How can Gabby possibly get even better..??

[DavidinNaples]

While I have no doubt Gabby Williams will continue to improve until the day she graduates, she has come so far in her first three seasons, I'm not sure the results will be as dramatic as they have been. Simply put, she went from good, to great, to Gabbulous..!! Here are some stats to enjoy...

Minutes - Gabby played 591 minutes as a freshman, then 708 minutes her 2nd year. Last year that jumped to 1,075 minutes. The minutes per game average rose from 15.6 to 18.6 and then to 29.1 junior season. The thin bench, closer games and her dominating play kept her on the court last year. This season, maybe less than last year's minutes..?

Points - Once again, the improvement is off the charts. Freshman year Gabby scored 316 points. She improved slightly to 336 as a sophomore, on a team dominated by seniors Stewie, Tuck and Moriah. Williams exploded for 528 points without the big three, an improvement of 57%..!!!

Rebounds - Same story, with the first two seasons at 218 and 213. Then boom..!! Junior year with 309 total boards, including 104 offensive rebounds. That is a 45% increase in results..!

Assists - Hold on to your hats..! From 50 and 51 assists in seasons one and two, Gabby came within 1 assist of tying Moriah's junior year total of 191 assists. Gabby's 190 assists was an increase of 139 over her prior year, over 272% better..!! She was a point-center, with the offense running through her on most possessions.

Steals - Gabby has always been a basketball thief. She had a respectable 46 steals her first season and followed that with 72 two years ago. This most recent season, she robbed the ball 100 times..! That tied Moriah's 2nd best effort and was just short of the 105 MoJeff had her senior year. That's good company..!

Free throws - Quite frankly, her free throw shooting as a freshman was abysmal at 46.2% (42-91). Sophomore year she raised that to 75% on 42-56 shooting. This past season, the % fell slightly to 72.2%, but the number of made free throws went up to 91 in 126 tries. The only way to stop Gabby is to foul her.

Shooting % - This is a rare stat that actually falls for the Gabbulous one. First two years were 63.7%, then 63.6%. This past season Gabby fell to 58.1%, but the number of made basket went from 147 to 218. Considering all the minutes she played and everything else she was contributing, the slight drop is understandable.

After a season where Gabby had 52 blocked shots, 100 steals, 190 assists, 218 baskets, 309 rebounds and 528 points, can she play any better?? The answer is probably YES, but maybe the stats may not show the huge increases of the past. With a record of 113-2 in her first three seasons, stats don't matter to this Superstar..! It is all about the team and the title..!

Go Gabby..!!
Go Huskies..!!

 

[CocoHusky]

 

[trb123]

The easiest would be to grow a couple of inches.
Anybody here with Harry Potter's cellphone number?

 

[Huskee11]

Another great post David, and really eye opening!

Her shooting percentage may have gone down, but I will take 58.1% any day. It really should go down as her offense expands to different and more distant spots on the floor, and when she is called on to take tougher shots.

Where else can she improve? I have heard she is working on her outside shooting. She only took 6 threes last year, making one. Adding a more reliable outside shot would make her that much more devastating and would also increase her value at the "next level".

A stat you did not include was her 86 turnovers, most on the team and almost as many as Kia and Saniya combined. She is a terrific passer, as the 190 assists indicate, but I am sure she will want to cut down on the turnovers. My recollection, somewhat hazy, is that she had a tendency to force passes inside on occasion. (If only she were passing to herself!) Anyhow, a minor blemish on an otherwise historically great season!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Gabby has told us how she can get better. Banish the demon of self-doubt. Do that, Gabby, and soar higher in many things.

 

[Millenial23]

How is she a senior already?!?!?!?! And Kia?!?! 4 years have gone so fast!

 

[oldude]

As others have indicated, improve her shooting, cut down on TO's and also cut down on fouls. What is interesting is that Gabby improved in all of those areas from the start of last season to the end of last season.

If Gabby continues to improve this coming season, which I fully expect that she will, she will challenge A'ja Wilson for NPOY, imo.

 

[Kaizen]

If she decide to study a master or PH.D. degree in UConn.

 

[donalddoowop]

As others have indicated, improve her shooting, cut down on TO's and also cut down on fouls. What is interesting is that Gabby improved in all of those areas from the start of last season to the end of last season.

If Gabby continues to improve this coming season, which I fully expect that she will, she will challenge A'ja Wilson for NPOY, imo.

Wilson won't be the player she will have to beat out,imo.

 

[MilfordHusky]

If Gabby channels her inner Kaleena, she will be untouchable!

 

[oldude]

Wilson won't be the player she will have to beat out,imo.

OK, I'll bite. So who do you think Gabby will need to beat out?

 

[RockyMTblue2]

OK, I'll bite. So who do you think Gabby will need to beat out?

