"Big Game" Gabby Williams

[oldude]

She will not win NPOY. She’s not going to be a consensus 1st team AA, and she may not even repeat as the NDPOY over her own teammate. But mark my word, at this particular point in the season, “BIG GAME” Gabby Williams is absolutely the very best player in women’s college basketball. Last season, whenever the Huskies faced a big game like ND, SC and MS St to name a few, Gabby was able to elevate her game to another level, filling up the stat sheet in every conceivable way. This season, it’s not been quite the same as Gabby has dealt with migraines, a painful hip flexor and some inconsistency.

Over the past few weeks, Gabby appears healthier and her level of play more consistent. Gabby played beautifully this past weekend in earning the Regional MOP Award for her play in UConn’s two wins over Duke & SC. Gabby started off both games by winning the opening tip, including over 6’5” likely NPOY A’ja Wilson. Gabby jumped passing lanes, blocked shots, pulled down rebounds, exploded to the basket for layups, set up her teammates with pinpoint passes and, perhaps most importantly, hit her jump shot. Geno has stated that, “If Gabby hits 52% of her jump shots, no one can beat us.” Well, guess what? Her jump shot has been coming around of late, and it was as good as ever in the blowout win over the Gamecocks.

In the FF, UConn will have to get by a very good ND team and then the winner of Louisville/MS St. UConn has already beaten ND, and while it was a close, come-from-behind victory, everyone should be reminded that Gabby was suffering from severe migraines during that game. She was ineffective in the 1st half and Geno sat her down for the entire 2nd half. In addition, Lou was injured and did not play almost all of the 4th qtr. With Gabby and Lou at full speed, along with the rest of the Huskies, I don’t see ND standing in the way of UConn playing in their 12th championship game.

As for the championship game, it really doesn’t matter who UConn ends up playing. UConn doesn’t lose national championship games, and “BIG GAME” Gabby Williams and her teammates are on a mission that will only end with a 12th banner hanging at Gampel.

 

[bleeckerhusky]

Also note that Lili Thompson scored 9 points for ND including 2, three-pointers, as UConn was staging its comeback. She is now injured and cannot play. So, UConn gains 2 players and ND loses 1.

 

[my2cents]

Old Dude summed it up perfectly.
Nobody in women's college basketball impacts a game in more areas than Gabby Williams.
She guards the post players , then goes out to steal the ball from the guards.
She rebounds, which will be very important against ND.
When she hits those open shots at the foul line, she becomes "unguardable", as she will just drive by you to the basket if you get close.
She gets more assists than anyone else.
In the first game, she had a migraine....the migraine will now be McGraw's, as she tries to stop Gabby.

 

[BostonCanuck]

Props to Geno and his staff, who foresaw something very special in Gabby and recruited her into the program. They went on to create an entirely new position for her (Gabby liked to joke last year that Coach was calling her his "center") that has never been seen before in basketball. They ultimately focused the team's entire offense around Big Game Gabby, who leads her team in assists this year. Who else other than Geno would have been astute enough to do that? He has developed this raw athletic talent into, yes, the best all-around basketball player in the country.

Props to Gabby too, who fully bought in and brings a mindset every bit as solid as her physical set.

 

[cohenzone]

Imagine if Geno hadn’t sat her out against Stanford her freshman year. She would be just an ordinary great player. The maestro and the lead violinist make great music.

 

[Kaizen]

I will really miss Gabby. I really love this lady.

 

[oldude]

Geno, Holly Rowe and others have commented on how special it is to watch Gabby play in person. I had good seats for the Regionals and got to see Gabby up close. If you had never seen a basketball game before, it only takes a few minutes to realize that there's one player on the court who is heads and tails more athletically gifted than anyone else, although Leona Odom from Duke does have some Gabulous qualities. But Gabby is just spectacular to watch with explosive quickness, lightning reflexes, incredible leaping ability, as well as speed and strength.

 

[Charliebball]

I wish Gabby would take that short jump shot more often..................she seems to defer to the other players a bit too much at times especially if the first couple don't go in.......................she has the quickness to get that shot in the lane anytime she wants to.................it would only make her driving that much more effective and force the defense away from the three point line were she to kick it back out...........

 

[Jbigfan]

I will really miss Gabby. I really love this lady.

There was something special about Gabby since she came to Uconn. She has been my favorite player of all time!

 

[BostonCanuck]

I wish Gabby would take that short jump shot more often...she seems to defer to the other players a bit too much at times especially if the first couple don't go in........she has the quickness to get that shot in the lane anytime she wants to.......it would only make her driving that much more effective and force the defense away from the three point line were she to kick it back out......

We saw some very encouraging signs of her doing just that in Albany. Gabby has three deadly options at her disposal whenever she gets the ball in the high-post. She can dish, she can drive, or she can shoot. She's become brilliant at making the right choice at any given moment, based on what the defense is giving her. Can't wait to see more of this in Columbus.

