCLA play the later game.
With all of the history and star power of these programs, asked the incredibly tough question: Which players, past and present, would be included on a starting five of each team representing this year's Final Four? Longtime women's college basketball fans Scott Dochterman, Richard Deitsch and Damon Sayles accepted the unenviable challenge (gulp!) and also added an all-time coach for each team.
Feel free to share your starting five in the comments section.
South Carolina Gamecocks
Dochterman's starting five: C A'ja Wilson, C Aliyah Boston, G Tiffany Mitchell, G Zia Cooke, G Tyasha Harris
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Dochterman's coach: Dawn Staley
A consensus national player of the year honoree, Wilson scored 2,389 points and grabbed 1,195 rebounds in her career while leading South Carolina to the 2017 NCAA championship. Boston was instrumental in leading South Carolina to the 2022 national title, two other Final Fours and a 32-1 record in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign.
Mitchell, who has her jersey retired alongside Wilson, won two SEC player of the year awards and guided South Carolina to the Final Four. Cooke and Harris were critical in the Gamecocks' national-title seasons of 2022 and 2017, respectively.
It feels wrong to leave out first-team All-American Kamilla Cardoso, who led the Gamecocks to the 2024 NCAA title, but there already are two centers on the team. Forward Jocelyn Penn gets overshadowed by the success in the Staley era, but during the 2002-03 season, she averaged 23.9 points per game and led the SEC in steals and field-goal percentage. Sheila Foster, Shannon Johnson and Martha Parker have their jerseys retired and deserve mention, as well.
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Deitsch's starting five: C A'ja Wilson, C Aliyah Boston, C Alaina Coates, G Tiffany Mitchell, G Shannon Johnson
Deitsch's coach: Dawn Staley
Wilson is the easiest pick of this entire exercise. Homegrown and charismatic, she is the player who turned the South Carolina program into a national juggernaut when, in April 2014, she opted to stay home.
Boston followed Wilson's success by leading South Carolina to the 2022 national title and two other Final Fours. Johnson was a great scoring guard — the school's second-leading scorer of all time with 2,230 career points. Mitchell was a two-time SEC Player of the Year and ranks among the program's all-time leaders in games started and games played.
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My last pick was Coates, who suffered an ankle injury late in 2022 that caused her to miss the tournament. She was dominant in the post and is the school's best all-time in field-goal percentage and defensive rebounds. Zia Cooke and Tyasha Harris just missed out on the list.
Sayles' starting five: C A'ja Wilson, C Aliyah Boston, G Tiffany Mitchell, G Shannon Johnson, G Martha Parker-Hester
Sayles' coach: Dawn Staley
With all the talent to come from South Carolina, Wilson is probably the simplest pick for me. She was an NCAA champion and a consensus national player of the year. You can't leave out a player of Wilson's caliber, particularly when Staley put Wilson on her personal Mount Rushmore.
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When Wilson became the No. 1 pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft, Boston followed in her footsteps as South Carolina's go-to post player. Boston was a national champion and a consensus player of the year in 2022. She then became the No. 1 pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft.
Mitchell was a two-time SEC Player of the Year. Johnson, once nicknamed 'Pee Wee,' always reminded fans that it's not the size of the dog in the fight (you know the rest of that famous quote). Mitchell and Johnson both have their South Carolina jerseys retired.
Looking at history, Parker-Hester's college résumé was legitimate. She was a three-time All-American in the 1980s and has her jersey retired. Parker-Hester chose to pursue a field in the medical industry, which is why some basketball fans might not be as familiar with her name.
It's hard to leave Sheila Foster, Alaina Coates, Zia Cooke, Kamilla Cardoso, Jocelyn Penn and Tyasha Harris off this team, but that just shows the greatness Staley's had to work with. Imagine that team of 11, though … scary good.
Texas Longhorns
Dochterman's starting five: F Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil, G Kamie Ethridge, C/F Annette Smith-Knight, F Andrea Lloyd, G Edwina Brown
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Dochterman's coach: Jody Conradt
Conradt and four of the five players — Davis-Wrightsil, Ethridge, Smith-Knight and Lloyd — are inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. They were all part of the 1986 NCAA title team.
