Is UConn’s Moore the best of the best? Let the debate begin

Cheryl Miller. Sheryl Swoopes. Chamique Holdsclaw. Diana Taurasi. Candace Parker.

Even the haters of women’s basketball know these names.

They’re the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the who’s who of the college game.

But who’s the best ... of the best of the best?

That debate might never end. But here’s one certainty: it can’t begin unless we add one more name to that list.

Maya Moore.

Unlike the others, her collegiate career is still in progress.

The amazing Connecticut forward again has her team in the Final Four. The top-seeded Huskies (36-1) take on No. 2 Notre Dame (30-7) on Sunday (8:30 p.m., ESPN) in the national semifinals at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

That game follows the other semifinal between top-seeded Stanford and No. 2 seed Texas A&M.

Considering that Moore is playing in her fourth Final Four, has already won two national titles, has scored more than 3,000 points and is a first-team All-American selection all four years of her career, there’s no question she’s an all-time great.

But is she the greatest ever?

Some say yes, with an exclamation point.

“I think she’s the very best,” said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw, who knows Moore all too well having coached against her twice a year in the Big East Conference. “I don’t think there’s anybody better.”

Neither does Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma.

He might be biased, but he does know talent. Just like McGraw does. Between them in their 50 combined years on the job, Auriemma and McGraw have coached — and coached against — hundreds of All-Americans.

“Where does (Moore) fit in among the great ones? Should we mention her name?” Auriemma asked, almost rhetorically. “I would say, you’re not going to be able to mention a lot of names before you get to her name.

“For sure, I am certain of that.”

I like Moore. I think she’s ridiculously talented. But I’m less certain of her place in history.

It’s so hard to judge and come up with absolutes, simply because it’s difficult to compare players from different eras who played under different circumstances.

Each of the players in this conversation won national championships. And all of them elevated the game in their own way.

Miller was a pioneer who showed that big women could be agile and smooth. Swoopes and Holdsclaw amazed with their unparalleled athleticism. Taurasi was a dynamic gamer and do-it-all leader, and Parker boasted a wicked skills set that allowed her to dominate from pretty much any position.

See? It’s a tough call.

Or is it?

“I don’t think Maya is the best ever,” said Cheryl Reeve, the coach of the Minnesota Lynx, the WNBA team that will likely nab Moore with the first pick in next week’s draft. “But I say that only because I have too much respect for the game.

“There have been too many great players come through. Maya is certainly one of them. She’s a special, special player. But to put Maya at the top is unfair to everyone else. But it does make for a great debate.”

And we’ll debate and debate until it’s time to add someone else to the list.

pbabcock@dailyherald.com