Gabby's assist numbers this season are truly special

[Scotter]

While it has been recognized that Gabby is leading the team in assists I think it has flown under the radar to some degree just how special Gabby's assist numbers are this season. If UConn plays through the national championship game she's right on pace to finish with 200 assists for the season. Renee Montgomery had a season with 199 assists, and Moriah Jefferson, Diana Taurasi. Jennifer Rizzotti, and Sue Bird each had one season with 200 or more assists. Gabby's 168 assists this season already puts her 12th on UConn's season single record list and only 5 assists away from tying Bria Hartley for the 9th spot. She already has the most assists in a season by a non-guard in program history.

There's a stat that estimates what percentage of a team's field goals are assisted by a player, which accounts for a player not being able to pass to her self. Moriah Jefferson had a lot more assists, but Maya Moore actually had a slightly higher assist percentage for example when you compare the players. Gabby's assist percentage is 29.9% this season. Meaning on average Gabby's assists on 3 out of every 10 UConn field goals when she is on the floor. Sue Bird set the UConn record in 2001-02 at 30.4%. That's also the only assist percentage better than Gabby's this season in UConn history!

It is safe to say that no one would have predicted that Gabby would be leading the team in assists before the season. And it is amazing how quickly her confidence grew. We saw her making the adjustment from picking up offensive fouls in the first few games to instead quickly kicking it out to shooters when she drove. We saw her quickly develop into the best post entry passer in the country. We saw her confidence in her ball handling continue to grow throughout the season as she more and more dribbled the ball up the court herself after a defensive rebound creating transition opportunities with her speed and then delivering the assist.

In the SNY All-Access show Geno makes a comment during a practice that Gabby looks like she wants to be an All-American, and it fittingly was in response to Gabby jumping up to catch a post entry pass and then in one motion delivering an assist to a cutting Samuelson for a layup before her feet even hit the ground. The type of instinctual athletic play in the tradition of Maya Moore and Kelly Faris the only two other players whose primary position wasn't guard to lead UConn in assists. I've always loved passing,especially from front court players. Rebecca Lobo's passing ability was part of what made me become a UConn fan, and perhaps not surprisingly Maya, Kelly, and Gabby are probably my top three favorite UConn players. Three players who have a lot traits in common, and after this season by Gabby and the growth she has shown those traits include extraordinary passing ability.

 

[CocoHusky]

Consider the below post from a different thread as great minds thinking alike.

Gabby, as Kib would say, is "beyond category."
The great Moriah Jefferson had 191 and 204 assists in her Lieberman Award years. Renee had 199 in her Lieberman Award season. Gabby is on pace for about 200 or so. Wow!

 

[UcMiami]

Great post, and for UConn 200 assists is a pretty magic number - not sure she will reach it, but even getting close is a significant achievement for a non-PG. What impresses me even more with her progression this year is how quickly she was able to eliminate the TOs that plagued her in the first month - I don't remember the exact number but her A/TO at the beginning of Dec was somewhere around 1.3 I think. She was making great passes, but also forcing a lot of passes (as well as getting called for offensive fouls and other infractions.) That she has been able to raise that A/TO to 2.27 is really significant. And it also means in 2017 her A/TO is probably about 3.0.

It is fun that having spent two years developing as a post player she is now reverting to some of her HS skills as the guard that she arrived out of HS as. I hope having put her toe in the water in terms of her jump shot this year she can really develop confidence in that and expand the range as a senior.

 

[1-of-the-6]

While it has been recognized that Gabby is leading the team in assists I think it has flown under the radar to some degree just how special Gabby's assist numbers are this season. If UConn plays through the national championship game she's right on pace to finish with 200 assists for the season. Renee Montgomery had a season with 199 assists, and Moriah Jefferson, Diana Taurasi. Jennifer Rizzotti, and Sue Bird each had one season with 200 or more assists. Gabby's 168 assists this season already puts her 12th on UConn's season single record list and only 5 assists away from tying Bria Hartley for the 9th spot. She already has the most assists in a season by a non-guard in program history.

There's a stat that estimates what percentage of a team's field goals are assisted by a player, which accounts for a player not being able to pass to her self. Moriah Jefferson had a lot more assists, but Maya Moore actually had a slightly higher assist percentage for example when you compare the players. Gabby's assist percentage is 29.9% this season. Meaning on average Gabby's assists on 3 out of every 10 UConn field goals when she is on the floor. Sue Bird set the UConn record in 2001-02 at 30.4%. That's also the only assist percentage better than Gabby's this season in UConn history!

It is safe to say that no one would have predicted that Gabby would be leading the team in assists before the season. And it is amazing how quickly her confidence grew. We saw her making the adjustment from picking up offensive fouls in the first few games to instead quickly kicking it out to shooters when she drove. We saw her quickly develop into the best post entry passer in the country. We saw her confidence in her ball handling continue to grow throughout the season as she more and more dribbled the ball up the court herself after a defensive rebound creating transition opportunities with her speed and then delivering the assist.

