There is no doubt that Connecticut senior Diana Taurasi is a great basketball player. She will probably be the No. 1 pick in April's WNBA draft, and if so then the Phoenix Mercury will have themselves a franchise player.
In 2003 Taurasi led the Huskies almost single-handedly to their second consecutive national championship, and she was rewarded with college basketball's greatest individual honor, the Naismith Player of the Year.
Tuesday, Taurasi was once again selected as the Naismith recipient, but I can explain in two words why she shouldn't have won this year: Alana Beard.
Quite simply, the numbers don't lie.
Beard, who became only the second three-time member of The Associated Press women's college basketball All-America team Tuesday, has racked up gaudy stats on both ends of the floor: 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.3 blocks and 2.3 steals per game.
And if Beard's personal achievements weren't enough, she has led the Duke women's program to new heights. The Blue Devils finished the regular season with a 24-3 record--including a win over then-No. 1 Connecticut in which Beard scored a game-high 21 points--and ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in school history.
Although Taurasi's numbers are certainly impressive (15.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 0.8 blocks and 1.6 steals), they don't match up to those that Beard has produced on a regular basis for Duke. Taurasi has had four games this year in which she has scored two, four, six and eight points--hardly the consistency that garners player of the year recognition.
I realize that stats don't mean everything, and that a player's value goes far beyond the numbers in a box score. In fact, two years ago when Beard was being considered for the Naismith as a sophomore, I argued that eventual winner Sue Bird, then a senior point guard for UConn, deserved the award, even though her numbers were less impressive than those of the other finalists.
Bird's intangible leadership qualities made her the catalyst on the nation's best team in 2002, and Beard has grown into the role of ultimate floor general for the Blue Devils this year.
Beard has also shown the poise and maturity on the court that Taurasi at times has lacked. In the opening round of the Big East tournament, for example, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma railed at his star for picking up her fourth foul with just under eight minutes left in the game. Taurasi shot back at him, and she and her four points rode the pine for the remainder of UConn's 48-34 victory over Virginia Tech.
Although the coach and his fiery guard made amends, it is hard to imagine a similar public spat erupting between Beard and Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors.
To Taurasi's credit, she did not have as strong of a supporting cast as Beard. No disrespect to Barbara Turner, Ann Strother, Jessica Moore and Maria Conlon, but I'd take Duke's Iciss Tillis, Monique Currie, Mistie Bass and Lindsey Harding in my starting lineup any day over those four.
Taurasi has also battled admirably through a slew of injuries that may have limited her effectiveness this year, but the Naismith is about productivity, not sympathy.
Beard has certainly received a significant amount of recognition as the ESPN.com Player of the Year, and with the Wade and Wooden Trophy awards still to be given out, she could soon be adding more hardware to her collection. But the Naismith is the most prestigious, and Beard deserved to join the bevy of Duke men's basketball greats who have won the trophy.
Ironically, those who know Beard are probably more upset than she is about not receiving the award. She is the consummate team player and one of the few athletes who genuinely values team success over any individual honor. A national championship would undoubtedly have more significance to Beard than the Naismith, and fortunately that is one battle that can still be decided on the court.
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