Top 10 Tennessee Vols legends not born in the state
Legendary players always deserve a bit of a nod over coaches if they achieve a certain level of success, and that is especially the case with Chamique Holdsclaw. When you talk about the three greatest Tennessee Lady Vols players ever, Tamika Catchings gets on for her individual records, Candace Parker gets on for the back-to-back national titles, and Holdsclaw gets on for being better than both in both categories.
More from Tennessee Volunteers
- How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
- Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
- Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
- Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
- Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay
Widely recognized as the greatest women’s basketball player ever, she came from a New York borough outside of Manhattan just like Bernard King did on the men’s side. And like King, she applied her East Coast basketball talents for a legendary coach on Rocky Top.
From 1995 to 1999, Holdsclaw was the clear-cut best player in women’s college basketball. The Tennessee Lady Vols are an amazing program, but Holdsclaw is responsible for unprecedented success there. That’s why she deserves to be a Tennessee Vols legend among even the coaches.
A two-time player of the year and three-time All-American in college, Holdsclaw led Pat Summitt’s teams to three straight national championships and a 39-0 1997-1998 record to become the greatest women’s team of all time. She should’ve won four straight titles, but as happens, a fluke bad shooting game cost her and the Lady Vols in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.
Still, Holdsclaw had accomplished enough before then. And as a six-time WNBA All-Star, she never fell off at the next level. Already the greatest player in one of the most important sports on Rocky Top, Holdsclaw would naturally be up here on the list as a player from New York. And she is.