Davis-Wrightsil was named to the Southwest Conference's Team of the Decade for the 1980s after leading the Longhorns to the 1986 championship, a Final Four berth in 1987 and two other Elite Eight appearances. Ethridge was the point guard on the 1986 team and became the first Texas women's basketball player to have her jersey retired. Smith-Knight also played on the 1986 squad and ranks first in Texas basketball history (men and women) in scoring with 2,523 points. Lloyd scored 1,596 career points and was an All-American in 1987.
Brown led the Big 12 in scoring and assists during the 1999-2000 season and was named a first-team All-American and player of the year by ESPN. She edges out current star Madison Booker and former Naismith Award finalists Stacy Stephens, Heather Schreiber and Jamie Carey.
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Deitsch's starting five: F Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil, G Kamie Ethridge, C/F Annette Smith-Knight, F Andrea Lloyd, F Madison Booker
Deitsch's coach: Jody Conradt
Davis-Wrightsil won the Naismith Award in both 1987 and 1989 and the Wade Trophy in 1989. She's the greatest player in school history and deserves all the flowers.
Like Davis, Lloyd and Ethridge were part of the famed 1986 title team and racked up massive accolades and stats during their run. Smith-Knight is the school's all-time leading scorer.
Maybe it's recency bias, but Booker is one of five finalists for the Wooden Award this year and won the 2025 SEC Player of the Year. She already has 1,220 career points and is just a sophomore. An honorable mention to Fran Harris, Tiffany Jackson and Edwina Brown who miss out here. I also love Rori Harmon as a player, and I wish I could add her somewhere.
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Sayles' starting five: F Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil, G Kamie Ethridge, C/F Annette Smith-Knight, F Andrea Lloyd, G Edwina Brown
Sayles' coach: Jody Conradt
It's hard to go against a two-time Naismith Trophy recipient — and I refuse to do so with Davis-Wrightsil.
Knowing that Davis-Wrightsil won her first Naismith award as a sophomore makes it even more of an easy decision. She and Ethridge both have their Texas jerseys retired. Ethridge's jersey was retired in September 2019; Davis-Wrightsil's jersey was retired six months later.
Look at the talent on that 1986 national-champion Texas team. Davis-Wrightsil, Ethridge, Lloyd and Smith-Knight: four future Women's Basketball Hall of Famers. Coached by Conradt, that team went 34-0 and won six of their seven postseason games by double digits.
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Talking Texas women's basketball always reminds me of Tiffany Jackson, who died in 2022. She was an amazing person on and off the court. I'd have her, Stacy Stephens, Fran Harris, Heather Schreiber and today's star, reigning SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker, coming off the bench — if this team had a bench.
UCLA Bruins
Dochterman's starting five: G Ann Meyers, F Denise Curry, C Lauren Betts, F Natalie Williams, G Charisma Osborne
Dochterman's coach: Billie Moore
Williams, Curry and Meyers were named to the Pac-12 Women's Basketball All-Century Team in 2016. Meyers and Curry have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Considered a women's basketball pioneer, Meyers led the Bruins to an Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) championship in 1978, and she totaled more than 1,600 points, 800 rebounds, 500 assists, 400 steals and 100 blocked shots for her career.
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Curry dominated statistically in the pre-NCAA era with a still-standing scoring record of 3,198 career points, 926 more than Osborne, who is No. 2 on the list. Williams scored 1,813 points from 1991-94, and her average of 12.8 rebounds per game is the highest in UCLA history by 2.5.
Betts (20 points, 9.6 rebounds per game) is the most dominant post player today and has led the Bruins to their first NCAA Final Four. Osborne, who scored 2,272 career points, helped ignite UCLA to its current national standing.
Among those in contention for a starting spot are forward Maylana Martin and guard Jordin Canada, both of whom scored more than 1,000 points in their careers. A special mention also goes to forward Jackie Joyner, who scored 1,167 points and, as Jackie Joyner-Kersee, became one of the greatest Olympic track and field athletes.
Deitsch's starting five: G Ann Meyers, G Charisma Osborne, F Denise Curry, C Lauren Betts, F Natalie Williams
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Deitsch's coach: Cori Close
The players today are faster, stronger and more skilled than those of previous decades, but Meyers is such an outlier statistically — and a big winner in the AIAW era — that she has to be here. Williams is an easy selection at forward; she averaged a career double-double for UCLA, and amazingly, she also was a first-team All-American in volleyball.