 

[oldude]

Another aspect of Gabby's outstanding play is her incredible creativity on the court. One of my favorite Gabulous plays from the Regionals was actually one that wasn't converted. Near the end of the 3rd qtr of the Duke game, Gabby positioned herself on offense in the low blocks to the right of the basket. She received the ball and glanced over her shoulder to see Z cutting down the lane. Gabby flipped the ball over her shoulder hitting Z with a perfect pass for her to catch the ball and lay it up all in one motion. Unfortunately, Z wasn't completely ready for the pass, so she caught it and came down, but her momentum took her slightly under the basket and she missed the layup.

Had Z converted the pass in one motion on the over the shoulder pass from Gabby, it would have been a highlight reel, Sports Center top 10 play that would have also brought down the house at the TUC.

 

[scubadog]

She will not win NPOY. She’s not going to be a consensus 1st team AA, and she may not even repeat as the NDPOY over her own teammate. But mark my word, at this particular point in the season, “BIG GAME” Gabby Williams is absolutely the very best player in women’s college basketball. Last season, whenever the Huskies faced a big game like ND, SC and MS St to name a few, Gabby was able to elevate her game to another level, filling up the stat sheet in every conceivable way. This season, it’s not been quite the same as Gabby has dealt with migraines, a painful hip flexor and some inconsistency.

Over the past few weeks, Gabby appears healthier and her level of play more consistent. Gabby played beautifully this past weekend in earning the Regional MOP Award for her play in UConn’s two wins over Duke & SC. Gabby started off both games by winning the opening tip, including over 6’5” likely NPOY A’ja Wilson. Gabby jumped passing lanes, blocked shots, pulled down rebounds, exploded to the basket for layups, set up her teammates with pinpoint passes and, perhaps most importantly, hit her jump shot. Geno has stated that, “If Gabby hits 52% of her jump shots, no one can beat us.” Well, guess what? Her jump shot has been coming around of late, and it was as good as ever in the blowout win over the Gamecocks.

In the FF, UConn will have to get by a very good ND team and then the winner of Louisville/MS St. UConn has already beaten ND, and while it was a close, come-from-behind victory, everyone should be reminded that Gabby was suffering from severe migraines during that game. She was ineffective in the 1st half and Geno sat her down for the entire 2nd half. In addition, Lou was injured and did not play almost all of the 4th qtr. With Gabby and Lou at full speed, along with the rest of the Huskies, I don’t see ND standing in the way of UConn playing in their 12th championship game.

As for the championship game, it really doesn’t matter who UConn ends up playing. UConn doesn’t lose national championship games, and “BIG GAME” Gabby Williams and her teammates are on a mission that will only end with a 12th banner hanging at Gampel.

Gabby is playing the best bb of her career right now. Hard to believe the Irish have anyone able to contain her right now. KLS is healthy and playing a great all around game. Guarding Mabrey and Ogunbowale should be the key, and Huskies should be able to do that and still match up with Shepard and Westbelt. Too much overplaying by UConn in the first game. Key is to keep Irish in front of them and guard the three point line. Box out. Z and MW are light years ahead of where they were in December.

 

[Centerstream]

I didn't notice this when I watched the game live on tv but did when I watched the replay but Gabby did go to the bench and had her hip worked on by the Trainer. She was only on the bench for a couple of minutes and definitely played like the effects were minor (easy for me to say).

 

[oldude]

I didn't notice this when I watched the game live on tv but did when I watched the replay but Gabby did go to the bench and had her hip worked on by the Trainer. She was only on the bench for a couple of minutes and definitely played like the effects were minor (easy for me to say).

I was seated behind the bench and while it may have looked like Gabby was having her hip worked on, it actually was her elbow, which was bleeding. The trainer was trying to stop the bleeding and then bandaged her up. At the same time, I believe some blood had gotten on Gabby's shorts and they were trying to blot it clean.

At first, I thought she was getting her hip worked on as well, until I saw more clearly that it was her elbow.

 

[eebmg]

As usual, Carl Ademac beat's his competition with the best stories. His reporting on Gabby as MOP (Most Outstanding Player) of the regional is fantastic on many levels including the use of the BY name change.

Huskies reach Final Four destination but journey not complete


SIMPLY 'GABULOUS'

Williams has been a leader on the Huskies in their tradition of messing up the hair of a postseason tournament MOP award winner. The tables were turned on her Monday night after she was honored but, as usual, Williams was prepared.


"There's a lot of gel in there, so they couldn't move it," Williams said with a laugh. "They tried."

During the game, South Carolina tried to contain Williams and the Gamecocks, too, had no success.


"She was amazing, as usual," Stevens said. "She had so much energy offensively, so much energy defensively. She really stepped up, but that's no surprise. That's what Gabby does."

