I mean Gabby would score more points on Washington than Kelsey Plum on Uconn ...
I think you nailed this assessment!
Does Gabby earn AA status in your view?
Now correlate Gabby's ppg to winning margin. It would seem she scores more in the closer games. Perhaps she should score less so UConn can win by more.
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) in 2014.
I really love how Gabby has evolved since the end of last season. She obviously always had great athletic ability but her skill level has really shot off the charts. She has almost completely eliminated all the weaknesses in her game, shooting being one of the most glaring, and she doesn't ever seem to slow down at any point in the game. I still think that with many people on the Boneyard, the next thing I'm prepared to hear them say is "Breanna WHO?" and coronate her at the GOAT! She's playing great and I love her impact on this team but come on!!!!! Some of the superlatives being thrown out are a bit much. She had little impact her first year and though we saw good improvements and more minutes from her last year, she seldom was the player anyone was talking about except for maybe a rare moment when her amazing athleticism WOWED us. Now to hear talk of her, you'd think she was a combination of Maya and a few other of our greatest players. She deserves recognition (LOTS) but the reason she can capture our attention and be so effective is that there's KLS and Napheesa and others drawing attention because of their high skill levels. I think we ought to SLOW DOWN the Gabby train just a bit though I'm really amazed at the work she's done on her game to be playing the way she is right now. I guess all I'm saying is "be real" and hold off on the anointment, for now.
Gabby has taken over a couple of key games this year but hasn't Napheesa done so, as well? Hasn't KLS been the dagger in a couple key wins for this team? There is a dispute by more than a few people as to who is the best player on THIS TEAM and yet, you think she should be THE player of the YEAR over everyone, including players on teams who you probably haven't even seen play. I get that you like her and she's been playing amazingly. She's a much more athletic version of Kelly Faris who so many people here loved for her high energy and her well rounded game, so what's not to love but as has been mentioned, she's had great teammates who have drawn attention from defenders that have allowed Gabby to do some of the things she has done. How can you key on Gabby when you have Napheesa and KLS and Kia and a much more confident Saniya, along with a very skilled though still evolving Crystal. Who do you think is the focus of defenses when Washington is playing, besides Plum??? I think she probably has some adequate teammates but who would you focus on as the coach of an opposing team???? How can you strictly focus on Gabby when there's so much other talent on this team????
The Gabby Train is leaving the station! Better jump on board now. Chooooooo choooooooo!
Now contemplate who you think the opposing coaches in those "closer games" were forcused on stopping when the game began and figure out how at the end of those games, the advantage to score goes to the most athletic player because you need to press and make stops. How many late game points has Gabby scored, as a result of that type effort. Numbers can be distorted, in a number of ways and though I know in this South Carolina game, Gabby was awesome from start to finish, I feel that in a couple of the other "close games" she got easy buckets late due to the focus on KLS and Napheesa that padded her score sheet. Gabby is great but as I said earlier, there is a big question on this board whether she's the best player on THIS TEAM. Her game is wonderfully well rounded because of her athleticism and her high energy levels and the improvement in her skills but how often is Gabby THE FOCUS of the opposing teams when they play the Huskies?
Good point as to who you might pick on just this team. Would you march in the streets if KLS was Conference POY? If Napheesa was? If Gabby was? I would say NO! All three have played marvelously and Kia has been pretty darned good, as well, though not THAT GOOD!
As I said, voters see highlights and stats and get a sense of the supporting cast on some of these teams. At first glance, who do you think has a better supporting cast and who do you think has a bigger responsibility (Role) to their team's success? Plum does and I don't think it's even close, do you? If you took Gabby and Plum and switched them, how much success would they have on their new teams? Gabby would be absolutely the focus of everyone they played and be doubled up, all the time. If you don't think it's easier to be successful playing on the Huskies, with the starting lineup Gabby plays with, than we obviously see things much differently.
I never said Gabby's offense is better than Plum.
