Gabby Williams All-American

[Gus Mahler]

At this point Gabby will retain the starting job barring injury, and in those games where Geno sees the matchup dictates it Butler will play heavy minutes and be first off the bench. She might not even be subbing in for Gabby.

Good point. I could see her subbing in for Tuck before she does for Gabby.

 

[ballhawk]

If we get to play Baylor in the playoffs a Gabby Williams-Nina Davis matchup would be worth the price of admission. Davis is another 5'11" scoring and rebounding phenomenon.

 

[Gabbyfan]

If you think about each of the 5 current starters in the context of what you expect of them, you will likely be generally satisfied with their performance so far...Stewie is Stewie....she can shoot from anyhere with confidence of a senior and rebound in the post area ( where she is only half of the time due to her perimeter preference), block shots and steal passes which I really think give all the Uconn players more pleasure than anything else. When you think of Mo , you think of her directing the offense like a true point guard and attacking the rim whenever she sees daylight (often when we don't), we expect a three every once in a while to keep her defenders honest. With Morgan, you expect the receipt of the pass into the interior and then the roll around the defender especially on the left side, and the layup that results. You also expect a few three point shots for points from her just like Mo. With Kia you expect drives to the basket with a outside jumpshot when given the chance and stellar defense along the perimeter. You expect no turnovers from her as she takes care of the ball like no other.

Now we come to Gabby....whatever we expect of her has been blown away by her performance these last two games. She defies expectation by doing whatever the game brings to her....by "making plays" as Geno describes. This is what is so special about Gabby....she can insert herself into the game flow in so many ways because of her foot speed and athleticsim...steals, rebounding (some in ways not seen in WBB), offensive rebounds followed with layups and defensive pressure that is superb. One area I think that is not mentioned as much is the bullet passes she makes after gaining possession that lead to transition and scores.
Her weakest area is where Stewie is the strongest...feeling comfortable making shots from anywhere on the court. I believe this will come with time, especially if others like Collier and Butler begin to absorb some of the rebounding load. Wow, we just don't know what to expect from Gabby just yet...and that is what Geno and the rest of us enjoy so much about her.

 

[TroyHouse66]

Her favorite comic book is Superwoman.

Gabby is from NEVADA!
Figure her favorite comic book is HOPalong Cassidy.....
(She was, undoubtedly, named after Gabby Hayes.)

 

[PhillyCoach]

I did, I even ran a poll, which Butler won easily. I voted for Williams though. Didn't know that she'd be this good, I was more going on her being a Soph. and able to play a slashing/posting 3.


I believe a little more goes into than that, at least in the 4x100. How good is their start and can they run the curve?


Unless Williams starts tanking, I can't see Geno replacing her. It's in her control now.

Meyers - Didn't realize I was speaking to someone with track experience. Good points on the 4x100. My thoughts were on the 4x400 and specifically the bunch/group starts at the Penn Relays. For those who never attended a Penn Relays (30 to 40 thousand fans) there could be up to 12 teams running and all the first men/lead-off are bunched at the starting line. There is a lot of banging and rough positioning. This is not the standard staggered start. One needs an explosive and strong start to break through the pack and get a lead. A big lead could break down the other teams--just like UConn basketball with Gabby starting.
You make good points as usual!!

 

[Wally East]

Her favorite comic book is Superwoman.

I usually resist the urge to be pedantic but it's much harder when it comes to comics.

There's no comic Superwoman. There's Supergirl, who, actually is close to Gabby's age.

Superwoman, as a character, has appeared a few times in different incarnations (the last time, she fought Supergirl), but hasn't been a consistent, permanent character.

/Comics Guy

 

[MilfordHusky]

I understand there's a young recruit out there that we are beginning to look at. She is apparently uber-athletic and has been described as a cross between Gabby Williams and Tiffany Hayes. Her name is Gabby Hayes.

 

[Kaizen]

I usually resist the urge to be pedantic but it's much harder when it comes to comics.

There's no comic Superwoman. There's Supergirl, who, actually is close to Gabby's age.

Superwoman, as a character, has appeared a few times in different incarnations (the last time, she fought Supergirl), but hasn't been a consistent, permanent character.

/Comics Guy

Superwoman is the name of several fictional characters from DC Comics. Most of them are, like Supergirl, women with powers similar to those of Superman. The name was trademarked by Detective Comics,[1] to prevent competitors from using it. As was the practice, an ashcan copy was created with the title of Superwoman. The cover was a reproduction of More Fun Comics,[2] with the interior being a reprint of the third issue.[3] The first true appearance of Superwoman was in Action Comics.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superwoman

 

[huskeynut]

Do I expect Gabby to get any AA recognition - no. Stewie, Mo and Morgan will get the bulk with a small dash of Kia. I do expect Gabby, if she continues to perform, a lot of AAC talk and consideration.

Gabby would probably just like another national championship.

Anyway, I'll just sit back and enjoy Gabby's game.

 

[bramos]

Warmups. Warmups. Really?[/QUOTE]

Are you channeling your Iverson here?.. Practice? We're talking Practice?

 

[NewCorn]

Yea, but as most people on here seem to believe, when Butler gets back, Williams will be relegated back to the bench. Hard to make an AA team from the bench.

