For Any other Coach, Would Gabby Have Been A Forward?

[JoePgh]

After Gabby's performance tonight, I thought back to when she first arrived on campus. Everyone, on the Boneyard and elsewhere, assumed that she would be a guard. After all, she is fast and she is 5-11. I think Gabby assumed that also. Before the first month of practice was over, Geno had decided that she would be a forward at UConn, making a typical comment to the effect that "she can't shoot; she can't pass; and she can't handle the ball", so maybe it would be better if she weren't a guard. Never mind that the team two years ago was very guard-heavy.

Gabby said, "I've got no choice but to trust him", and she started posting up, seeming very out of place since she had never done that in high school.

And then, a couple of years later, she has a game like she had tonight, going head-to-head against Briana Turner and narrowly winning that battle (but certainly not dominating Turner).

Probably every other coach in the country would never have given a thought to what position Gabby would play, and would have lived with her inadequate outside shooting for a guard and (until this year) her questionable passing and ball handling. She might have ended up being a 4-year bench player as a guard for any other good team. Other coaches (the one in Knoxville?) would not have wanted to deal with getting her to buy in to doing something that was out of her comfort zone, even if it was in the best interest of the team.

It says something good about Gabby that she did buy in without histrionics or any visible disruption to the team. It says something great about Geno that he saw that potential and had the willfulness to follow through on it.

 

[JavaMan]

After Gabby's performance tonight, I thought back to when she first arrived on campus. Everyone, on the Boneyard and elsewhere, assumed that she would be a guard. After all, she is fast and she is 5-11. I think Gabby assumed that also. Before the first month of practice was over, Geno had decided that she would be a forward at UConn, making a typical comment to the effect that "she can't shoot; she can't pass; and she can't handle the ball", so maybe it would be better if she weren't a guard. Never mind that the team two years ago was very guard-heavy.

Gabby said, "I've got no choice but to trust him", and she started posting up, seeming very out of place since she had never done that in high school.

And then, a couple of years later, she has a game like she had tonight, going head-to-head against Briana Turner and narrowly winning that battle (but certainly not dominating Turner).

Probably every other coach in the country would never have given a thought to what position Gabby would play, and would have lived with her inadequate outside shooting for a guard and (until this year) her questionable passing and ball handling. She might have ended up being a 4-year bench player as a guard for any other good team. Other coaches (the one in Knoxville?) would not have wanted to deal with getting her to buy in to doing something that was out of her comfort zone, even if it was in the best interest of the team.

It says something good about Gabby that she did buy in without histrionics or any visible disruption to the team. It says something great about Geno that he saw that potential and had the willfulness to follow through on it.

Bravo!

 

[Icebear]

There were aspects of the game in which she did dominate Turner, unexpected ones, like tenacity to the ball on the boards. Besides Gabby's rebounds she regularly deprived Turner of rebounds keeping them live.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

Nice post. However, if you ask Geno, he will tell you that she is a basketball player, that he doesn't recruit or coach to a position...for the most part. Obviously he isn't going to try and make Dangerfield a center, but he IS going to see that she is taught how to think like one, which is why we have guards that block out other team's post players effectively, and post players who can out-pass most guards.

 

[ricky]

I believe Geno knows who Vinnie Johnson is.

 

[Kmoney]

I still remember her "deer in the headlights" look she had in the Championship game against ND in 2015. She has come along way from that. Now she is the deer hunter.

I am so proud of her commitment to best using her talents.

 

[Huskee11]

Perfection is a word that oftentimes shows up in connection with the program. I think greatness is more accurate, though.

I don't think calling someone a perfectionist is giving him or her a compliment. Why? Because it is impossible to be perfect and endeavoring to be so actually results in lack of risk taking and growth. It results in "imperfect" behavior.

In their quest for greatness, the players on this team have been willing to get out of their comfort zones and do different things. Not easy to do on a big stage like this. Like Gabby learning a new position, or Lou emulating Rip Hamilton. At times it won't be "perfect", might even look downright bad, but in the end it will be very, very good.

They all seem to have something they can fall back on that they already do really well. In Gabby's case, it is her defensive abilities fueled by her athleticism and competitiveness. Ogunbowale is a top level offensive player, but when Gabby was checking her she had no chance. And Gabby was also able to outplay Turner inside. Amazing!

BTW, noticed Geno had Nurse on Mabrey down the stretch, even though Mabrey was having a miserable night. Geno probably figured Mabrey was the player most likely to be able to shoot ND back into it at that point and he wasn't about to let that happen.