In the SNY All-Access show Geno makes a comment during a practice that Gabby looks like she wants to be an All-American, and it fittingly was in response to Gabby jumping up to catch a post entry pass and then in one motion delivering an assist to a cutting Samuelson for a layup before her feet even hit the ground. The type of instinctual athletic play in the tradition of Maya Moore and Kelly Faris the only two other players whose primary position wasn't guard to lead UConn in assists. I've always loved passing,especially from front court players. Rebecca Lobo's passing ability was part of what made me become a UConn fan, and perhaps not surprisingly Maya, Kelly, and Gabby are probably my top three favorite UConn players. Three players who have a lot traits in common, and after this season by Gabby and the growth she has shown those traits include extraordinary passing ability.

She's passes without flair, never seeming to force anything. She makes really solid decisions, followed by very accurate and catchable passes. She either leads players to where they need to go, or she puts the pass where only her teammate can get it. Gabby is not Larry Bird as a passer, but from where she stands, she could tap him on the shoulder.

 

[Wally East]

Great post!

Just to comment on two things. The use of the word "instinctual" seems to short change the amount of intelligence combined with the amount of work that goes into being able to make those passes.

Maya Moore and Kelly Faris the only two other players whose primary position wasn't guard to lead UConn in assists

Laura Lishness wasn't a guard and led the team in assists for three seasons, including during the team's first Final Four run

Also, according to the records, Kelly Faris played guard. The official roster lists her only as a guard each of her four seasons. She's listed at guard when she started and the box score noted her position. Yes, this sometimes meant a three- or even four-guard line-up.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Napheesa had a "hand" in a lot of Gabby's success

 

[maccca3232]

I was actually thinking about something related today, which is what UConn's PPP is when Gabby has the ball around the top of the key. She is a triple threat from that position (shoot, pass, dribble).

 

[Bestiarius]

Napheesa had a "hand" in a lot of Gabby's success

No doubt. If Napheesa were to compose an ad addressed to her teammates, it would read, "Pass the ball to me and increase your assists by 20 percent."

 

[Scotter]

Also, according to the records, Kelly Faris played guard. The official roster lists her only as a guard each of her four seasons. She's listed at guard when she started and the box score noted her position. Yes, this sometimes meant a three- or even four-guard line-up.

Kelly played the same role Gabby did offensively during the two years she led UConn in assists, and really defensively as well. UConn started "four guards" for the vast majority of the two years. Offensively Kelly the majority of the time played the same high post role that Gabby currently plays. When you're defending the 4 position on defense and playing the high post on offense you're not playing guard. Gabby was listed as just a "guard" on the roster the previous two years as well, but that's not what she was playing on the court.

 

[Scotter]

Napheesa had a "hand" in a lot of Gabby's success

Certainly true, but without Gabby, Napheesa's never getting the ball in many of those situations in the first place. As evidenced by the number of open opportunities for Gabby that are missed because the pass is never made into her. Gabby's not as good as Napheesa with her timing and positioning, but other players on the team also do not anticipate the passing opportunity in the way Gabby does.

 

[oldude]

One aspect of Gabby's game is that she is becoming a better passer. At the beginning of the season she had a relatively high number of TO's with her assists, as she would sometimes attempt to force passes through tight windows.

Gabby has significantly cut down on her TO's by making better decisions on the court. Not surprisingly, UConn leads the nation in A/TO ratio at 1.93. Next closest is Baylor at 1.62.

 

[Wally East]

Kelly played the same role Gabby did offensively during the two years she led UConn in assists, and really defensively as well. UConn started "four guards" for the vast majority of the two years. Offensively Kelly the majority of the time played the same high post role that Gabby currently plays. When you're defending the 4 position on defense and playing the high post on offense you're not playing guard. Gabby was listed as just a "guard" on the roster the previous two years as well, but that's not what she was playing on the court.

I probably should've added that Gabby was listed in the official roster that Gabby was listed as a guard her first two years and this year she's listed as a forward.

Anyway, just mentioned it for the sake of being ... pedantic, I guess?

 

[CocoHusky]

I probably should've added that Gabby was listed in the official roster that Gabby was listed as a guard her first two years and this year she's listed as a forward.
Anyway, just mentioned it for the sake of being ... pedantic, I guess?

You can't always trust that official roster, unless you actually believe that KML got shorter in her time at UCONN.

 

[Wally East]

You can't always trust that official roster, unless you actually believe that KML got shorter in her time at UCONN.

You don't think by the time someone is a senior they can get the position right?

 

[Scotter]

Great post!Laura Lishness wasn't a guard and led the team in assists for three seasons, including during the team's first Final Four run

I never saw that team play outside of highlights. Maybe you did? I know there are some pre-1995 fans here. From what I have read Lishness was referred to as a guard. I also know during those three years the post players were Kerry Bascom and Meghan Pattyson, which also leads me to believe Lishness was playing as a guard. I popped in my History of UConn DVD to try and get an answer. The highlights weren't extensive to be definitive, but Lishness definitely was playing in the post. Where she probably fits with Maya, Kelly, and Gabby is that I know she was the most athletic player on the team as evidenced my her triple double that went all those years as the only one in program history. Maybe someone who watched her play can clarify. I always like to learn more about the program's history.

