Who is the best high school girls basketball player to hail from Vermont?
It’s time to make your vote count.
With the 250th anniversary of our country approaching this summer, USA TODAY Sports is celebrating the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. To supplement the national honors, USA TODAY Network is also recognizing athletes and sports figures in states and communities across the United States, and that includes right here in Vermont.
In Vermont, the Burlington Free Press has selected 12 girls basketball players — a dream dozen — who defined the Green Mountain State from their high school careers and on. We might be small, but our history is rich. The 12 players are listed in alphabetical order. The criteria for our list is simple: A player must have played at a Vermont high school and continued to excel at the college level or beyond.
More: Who is the all-time best football player from Vermont? Vote now
Read about each player and cast your vote in the poll below.
Print readers can vote in the poll at burlingtonfreepress.com.
You will also have the ability to vote for any player who didn’t make our list with a write-in on the ballot.
Nicole Andres (Levesque), Mount Anthony Union High School
Nicole Andres (Levesque) remains the lone Vermonter to reach the WNBA, playing for the Charlotte Sting in the league’s inaugural season in 1997. At Mount Anthony, Andres tallied 1,938 career points and led the Patriots to three consecutive Division I state title games (1988-1990) with a pair of championships. At Wake Forest, the ACC all-conference player was named the Frances Pomeroy Naismith award winner in 1994, given to the best player in the country under 5-foot-6. Andres finished with 1,663 career points and graduated as the program’s all-time leader in minutes, free throws and free throw percentage. In 2012, she was in the first class for the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame.
Becca Bright-Pugh, South Burlington High School
Becca Bright-Pugh was a star at South Burlington High School and then at the University of Rhode Island.
Inducted into the Vermont Principals’ Association Hall of Fame in 2023, Becca Bright-Pugh shined as a forward at South Burlington. Bright-Pugh led South Burlington to Final Four appearances in each of her four seasons, capped by a Division I title as a senior in 1991 when she recorded a double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds in the championship-game victory over BFA-St. Albans. She was named to the first team on the inaugural Burlington Free Press All-State Team following her senior year. At the University of Rhode Island, Bright-Pugh graduated third all-time in points with 1,665. She led the Rams in scoring as a senior with a 18.6-points-per-game average and was Atlantic-10 all-conference honoree.
Kari Greenbaum, Brattleboro Union High School
Kari Greenbaum was a star player for both Brattleboro and the University of Vermont.
A 2022 inductee of the Vermont Principals’ Association Hall of Fame, Kari Greenbaum graduated with Brattleboro records for career points (1,420), assists, steals and blocks and finished second in rebounding, while also leading her squad to an appearance in the D-I championship game in 1988. The guard continued her all-around success at the University of Vermont, where she finished sixth all-time in points (1,252) and second in 3-point field goals made (104). As a senior, she averaged 17.3 points per game and was part of two undefeated regular seasons during a memorable Catamounts’ run.
Emily Kinneston, Champlain Valley Union High School
Former Champlain Valley star Emily Kinneston (4) steals the ball away from a Rice player during a game in January 2014.
A two-time Free Press’ Miss Basketball winner as well as the state’s Gatorade honoree in 2013 and 2014, Emily Kinneston guided Champlain Valley to back-to-back perfect seasons to spark the Redhawks’ modern-day state record winning streak of 96 games. At CVU, Kinneston was a well-rounded player and “a reluctant superstar” who led the Redhawks in scoring, rebounds, steals and blocks as a senior. At American University, Kinneston reached 1,000 career points and was named the Patriot League player of the year as a senior in 2018, when the Eagles won a program-record 26 games and reached the NCAA Tournament..
Jade Huntington, Oxbow High School
Jade Huntington, pictured when she was named the St. Johnsbury girls basketball coach in 2020.
From 1988 until 2025, Jade Huntington was the all-time leading scorer in Vermont high school girls basketball history, tallying 2,114 points while posting three undefeated seasons at Oxbow from 1985-1987. Huntington continued her career at Vanderbilt where she led the Commodores in steals and assists during her final three seasons. The point guard helped Vanderbilt advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in 1992 and has four total Sweet 16 appearances. Huntington graduated fourth all-time in assists and fifth in steals in Vandy history. She was inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
Jasmyn Huntington Fletcher, Oxbow High School
Jasmyn Huntington Fletcher starred at Oxbow Union High School, scoring 2,000 career points between 1992-96.