It was the fifth straight postseason event that Williams has been named to the all-tournament team. A year ago she was recognized by the American Athletic Conference championship event and at the Bridgeport Regional and Final Four. She made the AAC all-tournament team earlier this month,

In four NCAA Tournament games, Williams has averaged 18.3 points on 73.9 percent shooting from the floor (34 for 46), 6.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. She is within three rebounds of 1,000 for her career and becoming the seventh member of UConn's 1,000/1,000 club.

"I felt good today, felt bouncy," Williams said with a smile. "I don't know if it's different than any other day. We were playing great team ball so I was able to get a lot of good movement.

"I want my teammates to know they can count on me. I don't know if that's reflected through a Most Outstanding Player award but rather by my teammates trust in me and through our ability to get things done. I never expected it. I never thought about it. It's not something any of us thinks about. I thought any of our starting five could have gotten that award."

 

[my2cents]

There are not enough adjectives to describe her outstanding play.
But if I can share one more thought?
Where she is today in terms of confidence vs as a freshman is really nice to see.
She is really a remarkable young woman.

 

[the Q]

She is the best player in the country.

But she won't win it.

But you also saw it last year, on the biggest stage. When everyone else played tight and scared, she was simply heroic. She basically willed the game into overtime.

I'm still baffled the ball wasn't in her hands at the high post for their last possession.

 

[oldude]

Just watched the SC game a 2nd time. As information, Gabby knocked down 4 of 5 jump shots. Geno is looking for 52% on Gabby's jump shots and he got 80%. That'll do nicely.

 

[CL82]

I spend a lot time just watching Gabby and everything she does off the ball. It really is fascinating in and of itself.

 

[Huskie78]

She will not win NPOY. She’s not going to be a consensus 1st team AA, and she may not even repeat as the NDPOY over her own teammate. But mark my word, at this particular point in the season, “BIG GAME” Gabby Williams is absolutely the very best player in women’s college basketball. Last season, whenever the Huskies faced a big game like ND, SC and MS St to name a few, Gabby was able to elevate her game to another level, filling up the stat sheet in every conceivable way. This season, it’s not been quite the same as Gabby has dealt with migraines, a painful hip flexor and some inconsistency.

Over the past few weeks, Gabby appears healthier and her level of play more consistent. Gabby played beautifully this past weekend in earning the Regional MOP Award for her play in UConn’s two wins over Duke & SC. Gabby started off both games by winning the opening tip, including over 6’5” likely NPOY A’ja Wilson. Gabby jumped passing lanes, blocked shots, pulled down rebounds, exploded to the basket for layups, set up her teammates with pinpoint passes and, perhaps most importantly, hit her jump shot. Geno has stated that, “If Gabby hits 52% of her jump shots, no one can beat us.” Well, guess what? Her jump shot has been coming around of late, and it was as good as ever in the blowout win over the Gamecocks.

In the FF, UConn will have to get by a very good ND team and then the winner of Louisville/MS St. UConn has already beaten ND, and while it was a close, come-from-behind victory, everyone should be reminded that Gabby was suffering from severe migraines during that game. She was ineffective in the 1st half and Geno sat her down for the entire 2nd half. In addition, Lou was injured and did not play almost all of the 4th qtr. With Gabby and Lou at full speed, along with the rest of the Huskies, I don’t see ND standing in the way of UConn playing in their 12th championship game.

As for the championship game, it really doesn’t matter who UConn ends up playing. UConn doesn’t lose national championship games, and “BIG GAME” Gabby Williams and her teammates are on a mission that will only end with a 12th banner hanging at Gampel.

 

[bbballfan23]

She is the best player in the country.

But she won't win it.

But you also saw it last year, on the biggest stage. When everyone else played tight and scared, she was simply heroic. She basically willed the game into overtime.

I'm still baffled the ball wasn't in her hands at the high post for their last possession.

I was saying that all game..get the ball to gabby at the high post and everyone else just space. They had no answe for her! I’m sure Geno had something going to her or possibly Pheesa/Lou on that last possession before our 5th option tried to play hero ball.

 

[the Q]

I will really miss Gabby. I really love this lady.

Bar none the best shoulders in WCBB. Maybe WBB period.

 

[MilfordHusky]

There was something special about Gabby since she came to Uconn. She has been my favorite player of all time!

Gabulous is on my short list of favorites.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Gabby is playing through some pain, but she is on the Maya Moore level of determination. We have Gabby, and the other teams don’t.

 

[Centerstream]

I was seated behind the bench and while it may have looked like Gabby was having her hip worked on, it actually was her elbow, which was bleeding. The trainer was trying to stop the bleeding and then bandaged her up. At the same time, I believe some blood had gotten on Gabby's shorts and they were trying to blot it clean.

At first, I thought she was getting her hip worked on as well, until I saw more clearly that it was her elbow.

Great!!!! Thanks for correcting me and clearing the situation up for me. Really appreciate it.