There are the obvious ones: Chamique Holdsclaw played beyond her years. Catchings and Randall were breathtaking.
I remember when Peggy Evans and Nikki Caldwell debuted, each scored 20 points in that first game of the season.
But these stand out the most to me:
In 1988-89 freshman Dena Head was forced to take over point guard duties when veteran Tonya Edwards suffered a season-ending knee injury. Pat told the team that they would have to embrace her because she would be their ticket to the Final Four. Head was unflappable as Tennessee won its 2nd NC in three years. That season, Pat had described Head as the best prepared freshman she had ever had.
Two years prior, Tonya Edwards capped a terrific freshman campaign as MVP of the Final Four as we won our first NC.
One year prior to that, Bridgette Gordon and Sheila Frost were freshman and top scorers on the team. That year in the Mideast Regional Semifinal at Iowa City, Iowa, Tennessee and Georgia waged war in one of the most compelling victories that I never got to see--had to listen on the radio. (Back then coverage was sparse and there wasn't the notoriety nor exposure that started evolving in the 90's.) Georgia starred Teresa Edwards, Katrina McClain, and Lisa O'Connor along with a strong cast of other performers. Despite Tennessee's youth, it was one of the most courageous efforts that I can remember and one of the biggest postseason upsets in program history. Gordon and Frost were ubiquitous in that game, and Tennessee went on to surprisingly reach the Final Four before bowing out to Cheryl Miller-led USC in the National Semifinal. I think that incredible run helped propel Tennessee to its first NC the following year.