 

[Wally East]

I never saw that team play outside of highlights. Maybe you did?

I did I saw a bunch of home games her junior year, my freshman year, and all of the home games plus the three road tournament games her senior year. I was in the band for the team, which was the first time the team had a band

Anyway, at the time, we thought of her as the team's version of Larry Bird. There were long stretches, especially in tight tournament games where it was her, Orly Grossman (an Israeli who played at UConn for one season), Wendy Davis, Meghan, and Kerry Bascom -- Debbie Baer, the team's point guard was a pass first, second, and third type of point guard, so it made it easy to double off of her and onto Kerry. So, he'd sit Debbie and let Laura run the point, which she did really well.

Today, someone would've made her a point guard, either by the time she got to college or in college.

It doesn't make any real difference one way or the other except that it's nice to have the contributions of players from that first Final Four remembered

 

[UcMiami]

Certainly true, but without Gabby, Napheesa's never getting the ball in many of those situations in the first place. As evidenced by the number of open opportunities for Gabby that are missed because the pass is never made into her. Gabby's not as good as Napheesa with her timing and positioning, but other players on the team also do not anticipate the passing opportunity in the way Gabby does.

The other side of that is that Napheesa truly has incredible hands and hand eye coordination - she turns a fair number of poorly thrown passes into brilliant assists because she almost never fumbles the ball and is able to go get poorly positioned passes. The number of times watching games where my first thought is 'why did you throw ... never mind, great pass!' when Gabby or one of her teammates has thrown the ball in Napheesa's general direction.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Consider the below post from a different thread as great minds thinking alike.

Scotter's mind is greater than mine, but I appreciate the props. Indeed, Gabby is a unique player. I love to watch her grab a rebound or steal, lead the break, and dish the ball for a layup. She looks like Magic Johnson.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The other side of that is that Napheesa truly has incredible hands and hand eye coordination - she turns a fair number of poorly thrown passes into brilliant assists because she almost never fumbles the ball and is able to go get poorly positioned passes. The number of times watching games where my first though is 'why did you throw ... never mind, great pass!' when Gabby or one of her teammates has thrown the ball in Napheesa's general direction.

At the beginning of the season, it seemed as if we made TOs on entry passes, because the passes were not quite accurate enough. I think our players were accustomed to throwing the ball to a 7'1" wingspan. Stewie turned a lot of mediocre passes into buckets over her career. Pheesa seems to do pretty much the same. Her hands are really, really good.

 

[UcMiami]

Scotter's mind is greater than mine, but I appreciate the props. Indeed, Gabby is a unique player. I love to watch her grab a rebound or steal, lead the break, and dish the ball for a layup. She looks like Magic Johnson.

Wow, so you saying Scotter has a big head! I think this should be reported to the mods for being a personal attack!

 

[Gus Mahler]

I never saw that team play outside of highlights. Maybe you did? I know there are some pre-1995 fans here. From what I have read Lishness was referred to as a guard. I also know during those three years the post players were Kerry Bascom and Meghan Pattyson, which also leads me to believe Lishness was playing as a guard. I popped in my History of UConn DVD to try and get an answer. The highlights weren't extensive to be definitive, but Lishness definitely was playing in the post. Where she probably fits with Maya, Kelly, and Gabby is that I know she was the most athletic player on the team as evidenced my her triple double that went all those years as the only one in program history. Maybe someone who watched her play can clarify. I always like to learn more about the program's history.

I did I saw a bunch of home games her junior year, my freshman year, and all of the home games plus the three road tournament games her senior year. I was in the band for the team, which was the first time the team had a band

Anyway, at the time, we thought of her as the team's version of Larry Bird. There were long stretches, especially in tight tournament games where it was her, Orly Grossman (an Israeli who played at UConn for one season), Wendy Davis, Meghan, and Kerry Bascom -- Debbie Baer, the team's point guard was a pass first, second, and third type of point guard, so it made it easy to double off of her and onto Kerry. So, he'd sit Debbie and let Laura run the point, which she did really well.

Today, someone would've made her a point guard, either by the time she got to college or in college.

It doesn't make any real difference one way or the other except that it's nice to have the contributions of players from that first Final Four remembered

I think what you guys are saying is that Lishness was a basketball player.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Scotter's mind is greater than mine, but I appreciate the props. Indeed, Gabby is a unique player. I love to watch her grab a rebound or steal, lead the break, and dish the ball for a layup. She looks like Magic Johnson.

 

[Phil]

You can't always trust that official roster, unless you actually believe that KML got shorter in her time at UCONN.

I know many people who got shorter when they became seniors