Every WNBA star has Diana Taurasi on their ‘Mount Rushmore’, whether it’s for the national team, franchise level or even college-level performances. The player made a massive impact at every stage of her career.
Now, after her retirement, she saw Caitlin Clark taking over her national jersey number and reacted to the same. Moreover, she even saw players like Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd taking over her UConn side, which also makes her proud.
Yet when she is assembling a starting five from UConn, she picked neither of the current stars and showed faith in her former champions.
Diana Taurasi Names Her All-Time UConn Starting 5
The March Madness season brings back memories of many iconic games, players and championship runs that made the competition one of the most followed ones. In Women’s basketball, leading from the front has been the UConn Huskies with 12 championships. So it was difficult to choose the starting five from the most successful franchise, yet DT found a way out.
On the podcast interview, Taurasi gave her starting five from UConn, humbly removing herself from the selection. She said, “My starting point guard would be Sue Bird, obviously. I’m gonna go Nykesha Sales, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, and Breanna Stewart. I’m sure I left five Player of the Years off. Paige, I left Paige off. And off the bench, Paige and I will come off the bench.”
"My starting PG would be Sue Bird. … Nykesha Sales, Maya Moore, Tina Charles and Breanna Stewart. … Paige [Bueckers] will come off the bench."@DianaTaurasi lists her UConn women's all-time starting 5 🔥
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 23, 2026
(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/WpxL5K4d0j
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Bird and Taurasi actually played together for two seasons at UConn and led the Huskies to their first undefeated season in program history. They won the 2002 championship with a 39-0 record. Leaving PB from the starting lineup might surprise many, considering her records and game play, but earning a bench role in such a stacked program is also a big honor.
While the player spoke about the starting five, she even mentioned the ‘success mantra’ for the Huskies.
Diana Taurasi Opens Up On UConn’s Secret Of Success
The 2026 NCAA championship again has the Huskies’ name in contention, especially after the undefeated season. Even analyst Stephen A. Smith chooses the defending champions as the definite winner. While Taurasi also sees her former team lifting the trophy, she spoke about the reasons for the dominance of the team.
Talking about Coach Auriemma’s grit and simple formula to win it all on a regular basis, DT said, “There is no one that I’ve ever met, that is more competitive than him (Auriemma), He’s just competitive; he wants to beat everyone. He wants to be the best coach in the country. He wants the best players. … It’s really simple for him.”
"He wants to beat everyone. He wants to be the best coach in the country. He wants the best players. … It's really simple for him." 💯
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 23, 2026
Diana Taurasi said Geno Auriemma's formula at UConn isn't complicated.
(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/Fnu4jgxPz5
The coach also shows faith in his players and team to go back-to-back on the national championships.