Piath Gabriel

[Blakeon18]

Just wondering about Piath:

She obviously is not in the regular rotation but when she does get in I see an athlete.
She is 6'5"...or about that...correct? I think she runs the floor beautifully...given her height.
She runs very smoothly and with excellent speed....imo. Liv runs the court well for her size...my impression is that Piath exceeds that.

We know that 'bigs' tend to take longer to develop. Piath is raw in lots of areas but her occasional appearances show flashes of offense and defense.
UConn practices will help her develop. In terms of bigs...we have LIv back next year as a senior/Aaliyah as a soph/Amari as a frosh.
I wonder if Piath and Geno might have a chat about her taking a developmental redshirt next year....both for the team and her own benefit.
Practicing against the other bigs for another full year might put Piath in a great position to be in the regular rotation the following year with Liv gone...Aaliyah a junior...Amari a soph and Ice Brady coming on as a frosh. Obviously this is assuming both Piath and Geno think the redshirt a good thing. Any wisdom out there?

Actually as I understand the covid impact on the NCAA rules Piath will be considered a frosh-eligible player next year so she would have potentially 4 more years anyway after this one..even without the suggested redshirt....just simply playing 4 more seasons after 20-21. Hmm...if desired by all parties...would a non-playing developmental redshirt year next season still allow her 4 playing seasons after that given the covid regs?

Basically I do see Priath being a defensive-oriented factor in her UConn years with at least the potential to play pro ball somewhere after she graduates.
I look forward to seeing her occasionally this season...and moreso down the road.

 

[Wilderness]

"I wonder if Piath and Geno might have a chat about her taking a developmental redshirt year next....both for the team and her own benefit." - she gets 5 years anyway, right?

 

[oldude]

"I wonder if Piath and Geno might have a chat about her taking a developmental redshirt year next....both for the team and her own benefit." - she gets 5 years anyway, right?

With Amari & Ice coming to Storrs in 2021 & 2022, I don’t know that redshirting Piath is in her best interests. I thing she needs to play meaningful minutes as soon as she’s ready. Hopefully, that’s as soon as next year.

 

[Blakeon18]

Apologies for my misspelling...thank you for pointing it out. I have corrected my errors.

I also want her to play 'meaningful' minutes as soon as she is ready. I agree that it might be next year....but I do have doubts given the bigs she will be competing with for those meaningful minutes.

 

[veryolddog]

If the young woman needs experience, then when you have a 20 point lead put her in along with Edwards and let her play. Tell her to be aggressive and play. Only way that she is going to learn. Accept the fouls, and coach/teach her when she comes in from playing.

 

[Sonny44]

If she's that good after three or four years she may leave for the draft anyway.

 

[Zinethar]

The back end of the rotation is hurt the most by this COVID year as any real playing time must be taken by the starters to give them a chance to gel. In a normal year where there has been 20-25 games on the books the starters are experienced and can be given rest for the tournament. That is the time to work with the others to prepare them for the future. Sadly this year that time doesn't exist at least in the same quantity.

 

[Boreifs]

Just wondering about Piath:

She obviously is not in the regular rotation but when she does get in I see an athlete.
She is 6'5"...or about that...correct? I think she runs the floor beautifully...given her height.
She runs very smoothly and with excellent speed....imo. Liv runs the court well for her size...my impression is that Piath exceeds that.

We know that 'bigs' tend to take longer to develop. Piath is raw in lots of areas but her occasional appearances show flashes of offense and defense.
UConn practices will help her develop. In terms of bigs...we have LIv back next year as a senior/Aaliyah as a soph/Amari as a frosh.
I wonder if Piath and Geno might have a chat about her taking a developmental redshirt next year....both for the team and her own benefit.
Practicing against the other bigs for another full year might put Piath in a great position to be in the regular rotation the following year with Liv gone...Aaliyah a junior...Amari a soph and Ice Brady coming on as a frosh. Obviously this is assuming both Piath and Geno think the redshirt a good thing. Any wisdom out there?