Butler will have to channel Dolson to pull that off.

 

[chrissaran]

I too thought Natalie would start; however, unless there's a need for a change, there's no reason to make a change. At this point Gabby is the starter. As for the AA talk being premature that's so not true. We saw what Gabby could do last year, and she missed a lot of her junior and senior seasons in high school. With a full summer to practice, she's already shown marked improvement. As for the competition, Ohio St. was ranked sixth and Kansas St. is going to surprise a lot of people. One of their best players was nowhere near 100%. Natalie will get minutes subbing for Breanna and Morgan, so as not to wear them out by tournament time. Also, there maybe be bigger lineups where her physical play will be needed as a starter. Lewis wouldn't have gotten many of the rebounds she did with Natalie in there. There was one sequence where she just went over the UConn players at will.

 

[Kaizen]

I am very, very happy either Gabby or Butler starts.
Gabby has 16 pts and 12 rebounds in 23 mins last night that I really cannot ask more.
Adding a health Butler to the team is an extra bonus God gives to us.....

 

[Huskies Rule]

As a Catholic I've been taught that it is the SIN of GLUTEN Y to have so much and get and want more. But I hope we just keep sinning.

Kibitzer must be on vacation to have missed this: gluten(y) refers to plant proteins in cereal grains like wheat, rye. I think you were going for gluttony- greedy, excessive overindulgence.

I don't think the Catholic church canons have a problem with gluten

 

[Huskies Rule]

Though I'll surely face excommunication, I'm hoping Gabby will further develop her basketball repertoire,
put an end to the 10-15 foot make herself unguardable and raise her game to AA heights.

Funny, I've always thought shooting was the easiest part of the game because it was the most fun to practice and get better at.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Kibitzer must be on vacation to have missed this: gluten(y) refers to plant proteins in cereal grains like wheat, rye. I think you were going for gluttony- greedy, excessive overindulgence.

I don't think the Catholic church canons have a problem with gluten

Let them eat cake!!! Thanks for the fixing of my post.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Yea, but as most people on here seem to believe, when Butler gets back, Williams will be relegated back to the bench. Hard to make an AA team from the bench.

I doubt MOST or especially Geno thinks Gabby will be taking a back seat to Natalie. He may play mix and match with those two, if Butler fits as well as expected. If her (Gabby) PT drops, that too may have a negative impact on AA. Then I among others shall have tears of sadness.
Surely---you are pulling my newly replaced leg, yes I know you are Meyers7, not Shirley..

 

[MJL243]

Geno on Gabby: "I don't know who you can compare Gabby to, We haven't had anyone like her since Tamika Williams and that's a long time ago. Gabby is even different than Tamika was. I don't know, Lawrence Taylor? She's everywhere."

 

[magic]

Are you saying Ohio State isn't. That DePaul is better than Ohio State? Williams did pretty well against them.


Probably a little. However if she continues to improve over the next couple of years, like she has this last year, we can at least talk.

What I'm trying to say , is that so far, she has played against like size opponents. Her athleticism has allowed her to dominate. Soon we will be playing teams that will try to force us to play from the outside -in. I am a little concerned about our outside shooting at this point. This is not a direct knock on Gabby. But, we do have a void in that aspect of the game. It may become a necessity to fill this void as a team. KML stretched defenses because of her dangerous prowess. If Stewie has to roam more on the perimeter, someone will need to fill the void in the lane.

 

[CocoHusky]

Someone has got to help me with this concept of taking a 64% shooter (Gabby) into a perimeter jump shooter.
Malpractice much?

 

[Kibitzer]

Kibitzer must be on vacation to have missed this:.

I don't think the Catholic church canons have a problem with gluten

I'm still here -- ready to start tootin' when them canons start shootin' gluten.

 

[meyers7]

Warmups. Warmups. Really?

Are you channeling your Iverson here?.. Practice? We're talking Practice?[/QUOTE]
Ahh yep.

 

[meyers7]

What I'm trying to say , is that so far, she has played against like size opponents.

What teams are going to be bigger? K State started 4 players 6-0 or bigger. How many teams are going to start a 6-2 or bigger #3? S. Carolina doesn't, ND doesn't, Baylor doesn't, TN doesn't.

She might play against more talented teams, but nobody's really gonna be any bigger.

 

[magic]

What teams are going to be bigger? K State started 4 players 6-0 or bigger. How many teams are going to start a 6-2 or bigger #3? S. Carolina doesn't, ND doesn't, Baylor doesn't, TN doesn't.

She might play against more talented teams, but nobody's really gonna be any bigger.

No, but since her game right now is " in the lane", she will be battling against players that are bigger. I have seen her pass up several open looks from 15 ft. Kind of like KF but way more athletic. If you recall, teams would just pack it in and leave KF open to shoot .

 

[meyers7]

No, but since her game right now is " in the lane", she will be battling against players that are bigger. I have seen her pass up several open looks from 15 ft. Kind of like KF but way more athletic. If you recall, teams would just pack it in and leave KF open to shoot .

Bigger than what? She's already battled against 6-2, 6-5, 6-3 players in the lane. She's not normally going to be guarded by the 4 or 5 anyway unless the teams are playing a zone. And then that gives her room to use her quickness.

She'll be fine.