USA250: 10 greatest college athletes from Connecticut

Connecticut is famously home to both the “Basketball Capital of the World” — UConn’s campus in Storrs — and the “Sports Capital of the World,” ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol.

The Huskies have combined for 18 men’s and women’s basketball national championships, with Geno Auriemma building UConn’s women’s program into the sport’s gold standard.

But the Constitution State’s athletic legacy extends well beyond the hardwood. Yale, for example, boasts one of the nation’s premier rowing programs.

As part of America’s 250th celebration, USA TODAY Sports’ college team compiled a list of the top athletes to compete in each of the 50 states. These athletes don’t necessarily have to be from the state, but are required to have attended college there to be considered.

So, here are the 100%, completely definitive (and surely unanimous) top 10 athletes to compete in college sports in Connecticut:

10 greatest college athletes from Connecticut

One of the winningest players in program history, Stewart broke records left and right in her four seasons in Storrs. In a season she mostly came off the bench for, Stewart helped UConn to a national championship as a freshman after averaging 14.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. She’d go on to lead the Huskies to three more national titles, a four-peat record that has yet to be broken. A three-time National Player of the Year, Stewart remains the only women’s basketball player to be a four-time Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Women’s Tournament Final Four. She is second all-time in scoring with 2,676 career points, and still holds the program record for career blocks at 414.

Connecticut forward Breanna Stewart (30) shoots the ball as South Florida forward Alisia Jenkins (24) defends during their 2014 game at XL Center.

Ray Allen, Connecticut

There might not be a more important player in UConn men’s basketball history than Allen, one of the most best shooters in the college game. A marquee recruiting win for Jim Calhoun, he helped lay the foundation for UConn’s rise into a national powerhouse. Allen’s production matched the impact: 1,922 career points, two All-America selections, and Big East Player of the Year honors while leading the Huskies to an 89–13 record, a Big East Tournament title, and three NCAA Tournament appearances.

Sue Bird, Connecticut

Just three years after Geno Auriemma delivered UConn’s first national title, Bird helped elevate the Huskies into a women’s basketball powerhouse. Over four seasons, she led the Huskies to a pair of national championships in 2000 and 2002, the latter coming during a dominant 39–0 campaign, which at the time was just the third undefeated title season in Division I history. Bird capped off her career by winning the 2002 Naismith and Associated Press Player of the Year awards in her senior season after averaging 14.4 points, shooting 50.5% from the field, and dishing a career-high 231 assists. She also became UConn’s first No. 1 overall WNBA Draft pick.

Ron Darling, Yale

Yale’s highest draft pick ever, Darling was a two-way player for the Bulldogs and was even a two-sport athlete his freshman year when he played football. He ultimately chose the baseball diamond, and for that, he was able to carve out a 13-year career in MLB that placed him in the College Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1980, Darling posted an 11-2 record with two saves for Yale while posting a 1.31 ERA that ranked fifth-best in the nation. He’s perhaps best-remembered for his duel against St. John’s Frank Viola in 1981. Darling took a no-hitter into the 11th inning against the Red Storm before giving up a run the inning later despite striking out 16 on the day.

Maya Moore, Connecticut

Moore is arguably amongst the Mount Rushmore of women’s basketball players, both at UConn and nationally. One of the most decorated and winningest players in program history, Moore helped UConn to a 150-4 overall record over her career, which included four Final Four appearances and a pair of national championships in 2009 and 2010. She remains UConn’s all-time leading scorer at 3,036 career points.

Richard Hamilton, Connecticut

The second-leading career scorer in men’s basketball history, Hamilton tallied 2,036 points in his three seasons that saw him carry the Huskies to its first national title. He was a two-time Big East player of the year and two-time All-American while leading UConn to regular-season and conference tournament titles in his final two years. But he saved his best moments for his final games. Hamilton won Most Outstanding Player of the 1999 NCAA Tournament, including 27 points as the Huskies defeated Duke in a memorable national championship game.

Diana Taurasi, Connecticut

Before becoming a wildly decorated Olympian, Taurasi dominated the college ranks at UConn — and did so alongside Bird for two seasons. Taurasi helped to three consecutive national championships and became UConn’s first two-time national player of the year. That wasn’t the only first Taurasi achieved in her collegiate career. She became the first player to finish with at least 2,000 career points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds in program history. She averaged 15.0 points per game in her career.

Whether it was on or off the court, Bueckers helped elevate the landscape of women’s basketball during her time in Storrs. She averaged 20.0 points per game as a freshman and became the first freshman to earn the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Associated Press Player of the Year and USBWA Player of the Year. Bueckers became the fastest player in program history to 2,000 career points, doing so in 102 games, and is third all-time in career scoring. She helped UConn snap its national championship drought with the program’s 12th title in her final season of 2024-25.

George Springer, Connecticut

Springer is one of the all-time great UConn baseball players. The highest drafted player in program history, No. 11 overall to the Houston Astros in 2011, Springer put video-game-like numbers up in his career. He had one of the most successful freshman seasons in program history with a .358 batting average, 75 runs scored, 16 home runs and 57 RBIs. He is also in the top 10 of several statistical categories, including: first in home runs (46), on-base percentage (.466) and slugging percentage (.647), and then fifth in hits (242) and eighth in batting average (.346).

Don Schollander, Yale

Arriving at Yale already as a four-time Olympic medalist, Schollander continued his excellence in the pool with the Bulldogs. He won three NCAA championships in his time at Yale.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA250: 10 greatest college athletes from Connecticut

Source link