Actually as I understand the covid impact on the NCAA rules Piath will be considered a frosh-eligible player next year so she would have potentially 4 more years anyway after this one..even without the suggested redshirt....just simply playing 4 more seasons after 20-21. Hmm...if desired by all parties...would a non-playing developmental redshirt year next season still allow her 4 playing seasons after that given the covid regs?

Basically I do see Priath being a defensive-oriented factor in her UConn years with at least the potential to play pro ball somewhere after she graduates.
I look forward to seeing her occasionally this season...and moreso down the road.

If she has the option of four more years anyway, playing mop up minutes would still be preferable to no minutes. A Redshirt year seems counter productive, given the one time only COVID exemption .

 

[UcMiami]

This year has just been really tough on freshman and sophomores - the disrupted practice schedule and at times compacted game schedule has limited the amount of teaching time for coaches. I think we saw the results of five days between games against St Johns - the team likely had 3 or 4 full practices after the Georgetown game and they looked much better on defense and smoother on offense. Prior to that 5 day break they probably had no or very limited practice for the previous 2 weeks. With a more experienced team that would not have been as big a deal, with a freshman and sophomore weighted team that needs heavy teaching it is much harder.

For Piath, don't see an upside to a red-shirt especially since this year is a red-shirt situation for everyone playing anyway. I agree that she has some natural ability and I think she is getting better as the season goes along - when and how much she will be able to contribute seriously is difficult to judge. Working at a 'big-man' camp during the summers would probably help, as will having a full normal summer and fall practice schedule.

 

[Boreifs]

If everyone stays, the roster next year is 15. A nightmare for developmental minutes.

 

[CocoHusky]

Just wondering about Piath:

She obviously is not in the regular rotation but when she does get in I see an athlete.
She is 6'5"...or about that...correct? I think she runs the floor beautifully...given her height.
She runs very smoothly and with excellent speed....imo. Liv runs the court well for her size...my impression is that Piath exceeds that.

We know that 'bigs' tend to take longer to develop. Piath is raw in lots of areas but her occasional appearances show flashes of offense and defense.
UConn practices will help her develop. In terms of bigs...we have LIv back next year as a senior/Aaliyah as a soph/Amari as a frosh.
I wonder if Piath and Geno might have a chat about her taking a developmental redshirt next year....both for the team and her own benefit.
Practicing against the other bigs for another full year might put Piath in a great position to be in the regular rotation the following year with Liv gone...Aaliyah a junior...Amari a soph and Ice Brady coming on as a frosh. Obviously this is assuming both Piath and Geno think the redshirt a good thing. Any wisdom out there?

Actually as I understand the covid impact on the NCAA rules Piath will be considered a frosh-eligible player next year so she would have potentially 4 more years anyway after this one..even without the suggested redshirt....just simply playing 4 more seasons after 20-21. Hmm...if desired by all parties...would a non-playing developmental redshirt year next season still allow her 4 playing seasons after that given the covid regs?

Basically I do see Priath being a defensive-oriented factor in her UConn years with at least the potential to play pro ball somewhere after she graduates.
I look forward to seeing her occasionally this season...and moreso down the road.

No wisdom here just perhaps a harsh dose of reality: Piath best opportunity for playing is/was this season because as you note DeBerry and Brady have signed up. Piath size and potential are both noteworthy, a discussion on her potential to play pro is pre-mature. The today reality is that Paith is behind in the post rotation to a fellow freshman (Mir) that is 6 inches shorter than her. This concept of throwing Piath out there when UCONN gets a 20 point lead "so she can learn" is also ill conceived. UCONN WBB is a meritocracy not experimental and by doing so you be risking that 20 point lead that has been hard earned. UCONN is also not currently tossing Mir out there with a 20 point leads and based on merit Mir has earned those minutes more than Piath has so far.

 

[HopJim]

UConn needs to get their 2 big lineup (ONO and Edwards/Aubrey) in sync for the playoffs and will be more important to get them game time together than get Piath minutes. In the same sense, most of UConn's competition run 3-4 guard offenses which means Paige will rotate with Evina, Nika, and Williams. Mir has also proven to be a factor. Love any 6'5" UConn player but numbers for her don't add up.