Herself? Or KLS. Or Phee? Heck, maybe Z. Truly, that is the way it is. Just pray that they remain true team mates and go after the Husky prize and let the rest of it take care of itself. We are looking at a season that will be remarkable I feel, though I wish we could put this team back in the old Big East and eliminate those who want to shoot at UConn because of their conference. The weakness of that argument, in the face of the strength of the OCC and (Hello) the championships make the naysayers pathetic.

 

[bballnut90]

Areas if improvement are all perimeter oriented--a consistent mid range jumper with a quicker release, a three point shot, and a pull-up jumper from 13-18 feet. That, and a more aggressive mindset to score will serve her well. Her transformation from her sophomore to junior season was simply remarkable. If her perimeter scoring is improved and she makes another big jump, she could challenge Wilson for the first pick next year purely based on rapid development and upside.

 

[Kaizen]

OK, I'll bite. So who do you think Gabby will need to beat out?

Kia? I think Kia may have a great 2017-2018 year....

 

[chrissaran]

It's difficult not to foul when you are guarding players 5,6, even 7 inches taller than you. With Z, her foul total will be less.

 

[Alydar]

I'm very glad that neither Williams nor her coaches shares the belief expressed by some on this thread that she has even approached the limit of her capabilities. I can't think of even one UConn AA who peaked after her third year.

I think the problem is that Gabby has shown us that she does some things on the court that no one else is capable of and as a result we think all facets of her game are at their peak.

Williams is driven to be "all she can be" and I'll wager she'll show us some new skills this season.

 

[JoePgh]

Areas if improvement are all perimeter oriented--a consistent mid range jumper with a quicker release, a three point shot, and a pull-up jumper from 13-18 feet. That, and a more aggressive mindset to score will serve her well. Her transformation from her sophomore to junior season was simply remarkable. If her perimeter scoring is improved and she makes another big jump, she could challenge Wilson for the first pick next year purely based on rapid development and upside.

I agree with all of this, and I would add that for her own personal career interest, it is very critical for her to develop a reliable jump shot from all over the court, out to the 3-point line or near it. In the WNBA, she will not be able to play in the paint. She will not be able to contend (either on defense or in rebounding) with the Tina Charles / Kiah Stokes types that every team has. She will have to play as a wing or as a guard, and to play as a wing or guard in the WNBA, you need to have a quality jump shot.

I think she knows that and will show it to us in the upcoming season.

 

[donalddoowop]

OK, I'll bite. So who do you think Gabby will need to beat out?

She plays in the same front court with her. NC.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

IMHO Gabby will be working on her outside shots and cutting down her turnovers! She also will make a huge effort to keep her self-confidence high and not have any doubts about her performance!

 

[Normqn]

It's not unusual that people who are concerned about their performance, perform well. Concern can drive preparation.

 

[huskeynut]

If Gabby can become a consistent scorer from the 8 foot to 20 foot range it will be huge!

Seems that Gabby is never satisfied with her performances and strives to improve every day and every practice.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

It's not unusual that people who are concerned about their performance, perform well. Concern can drive preparation.

And fear of failure is a huge motivator, at least according to one of its illustrious disciples: Geno Auriemma.

 

[hugefan]

Cut down her turnovers? SMH, she had 190 assists to 86 turnovers, I would say that is pretty darn good. She also improved the fouling situation considering how many minutes she played and who she was guarding. Geno trusted her with some fouls as she was able to defend still. Gabby also showed that she could hit a midrange shot, her shots were not all around the rim.

 

[Go/huskies]

I agree with all of this, and I would add that for her own personal career interest, it is very critical for her to develop a reliable jump shot from all over the court, out to the 3-point line or near it. In the WNBA, she will not be able to play in the paint. She will not be able to contend (either on defense or in rebounding) with the Tina Charles / Kiah Stokes types that every team has. She will have to play as a wing or as a guard, and to play as a wing or guard in the WNBA, you need to have a quality jump shot.

I think she knows that and will show it to us in the upcoming season.

Gabby is the female version of Kawhi Leonard, if she had to guard Charles/Stokes and not stop them but hope to contain them, Gabby can do it.

 

[UConnCat]

Geno spoke at the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce breakfast in the March of 2016 and talked briefly about the 2016-2017 season (w/out the big 3). He said the following:

"Gabby may be most athletic player not named Stewie in America. When she's got it going, there's nothing that kid can't do. . . For us to be great next year Gabby has to grow a lot in terms of believing in herself. When things don't quite go her way she's starts to question herself a little bit. . . She's a pretty good shooter. If she can keep making the same jumps she made from last year to this year and this year to next year, then we're going to be really, really good."

The guy sure knows his players and his team. Gabby did make that jump and the team was really, really good.