Are all the best players really American?

NEWCASTLE (Paul Nilsen's Women's Basketball Worldwide) - When a non basketball-loving friend recently asked me if all the best women players in the world were American, I nodded. But, I subsequently realised that I had done so with my mind comfortably locked on auto-pilot and that this casual enquiry deserved to be checked out with a little more depth.

Granted, it’s not exactly a new concept to consider such a question, but the women’s game is a shifting landscape and, from time to time, it’s probably useful to consider if the almost ‘programmed’ response about the best players in the world all hailing from the States is genuinely justified.

All summer long, I have penned column pieces about the dominance of the USA, their golden Olympic destiny, potential ‘dream team’ status and a raft of general trumpet blowing, but I'm not sure I ever looked deeper under the surface and double-checked whether all the very best players on the planet are indeed from the USA.

Setting myself (and also you out there) a challenge, which players from elsewhere in the world could have made it into the USA Olympic squad? Or, perhaps more simply, how many of the best 12 players in the world are not actually American?

It’s subjective of course and if I was to list my favourite players in women’s basketball, I can assure you that American players would not be anywhere near as dominant but then favourite should never get confused with a judgement about the best.

Having taken an eternity to seek out contenders and having also thrown this question out to women’s basketball followers (and indeed players) on Twitter, I think I have just about arrived at the conclusion that one player would certainly get onto the USA roster, three players might and a few others would at least be in the conversation.

For me, Lauren Jackson is a no-brainer. The one player who I feel that is a dead cert to be in the mix. With such legendary status, there’s probably no point in elaborating any further by stating the obvious. We all know her class, track record and deserved stature within the women's game.

The three ‘maybes’ include her Australian team-mates Liz Cambage and Penny Taylor. The former obviously tore it up at the Olympics and grabbed a huge chunk of the limelight while the latter agonisingly missed out on London 2012 due to a knee injury but is an established world-class player.

There was also a considerable groundswell of support on for French playmaker Celine Dumerc who was perhaps the true darling in the British capital. She helped France land a silver medal and showed any of her last remaining doubters the true level of her talent.

It is however intriguing to consider how many people would have tweeted or suggested Dumerc before the action got underway in London. Of course, many people have admired her qualities for a long time now but she certainly won new fans with her performances in the summer and she underlines the reality of it being a fluid situation when it comes to opinion on who is the best.

Another really fascinating contender put forward was Becky Hammon. But I guess talking about the Russian guard in the same breath as the USA Olympic roster is re-visiting one of the biggest can of worms imaginable. Hammon is absolute quality, this is undeniable. Although as with most players, there is no strong consensus she is currently one of the best 12 in the world but would probably be in there was if it was a list of favourite players.

When it comes to the guard spots in particular, whether you squeeze Dumerc or Hammon into the top 12 (as good as they are), they are surely only back-ups to Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. Still, you would certainly struggle to get a better backcourt quartet.

Hammon wasn’t the only Russian player nominated by fans who joined the debate. The legendary Maria Stepanova (who like Penny Taylor also missed out on the Olympics with a knee injury), was also suggested. However, you can’t help but wonder if there might be a slight shudder by some Russians at how few realistic contenders there are - an issue which veteran star Elena Baranova referred to recently in this column with much disappointment and regret.

All of which brings us to a key point. Will this American dominance ever change in the future? Probably not.

Although it opens up the question as to whether any of the younger players emerging outside of the USA will ever reach this level of megastar status and become one of the best players around. And, this is why I love following women’s youth basketball so much too. It's a real buzz trying to set your eyes on a 16- or 17-year-old who one day may become a great of the game.

Finally, the toughest question I find myself having to deal with when considering all of the above is that if you want to squeeze in any combination of Jackson, Taylor, Cambage, Dumerc, Hammon, Stepanova (or anyone else for that matter) just exactly who are you going to cut from the 12 that grabbed a gold medal?

I tried to decide for 30 minutes but it was a thankless and arduous task - or at least that's my conclusion after seeing the number of paper balls which were lying at the bottom of the trash after this exercise.

Therefore I will just have to be satisifed with the general notion that, (as I told my friend), “Yes, most of the best players are American.” - and simply leave it at that for now.

Paul Nilsen

FIBA

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