Speaking of all these great women's basketball players, let's talk about Davis' own Denise Curry
Plus, a one-on-one with Florida coach Todd Golden and a sweet note from Connecticut's Geno Auriemma
THE BEST OF THE BEST ... There will be plenty of talent on display this afternoon when the NCAA women's basketball championship is decided, but for my money one of the greatest players ever in the women's game grew up right here in Davis and displayed her considerable skills as a Davis High School Blue Devil.
Yes, I'm talking about Denise Curry, 1984 Olympic Gold Medal winner with her USA basketball teammates and three-time All-American at UCLA where she led the Bruins to the national championship in 1978. She was also an Academic All-American and was named the National Player of the Year in 1981.
Who is the greatest scorer, men's or women's, in UCLA basketball history?
Well, those who said Kareem Abdul Jabbar (or Lew Alcindor) can move to the back of the class.
Yes, the No. 1 all-time scorer at UCLA is Denise Curry with 3,198 points.
In the 130 games she played with the Bruins she averaged 24.6 points a game and never once failed to hit double figures. She also had 1,310 rebounds.
Denise was born in Fort Benton, Montana, but moved to Davis when her dad, Les Curry, became the boys basketball coach at Davis High.
Denise was so good at her craft that she was inducted into the inaugural class of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, was named as UCLA's All-University Athlete of the Year and had her #12 jersey retired along with Ann Meyers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton as the first four to be so honored at UCLA.
She was a model of consistency in her four seasons, hitting 62.1 percent from the field as a freshman, and followed that over the next three years at 60.6, 60.3 and 60.3. Her best season at the foul line was her junior year at 89.3 percent.
I had the distinct joy of introducing Denise to an overflow crowd as the first class of five was inducted into the inaugural Davis High School Hall of Fame in 2008.
Best of all, Denise Curry has always been a remarkable human being, on and off the court.