During her high school career from 1992-1996, Jasmyn Huntington Fletcher became the second player to reach the 2,000-point club, joining older sister Jade with 2,079 career points. A two-time Free Press’ Miss Basketball recipient, Huntington Fletcher guided Oxbow to D-III titles in 1993 and 1995. In her final high school game, Huntington Fletcher scored a title-game record 46 points in Oxbow’s 1996 D-III championship game loss. Huntington Fletcher continued her career at Nevada-Reno, leading the Wolfpack in scoring (12.8 ppg) in 1996-97, and played her final year at the University of North Carolina. At Chapel Hill, Huntington Fletcher reached the ACC title game and advanced to the Sweet 16. She was inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
Jennifer Niebling, Randolph Union High School
Jennifer Niebling, who starred at Randolph Union High School and the University of Vermont, was inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Jennifer Niebling starred at Randolph, leading the Galloping Ghosts to the 1988 D-II state title and finished her high school career with 1,402 points. Niebling continued her career at the University of Vermont, where she was the driving force of the Catamounts’ historic NCAA Tournament teams in 1992 and 1993, both of whom went undefeated during the regular season. At Vermont, Niebling was selected to the America East’s all-conference first team in 1993 and was named to the all-championship team twice. Niebling, who graduated from UVM with the second-most points (1,435) in program history, was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. She earned a spot in the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Cory Mullen-Rusin, Twin Valley/Wilmington
Cory Mullen-Rusin, right, and Matt Glass were the Free Press’ selections for Miss and Mr. Basketball in 2005.
Cory Mullen-Rusin was selected the Free Press’ Miss Basketball award winner and Gatorade player of the year for Vermont in back-to-back years (2004, 2005) during a career that saw her rack up 1,791 points and guide Wilmington to the D-IV state title. As a senior following the merger to Twin Valley, Mullen-Rusin averaged 27.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 5.2 steals per game. She was inducted into the Vermont Principals’ Association Hall of Fame in 2016. After high school, Mullen-Rusin played on scholarship at Boston College, where she played 96 games and served as co-captain during the 2008-09 season.
Sarah Schreib, Essex High School
Essex’s Sarah Schreib, right, and Milton’s Brent Kendall were named the Free Press’ Miss and Mr. Basketball in 1992.
Sarah Schreib graduated from Essex as the Hornets’ all-time leading scorer (1,663 points) and collected over 1,000 career rebounds, helping Essex claim the 1990 D-I title. The East Fairfield native was the second player to be named the Free Press ‘Miss Basketball, and was also selected as the state’s Gatorade player of the year in 1992. Schreib continued her career at James Madison, where she was named Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Rooke of the Year in 1994. She earned all-conference first-team honors twice and helped JMU advance to the NCAA Tournament in 1996. Schreib graduated as the Dukes’ career leader in rebounds with 851 and sixth in points with 1,380. She was inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.
Kim Silloway, St. Johnsbury Academy
Kim Silloway was a star at St. Johnsbury Academy before earning All-ACC second-team honors at Virginia.
Prior to being named an All-ACC player at Virginia, Kim Silloway jump-started her basketball career at St. Johnsbury. Silloway led the Hilltoppers to the 1981 and 1982 D-II state championships while scoring 1,523 points before the 3-point line went into effect. At Virginia, Silloway led the Cavaliers to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1984 and 1985. In 1985, Silloway was named to the All-ACC second team and won UVA’s Female Scholar-Athlete Award in 1986. Silloway was inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.
Libby Smith, Essex High School
UVM’s Libby Smith brings the ball down the court against Holy Cross during a 2002 NIT game at Patrick Gym.
A 2020 Vermont Sports Hall of Fame inductee, multi-sport star Libby Smith was a four-year starter at Essex, where she was part of three perfect seasons and four D-I state titles. For the Hornets, Smith scored 1,106 career points and was named the Free Press’ Miss Basketball and the Gatorade player of the year as a senior in 1998. At the University of Vermont, Smith started every game of her career (122), helping the Catamounts win two America East regular-season titles, a conference tournament crown, an NCAA Tournament appearance and WNIT quarterfinal run. She finished her career as the only UVM player to tally more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists.
Morgan Valley, Rice Memorial High School
Rice’s Morgan Valley dribbles during the 2000 Division I high school girls basketball state championship game at St. Michael’s College.
A two-time Free Press Miss Basketball and Gatorade player of the year (1999, 2000), Morgan Valley powered Rice to back-to-back undefeated seasons and D-I titles, ending Essex’s five-year reign.. She started every game of her four-year career for the Catholic school and graduated as the program leader in points (1,363), assists (477) and steals (385). Valley, who played in the high school All-American game, was recruited by over 150 D-I schools before accepting a scholarship offer at the University of Connecticut. With the Huskies, Valley played in 108 games (2000-04) and was part of three national championship teams.
ContactAlex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
Contact Judith Altneu at JAltneu@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Best Vermont high school girls basketball players of all time
