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Message: [QUOTE="JudgeSCR, post: 1993264, member: 245"] I generally don't go back and forth in threads. I chose to state my position and read when others state their, sometimes contrary, views. But since you called me out specifically .... I love Gabby's game. Gabby has excellent passing skills but mostly they don't [B]get Collier her open looks[/B]. [B]Collier gets open[/B] and Gabby's is excellent at getting the ball to her. This may sound like semantics but it is not. I suggest you look at the games and focus on Collier before she gets the ball. She battles and fights for position. She understands angles to the passer, she "shows her numbers" in a way that gives a lane for passes. She is great at holding the defender off with her arm or backside creating space and a lane for the pass. Sometimes that lane is very small and that is where Gabby's passing is so crucial. Collier has great timing for when to work for position in relation to where the ball is on the floor. She then is great at turning her numbers to the person with the ball. She signals by raising her hand -- and by the way, please note the positioning of her hand, she doesn't just stick it straight up but usually angles it to a free space, quite subtle but excellent, and that tells the passer where the pass should be made. Many of Collier's points come when she is covered and uses an array of moves to create space (including a great fade-away move) to get her shot off. Collier gets few screens set for her to break her free. This is not to mention her rebounds and put-backs. By the way, KLS doesn't play in the post (mostly) and rarely switches onto the person Williams is guarding. She plays the wing defensively (when they are playing man-to-man defense). Collier is in the blocks defensively with Williams (mostly). Which is part of the reason why Collier averages 3.7 rebounds a game more than KLS (but also because Collier is a great rebounder). If you look at the SMU game, KLS was not asked to guard either one of the post players who were 6'3" and 6'5". That job fell to Williams and Collier (and Butler). I watched that game again and did not see one defensive set where KLS guarded either one of them (or switched with Gabby for that matter). You are also wrong if you think that Gabby is garnering double teams. Again, rewatching the SMU game that rarely happened. That rarely happens in any game for any UConn player. That is the beauty of the construction of this team with scoring from 5 players. That is not to say that when a UConn player gets the ball in good scoring position and is open a second player may not run to her or the zone doesn't collapse creating open shots for other players. But teams don't double down immediately on Gabby when the ball goes to her in the post or at the top of the key. When teams play man-to-man. It just doesn't happen. I will say again I love Gabby's game but if you think she is a more "rounded' or skilled offensive player than Collier you are just wrong again. First you are statistically wrong ... and not by a little. Collier leads in scoring average (19.3 to 11.9), field goal percentage (65% to 53% both really good), 3-pt field goal percentage (41% to 25% on small sample sizes) and free throw percentage (79% to 70%). You might say that is because Collier takes more shots and she does. But she only averages 2.75 more shots a game but averages 7.4 points more. Beyond statistics, Collier just has more moves and a great "go to" move at this point. I think that Gabby's offensive game will continue to grow but right now Collier is more well "rounded" offensively. I think the Core Four are amazing and bring something essential to this winning team. If I had to pick three, which is what this post asks, I still say KLS, Collier and Gabby. [/QUOTE]

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