 

[CocoHusky]

@JoePgh great post.
When Gabby was in the process of converting from Guard to PF ( The power part is really important), Napheesa Collier was making up her mind about coming to UCONN.
At the time Napheesa (a wing) said: "Inside outside, it doesn't matter, I'll play where ever they want me". Napheesa has also become a pretty good PF-did I mention that the power part is really important.
I agree with your assessment that Gabby won the battle against Turner but did not dominate. What is remarkable about that is that Gabby won the Turner battle at all. Gabby started off the game guarding Arike which allowed
UCONN to get off to a good start & switched back to Arike at the start of the second half. Arike finished the game 4 of 14 & was 0 for 6 with Gabby guarding her. That Arike scalp on Gabby's belt might have been more important than the close shaving she handed to Turner.

 

[huskeynut]

What Geno is doing/ has done is recruit players who can play multiple positions like Gabby, Pheesa, Lou and Kia.

Gabby, as discussed, is a guard who now plays the 5, 4, 3, and could play a little 2. Both on offense and defense. Gabby is now the nightmare every team has to deal with.

 

[UcMiami]

@JoePgh great post.
When Gabby was in the process of converting from Guard to PF ( The power part is really important), Napheesa Collier was making up her mind about coming to UCONN.
At the time Napheesa (a wing) said: "Inside outside, it doesn't matter, I'll play where ever they want me". Napheesa has also become a pretty good PF-did I mention that the power part is really important.
I agree with your assessment that Gabby won the battle against Turner but did not dominate. What is remarkable about that is that Gabby won the Turner battle at all. Gabby started off the game guarding Arike which allowed
UCONN to get off to a good start & switched back to Arike at the start of the second half. Arike finished the game 4 of 14 & was 0 for 6 with Gabby guarding her. That Arike scalp on Gabby's belt might have been more important than the close shaving she handed to Turner.

Does that sound like a Uconn recruit or what!

 

[Papa33]

What Geno is doing/ has done is recruit players who can play multiple positions like Gabby, Pheesa, Lou and Kia.

Gabby, as discussed, is a guard who now plays the 5, 4, 3, and could play a little 2. Both on offense and defense. Gabby is now the nightmare every team has to deal with.

Anyone note how often the ball was in Gabby's hands at the top of the key? Really, really often. That's where Stef often put herself (hi-high post) to do her passing magic, and Gabby is looking to pass from there, but her ability and threat to drive (which will increase as she gathers more confidence and success) gives her some room and time to find cutters. It's another dimension to her game and to her team's options.

 

[meyers7]

And then, a couple of years later, she has a game like she had tonight, going head-to-head against Briana Turner and narrowly winning that battle (but certainly not dominating Turner).

Turner had a pretty good game too.

## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
11 Brianna Turner...... f 7-14 0-0 2-2 8 4 12 2 16 3 0 2 1 36

15 Williams, Gabby..... f 7-17 0-1 5-6 4 8 12 1 19 6 2 2 5 40

 

[CocoHusky]

Anyone note how often the ball was in Gabby's hands at the top of the key? Really, really often. That's where Stef often put herself (hi-high post) to do her passing magic, and Gabby is looking to pass from there, but her ability and threat to drive (which will increase as she gathers more confidence and success) gives her some room and time to find cutters. It's another dimension to her game and to her team's options.

You Sir qualify as an official basketball junkie- of the best kind. This was copied from another thread.

So true. Was thinking of starting a separate thread: The Genius that is Geno. Only real basketball junkies need apply.

Chapter 1: Did you happen to notice?
Geno has a young PG in Dangerfield and a combo guard in Nurse. In order to buy some time for his young PG to grow up he deploys his best post player ( a former guard) to the high post and runs the offense exclusively through her resulting in assists totals of 10, 6 , 6 in three consecutive games against ranked teams.

PS MM I'm going to need you to do better, you should have seen this coming.

 

[Papa33]

You Sir qualify as an official basketball junkie- of the best kind. This was copied from another thread.

Darn-- missed that, and I usually give particular attention to your perspicacious posts.

 

[Aluminny69]

Turner had a pretty good game too.

## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
11 Brianna Turner. f 7-14 0-0 2-2 8 4 12 2 16 3 0 2 1 36

15 Williams, Gabby..... f 7-17 0-1 5-6 4 8 12 1 19 6 2 2 5 40

I'm not sure why Butler didn't play in the second half. I thought Natalie did a good job guarding ND bigs. Although I don't know what her stats were.

