Alaska Sports Hall of Fame

During the COVID-19 outbreak Alaska Sports Blog editor Van Williams will be taking the opportunity to take a retrospective look at Alaska sports. The first in our series is ‘Sweet 16’ with a look at the 16 best women hoops NCAA D1 players in our state’s history.

Alaska has produced dozens of NCAA D1 women’s basketball players over the last 35 years.

All-Americans, NCAA champions and Conference Players of the Year. All-League, All-Defense, All-Newcomer and All-Freshman.

We’ve had it all – from every power conference.

But which Alaska player is the best?

Some fans are all about the here and now, but there’s something to be said for the past.

Legacies, after all, take shape over time.

Van Williams, blog editor

Alaska Sports Blog editor Van Williams selected the 16 players for the All-Alaska All-Time NCAA D1 Women’s Basketball Team.

Williams, of East High fame, has covered hoops in Alaska for the last 30 years.

The safest (and maybe purest) measuring stick to gauge greatness is by using individual career statistics – games, points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots.

That was part of the formula in addition to accolades, awards and influence.

Here is our Sweet 16 – a comprehensive collection of the very best Alaska women to play NCAA D1 basketball.

These are not player rankings but rather a list of our greatest players, assembled in one place. Celebrate, compare, contrast; see how the best of the best stack up against each other.

(Numbers in parenthesis represent where player ranks in that stat category among the 30 women from Alaska to play NCAA D1 basketball)

All-Alaska All-Time Women’s Basketball Team

Ruthy Hebard

Player: Ruthy Hebard
Height: 6-4
Hometown: Fairbanks (West Valley)
College: Oregon 2016-2020
Games: 144 (2nd)
Points: 2368 (1st)
Rebounds: 1299 (1st)
Assists: 135 (15th)
Steals: 169 (10th)
Blocked Shots: 146 (1st)
Wow Factor: 3-time All-American, 4-time All-Pac-12; Pac-12 record holder with .651 career FG%; FIBA U18 Gold Medalist; Shares Alaska single-game rebounds record (18)

Andrea Lloyd

Player: Andrea Lloyd
Height: 6-2
Hometown: Juneau (Juneau-Douglas)
College: Texas 1983-1987
Games: 127 (T-5th)
Points: 1596 (5th)
Rebounds: 1115 (2nd)
Assists: 340 (4th)
Steals: 340 (1st)
Blocked Shots: 47 (5th)
Wow Factor: 3-time All-American; NCAA Champion; Southwest Conference Player of the Year; 4-time All-SWC; Olympic Gold Medalist

Kelsey Griffin

Player: Kelsey Griffin
Height: 6-2
Hometown: Eagle River (Chugiak)
College: Nebraska 2006-2010
Games: 127 (T-5th)
Points: 2033 (2nd)
Rebounds: 1019 (3rd)
Assists: 156 (12th)
Steals: 176 (9th)
Blocked Shots: 94 (4th)
Wow Factor: All-American; Big 12 Player of the Year; 4-time All-Big-12; No. 3 Overall Pick in 2010 WNBA Draft

Jeannie Hebert

Player: Jeannie Hebert
Height: 5-8
Hometown: Fairbanks (Monroe Catholic)
College: Miami 1988-1992
Games: 119 (9th)
Points: 1766 (3rd)
Rebounds: 343 (15th)
Assists: 694 (1st)
Steals: 237 (3rd)
Blocked Shots: 35 (8th)
Wow Factor: All-American; Freshman All-American; ACC Legends honoree; 3-time All-Conference

Talisa Rhea

Player: Talisa Rhea
Height: 5-11
Hometown: Juneau (Juneau-Douglas)
College: Oregon State & Seattle 2007-2012
Games: 126 (T-7th)
Points: 1664 (4th)
Rebounds: 456 (10th)
Assists: 374 (3rd)
Steals: 129 (12th)
Blocked Shots: 24 (10th)
Wow Factor: All-Pac-10; Holds Alaska single-game record for points (42); Former Pac-10 single-game record holder for most 3-pointers (10)

Jessica Moore

Player: Jessica Moore
Height: 6-3
Hometown: Palmer (Colony)
College: Connecticut 2001-2005
Games: 145 (1st)
Points: 1233 (9th)
Rebounds: 834 (5th)
Assists: 167 (10th)
Steals: 104 (15th)
Blocked Shots: 125 (2nd)
Wow Factor: All-Big East; 3-time NCAA Champion; NCAA All-Final Four Team; Won 132 career games, including 70 in a row; Shares Alaska single-game rebounds record (18)