 

[MooseJaw]

With Amari & Ice coming to Storrs in 2021 & 2022, I don’t know that redshirting Piath is in her best interests. I thing she needs to play meaningful minutes as soon as she’s ready. Hopefully, that’s as soon as next year.

If she is ready, and I would love to see her ready. Observations from her limited minutes, she needs to play to her size, play taller use her height to her advantage. She is definitely physically gifted an amazing athletic body, for women's BB she is kind of a gentle giant. She is a project, but what an upside.

 

[topogigio]

I agree this girl has a huge upside. She certainly doesn't look like the typical end of the bench big who gets some garbage time. She looks to score, moves well, and takes up a lot of room! I expect her to be a very pleasant surprise in the near future.

 

[Longtime fan]

Just wondering about Piath:

She obviously is not in the regular rotation but when she does get in I see an athlete.
She is 6'5"...or about that...correct? I think she runs the floor beautifully...given her height.
She runs very smoothly and with excellent speed....imo. Liv runs the court well for her size...my impression is that Piath exceeds that.

We know that 'bigs' tend to take longer to develop. Piath is raw in lots of areas but her occasional appearances show flashes of offense and defense.
UConn practices will help her develop. In terms of bigs...we have LIv back next year as a senior/Aaliyah as a soph/Amari as a frosh.
I wonder if Piath and Geno might have a chat about her taking a developmental redshirt next year....both for the team and her own benefit.
Practicing against the other bigs for another full year might put Piath in a great position to be in the regular rotation the following year with Liv gone...Aaliyah a junior...Amari a soph and Ice Brady coming on as a frosh. Obviously this is assuming both Piath and Geno think the redshirt a good thing. Any wisdom out there?

Actually as I understand the covid impact on the NCAA rules Piath will be considered a frosh-eligible player next year so she would have potentially 4 more years anyway after this one..even without the suggested redshirt....just simply playing 4 more seasons after 20-21. Hmm...if desired by all parties...would a non-playing developmental redshirt year next season still allow her 4 playing seasons after that given the covid regs?

Basically I do see Priath being a defensive-oriented factor in her UConn years with at least the potential to play pro ball somewhere after she graduates.
I look forward to seeing her occasionally this season...and moreso down the road.

I agee that the "Covid exception" gives her plenty of time to develop on the UCONN active team. What she needs is; personal coaching and assignment to a summer league of high caliber. She needs to play at this level.

 

[Dokey]

No need to redshirt, given COVID exemption, but the big problem may be over recruitment (nice problem to have) and giving players enough minutes to develop. We are going to see transfers.

 

[Blakeon18]

I love the idea of summer big camps. I would hazard a guess that Geno has some connections with the best of them.

 

[chrissaran]

I've posted before that Piath needs to get more minutes. Glad to see she got more than she usually does last night. Still, could have had her enter the game sooner. All you hear from the announcers is that UConn lacks height. Not if they let Piath play more and get her up to speed.

 

[freshler40]

If the young woman needs experience, then when you have a 20 point lead put her in along with Edwards and let her play. Tell her to be aggressive and play. Only way that she is going to learn. Accept the fouls, and coach/teach her when she comes in from playing.

Paith has a couple of good minutes, quick around the hoop and keyed in to a player getting beat. Remember that most of her minutes are mop-up and half of those we just hold the ball with no effort to play. This is always what happens these days but makes for wasted time and poor TV. This game would be better to be played out and had fewer flops. AK was very good at that and learned from the Duke flophouse. Paith is on a fast path to stardom. When you practice against the best it brings out the best. We are blessed in both categories.

 

[dragon]

I can't see Paith ever getting more than 5 minutes a game during her 4 years.

 

[Cornell Lt]

I can see Paith as a real contributor in the next few years. You can not teach her obvious athleticism or 6'5". She's a keeper in my book.

 

[EricLA]

This happens almost every season when we have players who are end of bench reserves, at least as far back as I can remember.

There was great hope for Paige Sauer, Christine Rigby, Ash Valley, Tahirah Williams, Cassie Kerns, Meghan Gardler, Jacquie Fernandez, Lorin Dixon, Heather Buck, Natalie Butler, Kyla Irwin, Molly Bent, Batouly Camara, Evelyn Adebayo, and now Piath Gabriel.

