Here are the top five forwards in the country (listed alphabetically, with 1999-2000 stats):

MOWINS' TOP FIVE
Tamika Catchings drives coast to coast to sink the layup: 56.6 | ISDN | T1	Tamika Catchings, Tennessee Tamika is a complete player who can seemingly take over a game at will. She's a tenacious rebounder and a solid defender. Offensively, she's got good range on her jumper and is tough to stop around the basket. G MIN FG REB AST PTS 37 30.9 47.5 7.9 2.7 15.7
Deanna Jackson makes the running jumper in the lane: 56.6 | ISDN | T1	Deanna Jackson, UAB Deanna sparked the Blazers' surprising run to the Sweet 16 last season, putting up 24 double-doubles -- which led the nation -- along the way. Good quickness and footwork around the basket make her a force in C-USA. G MIN FG REB AST PTS 33 35.8 47.7 11.7 1.3 19.0
Schuye LaRue posts up in the paint and hits the basket: 56.6 | ISDN | T1	Schuye LaRue, Virginia Schuye is one of the best athletes in the country. She can play above the rim and isn't afraid to mix it up in the paint. She's extremely athletic in the air and is almost a guaranteed double-double a night G MIN FG REB AST PTS 34 26.6 57.9 8.0 1.4 14.4
Plenette Pierson sinks a putback on her own miss: 56.6 | ISDN | T1	Plenette Pierson, Texas Tech Plenette enters her sophomore season after winning Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors. She can score and rebound for the Lady Raiders and runs the floor extremely well. G MIN FG REB AST PTS 33 26.9 50.6 6.9 0.6 13.6
LaToya Thomas, the SEC's top scorer in 2000, was a Kodak All-American last season.	LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State Last season, LaToya was the first freshman ever to lead the SEC in scoring (21ppg) and just the eighth freshman to be named to the Kodak All-America team. She's strong and tough and gets to the free-throw line frequently. G MIN FG REB AST PTS 32 30.2 57.0 7.9 1.6 21.0
Also check out: North Carolina's LaQuanda Barksdale, N.C. State's Kaayla Chones and Penn State's Maren Walseth

ESPN play-by-play announcer Beth Mowins will contribute a bi-weekly women's college basketball feature throughout the season.