Molly Tuter

Player: Molly Tuter
Height: 6-0
Hometown: Soldotna (SoHi)
College: Arizona State 1993-1997
Games: 99 (18th)
Points: 1374 (7th)
Rebounds: 650 (5th)
Assists: 152 (13th)
Steals: 221 (4th)
Blocked Shots: N/A
Wow Factor: 2-time All-Pac-10; One of 4 Alaskans to play in WNBA; Member of Arizona State Hall of Fame; On small list of Alaskans to make more than 150 career 3-pointers

Natalie Jones

Player: Natalie Jones
Height: 5-10
Hometown: Anchorage (East)
College: Arizona 2002-2006
Games: 126 (T-7th)
Points: 1149 (10th)
Rebounds: 555 (7th)
Assists: 300 (5th)
Steals: 254 (2nd)
Blocked Shots: 7 (24th)
Wow Factor: All-Pac-10; Pac-10 All-Freshman; Shares Alaska single-game steals record (6)

Laura Ingham

Player: Laura Ingham
Height: 5-4
Hometown: Anchorage (East)
College: Ohio State & Nevada 1998-2003
Games: 114 (T-10th)
Points: 652 (16th)
Rebounds: 363 (13th)
Assists: 385 (2nd)
Steals: 198 (7th)
Blocked Shots: 6 (25th)
Wow Factor: All-WAC; Recorded first-ever triple-double in WAC history; Owns Alaska single-game assist record (17)

Brit Jacobson

Player: Brit Jacobson
Height: 5-9
Hometown: Eagle River (Chugiak)
College: Kansas State 1994-1998
Games: 112 (13th)
Points: 1519 (6th)
Rebounds: 539 (8th)
Assists: 276 (6th)
Steals: 219 (5th)
Blocked Shots: N/A
Wow Factor: All-Big-12; Became second woman in school history to reach 1500 points, 200 steals and 200 assists

Alissa Pili

Player: Alissa Pili
Height: 6-0
Hometown: Anchorage (Dimond)
College: USC 2019-
Games: 31 (24th)
Points: 504 (19th)
Rebounds: 247 (19th)
Assists: 36 (21st)
Steals: 31 (22nd)
Blocked Shots: 26 (10th)
Wow Factor: All-Pac-12; Pac-12 Freshman of the Year; Only active player selected for All-Alaska All-Time Team

Aquanita Burras

Player: Aquanita Burras
Height: 5-9
Hometown: Fairbanks (Lathrop)
College: Kansas 2002-2005
Games: 85 (21st)
Points: 870 (11th)
Rebounds: 442 (11th)
Assists: 190 (9th)
Steals: 187 (8th)
Blocked Shots: 37 (7th)
Wow Factor: Big-12 All-Newcomer Team; Jayhawk Classic MVP; Shares Alaska single-game steals record (6)

Jenna Johnson

Player: Jenna Johnson
Height: 5-10
Hometown: Wasilla (Wasilla)
College: Utah State 2009-2013
Games: 111 (T-14th)
Points: 835 (14th)
Rebounds: 430 (12th)
Assists: 207 (8th)
Steals: 212 (6th)
Blocked Shots: 40 (6th)
Wow Factor: All-WAC; WAC All-Defensive Team; WAC All-Freshman Team

Anna Simmers

Player: Anna Simmers
Height: 5-9
Hometown: Anchorage (ACS)
College: Army 2009-2013
Games: 73 (22nd)
Points: 855 (12th)
Rebounds: 324 (16th)
Assists: 111 (17th)
Steals: 77 (20th)
Blocked Shots: 30 (9th)
Wow Factor: 2-time All-Patriot League; One of four Alaskans with career highs of at least 28 points and 12 rebounds

Chandice Cronk

Player: Chandice Cronk
Height: 5-8
Hometown: Wasilla (Wasilla)
College: Santa Clara 2004-2008
Games: 112 (12th)
Points: 1346 (8th)
Rebounds: 282 (18th)
Assists: 148 (14th)
Steals: 103 (16th)
Blocked Shots: 16 (20th)
Wow Factor: 2-time All-WCC; WCC Freshman of the Year; Alaska’s career leader in 3-pointers (244); Made eight 3s in one game

Leah Magner

Player: Leah Magner
Height: 5-10
Hometown: Palmer (Colony)
College: Iowa 1998-2002
Games: 114 (T-10th)
Points: 819 (15th)
Rebounds: 360 (14th)
Assists: 262 (7th)
Steals: 86 (18th)
Blocked Shots: 17 (18th)
Wow Factor: Big Ten Champion; On a very short list of Alaskans with more than 150 career 3-pointers; Still ranks No. 9 in school history in career 3s and No. 18 in assists