 

[chrissaran]

Icebear, I couldn't agree more. Gabby's stat line: 19 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, five steals and two blocks. That's as dominating as it gets, and she was giving away 4 inches to Brianna Turner. Most of Turner's points came at the end when the game was decided. I don't know if we'll ever see her healthy. Gabby's made a remarkable comeback from two knee surgeries. Now we have three potential AA candidates: Gabby, Lou and Pheesa. GO Huskies! Woof!

 

[CocoHusky]

I'm not sure why Butler didn't play in the second half. I thought Natalie did a good job guarding ND bigs. Although I don't know what her stats were.

Nat did a good job of guarding the bigs but the UCONN offense sort of bog down. 8 minutes, 3 Assists, 4 rebounds and 2 assists on the positive side but 3 TO, 2 PF on the negative. I'm not sure she plays at all in the first half if Napheesa was not in foul trouble.

 

[shizam]

That defensive steal Williams made and went the length of the court at the end of the 3rd qua was a dandy. I've seen steals but that one was special. The anticipation was great but the speed was the difference. Then leaping over people for rebounds cleanly over and over was really something. She changed the perplexion of the game in less than a minute at the end of the 3rd quarter. The end of the 3rd qu UConn reminded me of a boxer that is trading blows for 8 rounds and then with a flurry dazes their opponent they can't recover from.

 

[shizam]

Icebear, I couldn't agree more. Gabby's stat line: 19 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, five steals and two blocks. That's as dominating as it gets, and she was giving away 4 inches to Brianna Turner. Most of Turner's points came at the end when the game was decided. I don't know if we'll ever see her healthy. Gabby's made a remarkable comeback from two knee surgeries. Now we have three potential AA candidates: Gabby, Lou and Pheesa. GO Huskies! Woof!

I noticed the same thing. Turner's points and nice shots were coming with 7 minutes left in the game. I haven't watched enough ND but the big games I have she has started very slow. Stanford in tourney, Louisville and UConn twice. Maybe not enough sample.

 

[shizam]

After Gabby's performance tonight, I thought back to when she first arrived on campus. Everyone, on the Boneyard and elsewhere, assumed that she would be a guard. After all, she is fast and she is 5-11. I think Gabby assumed that also. Before the first month of practice was over, Geno had decided that she would be a forward at UConn, making a typical comment to the effect that "she can't shoot; she can't pass; and she can't handle the ball", so maybe it would be better if she weren't a guard. Never mind that the team two years ago was very guard-heavy.

Gabby said, "I've got no choice but to trust him", and she started posting up, seeming very out of place since she had never done that in high school.

And then, a couple of years later, she has a game like she had tonight, going head-to-head against Briana Turner and narrowly winning that battle (but certainly not dominating Turner).

Probably every other coach in the country would never have given a thought to what position Gabby would play, and would have lived with her inadequate outside shooting for a guard and (until this year) her questionable passing and ball handling. She might have ended up being a 4-year bench player as a guard for any other good team. Other coaches (the one in Knoxville?) would not have wanted to deal with getting her to buy in to doing something that was out of her comfort zone, even if it was in the best interest of the team.

It says something good about Gabby that she did buy in without histrionics or any visible disruption to the team. It says something great about Geno that he saw that potential and had the willfulness to follow through on it.

As great as it was the job she did against Turner who does she guard against South Carolina. That is a different animal. Turner is tall but definitely not physical. I'm sure she'll find a way. That's right I heard they invented something called a zone defense a few years ago.

 

[shizam]

Nice post. However, if you ask Geno, he will tell you that she is a basketball player, that he doesn't recruit or coach to a position...for the most part. Obviously he isn't going to try and make Dangerfield a center, but he IS going to see that she is taught how to think like one, which is why we have guards that block out other team's post players effectively, and post players who can out-pass most guards.

Good sign if Dangerfield is already doing that. Jude Shimmel would box out posts or forwards a lot even at her size. Instinctual almost. Was great to see. Wonder who the best rebounding guard in college basketball is? If Gabby was a guard no question about it.

 

[HardHatGuy#2]

Nat did a good job of guarding the bigs but the UCONN offense sort of bog down. 8 minutes, 3 Assists, 4 rebounds and 2 assists on the positive side but 3 TO, 2 PF on the negative. I'm not sure she plays at all in the first half if Napheesa was not in foul trouble.

My observation is that Geno like to use Nat as a calming factor for the team. When they get frazzled, he puts her in the game, and it is like the whole team takes a chill-pill; they relax, reset, and get back to fundamental UConn basketball. Kind of a Big Sister factor.

At least that is what I am seeing from them.

 

[UcMiami]

I'm not sure why Butler didn't play in the second half. I thought Natalie did a good job guarding ND bigs. Although I don't know what her stats were.