In that entire list, the only players who ever earned starts, or major minutes in any significant games (that I can recall), were Gardler and Irwin. And they were unique reasons.

For Gardler, the roster her senior year was Charles, McLaren, Fernandez, Moore, Dixon, Hayes, Doty, Buck and Faris. That was it. A roster of 10, with an injured Doty, timid Buck, disappointing Dixon, and almost walk-on Fernandez. Starters of Charles, Moore, Hayes, Doty and Faris. I honestly don't recall how much Caroline played her senior year, but that left bench players of Gardler, McLaren and Dixon.

If Caroline was out, or limited, Geno had no confidence in Dixon, Buck or Fernandez in important games, so that left Gardler and McLaren as the other players. Anyway I tried to find stats for that season, but was not able to access it from the UCONN website.

At any rate, it's a similar situation with Irwin. A roster of 10 with starters of Danger, Walker, Williams, ONO - then who else?? Irwin, Bent, Camara, Adebayo, and freshmen Anna and Aubrey. There was literally no one else so Kyla got major minutes in numerous games. And she tried her best, but was just not good enough to be a starter of the quality UCONN really needed.

Fast forward to now - UCONN has a roster of 11, but when healthy, can go 8 deep with high quality, 9 if you count Mir. We have the luxury of more quality depth. So Piath will never be needed.

I don't mean for any of this to sound harsh or overly critical, if it does. Most all of those kids I mentioned above were awesome people, great teammates, and true gems of the UCONN basketball program and legacy. And most of them had amazing experiences at UCONN. I'd LOVE for Piath to be the exception, develop like gangbusters, and earn solid reserve minutes as a post player, I just don't see it happening.

 

[hoopingcrane]

This happens almost every season when we have players who are end of bench reserves, at least as far back as I can remember.

There was great hope for Paige Sauer, Christine Rigby, Ash Valley, Tahirah Williams, Cassie Kerns, Meghan Gardler, Jacquie Fernandez, Lorin Dixon, Heather Buck, Natalie Butler, Kyla Irwin, Molly Bent, Batouly Camara, Evelyn Adebayo, and now Piath Gabriel.

In that entire list, the only players who ever earned starts, or major minutes in any significant games (that I can recall), were Gardler and Irwin. And they were unique reasons.

For Gardler, the roster her senior year was Charles, McLaren, Fernandez, Moore, Dixon, Hayes, Doty, Buck and Faris. That was it. A roster of 10, with an injured Doty, timid Buck, disappointing Dixon, and almost walk-on Fernandez. Starters of Charles, Moore, Hayes, Doty and Faris. I honestly don't recall how much Caroline played her senior year, but that left bench players of Gardler, McLaren and Dixon.

If Caroline was out, or limited, Geno had no confidence in Dixon, Buck or Fernandez in important games, so that left Gardler and McLaren as the other players. Anyway I tried to find stats for that season, but was not able to access it from the UCONN website.

At any rate, it's a similar situation with Irwin. A roster of 10 with starters of Danger, Walker, Williams, ONO - then who else?? Irwin, Bent, Camara, Adebayo, and freshmen Anna and Aubrey. There was literally no one else so Kyla got major minutes in numerous games. And she tried her best, but was just not good enough to be a starter of the quality UCONN really needed.

Fast forward to now - UCONN has a roster of 11, but when healthy, can go 8 deep with high quality, 9 if you count Mir. We have the luxury of more quality depth. So Piath will never be needed.

I don't mean for any of this to sound harsh or overly critical, if it does. Most all of those kids I mentioned above were awesome people, great teammates, and true gems of the UCONN basketball program and legacy. And most of them had amazing experiences at UCONN. I'd LOVE for Piath to be the exception, develop like gangbusters, and earn solid reserve minutes as a post player, I just don't see it happening.

Paige Sauer averaged 25 minutes and 11.9 points per game her sophomore year.

 

[EricLA]

Paige Sauer averaged 25 minutes and 11.9 points per game her sophomore year.

And 11.5 minutes and 3.9 PPG her senior year.