Betts is the best post in college today by a lot, and she's a reason the Bruins are in their first NCAA Final Four. Osborne ranks second all-time at UCLA in scoring behind Curry, who averaged a double-double (24.6 points, 10.1 rebounds) and led the Bruins in scoring each of her four varsity seasons. Jordin Canada, a great guard and a hellacious on-ball defender, just misses the cut.
Sayles' starting five: G Ann Meyers, F Denise Curry, F Natalie Williams, C Lauren Betts, G Charisma Osborne
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Sayles' coach: Billie Moore
Meyers, Curry and Williams seem to be the easiest choices. All three were named to the Pac-12 Women's Basketball All-Century Team nine years ago; Meyers and Curry are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and Williams averaged a double-double for her career.
For those who have never seen Betts' dominance, send them to YouTube for UCLA's Sweet 16 win against Ole Miss. She had 31 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, but she also made 15 of 16 shots. Osborne's ability to score deserves commendation, and her rank as UCLA's No. 2 all-time scorer gets her the nod in my starting five over Jordin Canada, Maylana Martin and Monique Billings. I, like my colleague Scott Dochterman, also want to shout out Jackie Joyner-Kersee for being a basketball standout before becoming a global icon in track and field.
As for my head coach, I'm a huge fan of what Cori Close has done for the program, but I can't go against Moore, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer who led the Bruins to an AIAW national title in 1978.
UConn Huskies
Dochterman's starting five: F Breanna Stewart, F Maya Moore, G Diana Taurasi, C Tina Charles, G Sue Bird
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Dochterman's coach: Geno Auriemma
This one isn't fair. If there were 20 Final Four spots without attachment to any team, UConn could fill at least 15 without much debate. Its first team alone consists of the best players in women's basketball history.
Stewart's résumé includes four NCAA titles, four Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards and three National Player of the Year honors. Moore was a two-time national player of the year, was named the 2009 Final Four's Most Outstanding Player and scored the most points (3,036) in UConn history. Taurasi twice won the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player, twice earned National Player of the Year honors and arguably is the greatest women's basketball player of all time (at all levels).
Then this list gets tough. Like, impossible.
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How do you pick between Charles and Rebecca Lobo? What about Napheesa Collier? What do you mean there's no spot for Nykesha Sales, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis or Kara Wolters? No Paige Bueckers? Coming up with a top five out of this embarrassment of riches is the task of tasks.
Deitsch's starting five: F Maya Moore, F Breanna Stewart, C Tina Charles, G Sue Bird, G Diana Taurasi
Deitsch's coach: Geno Auriemma
It's subjective, of course, but I consider Moore the greatest women's college player in history. You had to watch her game by game to truly see all of her subtle greatness. Stewart has the best résumé — four NCAA titles and four Final Four Most Outstanding Player awards — of any UConn player, which is incredible given the lineage.
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The Huskies have had a ton of great posts (Rebecca Lobo, Asjha Jones, Stef Dolson), but Charles is the best rebounder in school history. I wish I had room for Swin Cash and Napheesa Collier, but I don't. Three guards deserve to be here — Bird, Taurasi and Paige Bueckers — but how do you pick against two Hall of Famers? Sorry, Paige.
Sayles' starting five: G Diana Taurasi, F Maya Moore, F Breanna Stewart, G Sue Bird, C Tina Charles
Sayles' coach: Geno Auriemma
Picking Auriemma as the all-time coach for UConn is one of the easiest assignments I've had all week. However, choosing a starting five is up there for being the toughest assignment I've had this calendar year. That's such a credit to the abundance of talent that comes out of the program.
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To know that I agreed with my colleagues on the starting five is mind-boggling, particularly with legends like Swin Cash, Rebecca Lobo, Napheesa Collier, Nykesha Sales and UConn's latest superstar, Paige Bueckers. It's hard to go against them, but Taurasi, Moore, Stewart, Bird and Charles make for an incredible starting five.
There were days of the past, individual days, where I said Taurasi, Moore and Stewart were the best college basketball players I've seen. Moore was incredible and scored at will in so many different ways. Stewart was automatic as a leader and a four-time national champion. Taurasi did everything for her team and brought a swagger that I loved. Add the basketball IQ of Bird and Charles, and there's a strong comfort with the starting five.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
UCLA Bruins, South Carolina Gamecocks, Connecticut Huskies, Texas Longhorns, WNBA, Women's College Basketball, Culture, Final Four, Women's NCAA Tournament
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