I think she did OK, but Uconn's defense overall became more difficult because with Collier, Williams, and Samuelson in they were switching on all screens but with Nat, they really didn't't want her getting exposed guarding Allen or Arika on switches. - And ND seemed much more comfortable dealing with a traditional center at both ends of the floor - they were getting the ball to Turner more often and in better position, and she was more comfortable moving and shooting. On defense Turner kept getting lost dealing with Collier and Williams and was much happier facing Butler.

The same is true for Butler - she prefers playing against big centers, rather than lots of quick pesky undersize forwards.

 

[Icebear]

Nice post. However, if you ask Geno, he will tell you that she is a basketball player, that he doesn't recruit or coach to a position...for the most part. Obviously he isn't going to try and make Dangerfield a center, but he IS going to see that she is taught how to think like one, which is why we have guards that block out other team's post players effectively, and post players who can out-pass most guards.

Gabby was always likely to be a 2/3. She ended up a 3/4. Not so much of a stretch.

 

[hussybulldog]

Yes, I would think for any coach with a team rich with guards but lack of length, her leaping ability would automatically be considered useful close to the rim.

After Gabby's performance tonight, I thought back to when she first arrived on campus. Everyone, on the Boneyard and elsewhere, assumed that she would be a guard. After all, she is fast and she is 5-11. I think Gabby assumed that also. Before the first month of practice was over, Geno had decided that she would be a forward at UConn, making a typical comment to the effect that "she can't shoot; she can't pass; and she can't handle the ball", so maybe it would be better if she weren't a guard. Never mind that the team two years ago was very guard-heavy.

Gabby said, "I've got no choice but to trust him", and she started posting up, seeming very out of place since she had never done that in high school.

And then, a couple of years later, she has a game like she had tonight, going head-to-head against Briana Turner and narrowly winning that battle (but certainly not dominating Turner).

Probably every other coach in the country would never have given a thought to what position Gabby would play, and would have lived with her inadequate outside shooting for a guard and (until this year) her questionable passing and ball handling. She might have ended up being a 4-year bench player as a guard for any other good team. Other coaches (the one in Knoxville?) would not have wanted to deal with getting her to buy in to doing something that was out of her comfort zone, even if it was in the best interest of the team.

It says something good about Gabby that she did buy in without histrionics or any visible disruption to the team. It says something great about Geno that he saw that potential and had the willfulness to follow through on it.

 

[MilfordHusky]

What Geno is doing/ has done is recruit players who can play multiple positions like Gabby, Pheesa, Lou and Kia.

Gabby, as discussed, is a guard who now plays the 5, 4, 3, and could play a little 2. Both on offense and defense. Gabby is now the nightmare every team has to deal with.

Mo's successor as DPOY??

 

[MilfordHusky]

As great as it was the job she did against Turner who does she guard against South Carolina. That is a different animal. Turner is tall but definitely not physical. I'm sure she'll find a way. That's right I heard they invented something called a zone defense a few years ago.

SC is like Baylor.

 

[MilfordHusky]

That defensive steal Williams made and went the length of the court at the end of the 3rd qua was a dandy. I've seen steals but that one was special. The anticipation was great but the speed was the difference. Then leaping over people for rebounds cleanly over and over was really something. She changed the perplexion of the game in less than a minute at the end of the 3rd quarter. The end of the 3rd qu UConn reminded me of a boxer that is trading blows for 8 rounds and then with a flurry dazes their opponent they can't recover from.

Gabby's energy was like that of Mo or Kelly in their best games.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I'm not sure why Butler didn't play in the second half. I thought Natalie did a good job guarding ND bigs. Although I don't know what her stats were.

I think Nat had trouble hanging onto passes and rebounds. Pheesa was the better option. The team was about -7 without Pheesa and +19 with her.

 

[tkaes]

I think Nat had trouble hanging onto passes and rebounds. Pheesa was the better option. The team was about -7 without Pheesa and +19 with her.

Butler has just about the worst hands of any basketball player I can ever remember going back to the mid-fifties. Combine that with the fact that her feet are almost always glued to the floor so that she loses rebounds to women much shorter than her and therefore she's just too big of a risk in a game like this until either Gabby or Pheesa got their fourth foul. The point differential with Pheesa on the bench that you cite clearly indicates the need for Geno to play Gabby and Pheesa as many minutes as they could remain standing. Since they are both great athletes and obviously in great shape, there was probably very little chance of them not remaining standing regardless of how tired they might have been.

Having said all that, Butler has and will continue to have an important role against a number of the real bigs UCONN faces.