Cheryl Miller and Breanna Stewart celebrated as the greatest players of the women's poll era

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PHOENIX (AP) — Cheryl Miller's impact on women's basketball spans generations, from dominating on the court at Southern California in the 1980s to making her mark in the broadcast booth.

On Thursday, Miller's legacy was recognized along with UConn star Breanna Stewart. The two women's hoops game-changers were honored by The Associated Press as the greatest players of the women's college basketball poll era, selected by a 13-member panel.

“I played the game because I loved it," Miller said, "without there ever being a hint of what my legacy may look like or what I ever envisioned down the road. I think the overwhelming feeling that I feel right now is grateful.”

Miller accepted the honor at “The AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience," which is being held at Arizona State’s First Amendment Forum in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Delta State was also recognized as the first No. 1 team when the women’s basketball poll debuted 50 years ago. Under coach Margaret Wade, the Lady Statesmen won three straight national championships from 1975-1977 in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). They won three more under coach Lloyd Clark in 1989, 1990 and 1992 after their move to the NCAA’s Division II.

Miller, a 6-foot-2 forward, won two national titles and earned All-America honors in all four of her seasons with the Trojans, averaging 23.6 points, 12 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.6 steals and 2.5 blocks. She was also the head coach and general manager for the Phoenix Mercury in the late 1990s, leading the team to the WNBA Finals in 1998.

Stewart has won it all in her career: She was a two-time state champion in high school. She won four NCAA titles at UConn. She’s won three WNBA titles, three World Cup gold medals, three Olympic gold medals, even two EuroLeague titles. Earlier this year, Stewart led her team Mist BC to a championship in Unrivaled — the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league she co-founded.

“I want to say thank you to the AP for voting me best college basketball player of the last 25 years,” Stewart said in a video message. “Especially to be named to this honor alongside Cheryl Miller. There’s been so many women’s hoops players who have gone through college and made their mark. Shoutout to my Huskies. ... Nobody’s taking our four national championships away from us.”

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AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience: https://apnews.com/https:/apnews.com/projects/arizona-state-fan-poll-experience/

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness