Rebecca Lobo

Lobo's college career at the University of Connecticut began inauspiciously. While she performed well personally—her average of 14.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game earned her Big East Rookie of the Year honors—the Huskies were eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the second round. The team's performance was even more lackluster the following year. During Lobo's junior year, however, the team began to turn around, making it to the "Great Eight" of the NCAA tournament. Crisis struck on the homefront, however, when Lobo's mother, RuthAnn learned that she had breast cancer. An ardent supporter of her daughter, RuthAnn arranged her chemotherapy treatments around Rebecca's games. But Lobo told People that basketball took a back seat to her mother's concerns. "Scoring points means nothing compared to what she went through," Lobo remarked.

By Lobo's senior year, her mother's cancer was in remission. It was during this season that Lobo and the Huskies accomplished a rare and amazing feat—not only did they enter the NCAA tournament with an unbelievable 33-0 record, they captured the championship, making them undefeated for the entire season. For her role in this amazing season, Lobo received the Naismith National Player of the Year Award and the Wade Trophy. In addition, she was named Final Four MVP and Women's Sports Foundation's Sportswoman of the Year, among numerous other honors.

During Lobo's tenure at UConn, the popularity of women's basketball grew significantly, with Lobo's team drawing record crowds and young girls donning their hero's trademark French braid. At the time, Lobo's coach, Geno Auriemma, summed up Lobo's allure. "What is she great at?" he asked Sports Illustrated. "I can't say any one thing. But the sum of the parts is unreal."