Why Gabby sat vs USCar

[JoePgh]

As I mentioned before - she can paly with KLS. Gabby can guard any quick 2 or 3. SO she isn't competing as much would think with KLS (just another body getting minutes). They in fact could eventually become a super-duo. Thus if KLS starts at the 3- Gabby can play well off of her.

So are you implying that Gabby would still not start next year (if KLS does)? If you are suggesting that they both might start, then which of the four returning starters would lose her starting role?

 

[hoophuskee]

So are you implying that Gabby would still not start next year (if KLS does)? If you are suggesting that they both might start, then which of the four returning starters would lose her starting role?

Yes if KLS starts Gabby won't. If Butler starts Gabby won't. Gabby would have an opportunity to start if she comes back and is able to knock down shots from 15 feet while either Stewie or Tuck are much better from 3. Then you can have three players randomly roam inside and out. Just because a player starts - say Gabby- she doesn't have to get the brunt of the minutes at her position to boot. Doty starting late in her career comes to mind how Gneo has done that. So there are a lot of options.

Gabby doesn't need to hit 3's.

 

[hoophuskee]

Not to mention one Ms. Samuelson.

If you assume (as I would) that all four of this year's returning starters will continue to start next year, then there will only be KML's position in the starting lineup to replace. Isn't it fairly obvious that having Lou step into the role (one Mater Dei 3-point shooting small forward being indistinguishable from the other, right?) would require the least change to the offensive setup, so that everyone else could continue to play as they did this year?

Geno may not do that right away, given that Lou will be a freshman and for that reason may come off the bench (so she has less responsibility and fewer roles). So it's possible that Gabby might be the starting 3 next year (which would imply that Butler would come off the bench also). But if she can't shoot the 3 reliably, that would require a significant reconfiguration of the offense, and everyone else's role would have to be adjusted. Opponents probably wouldn't guard Gabby at the 3-point line, so Moriah / Kia / Stewie / Morgan would have to become the 3-point threats.

I think, for those reasons, that either Natalie or Lou (or possibly Napheesa Collier) are more likely to take the 5th starter role than Gabby is.

My fault. You are only speaking of starting. I was speaking of minutes. Sorry I misinterpreted your post. In general I agree with your assessment but with that said if Gabby doesn't start she can get good minutes. On the flip-side even if she does start she can get less minutes than a player(s) off the bench.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Not getting the hangups on either exact playing position or whether a player has a starting role. It's the minutes that count, because UConn starters often have gotten 25 or less mpg in recent years. Whether she is a starter or reserve, forward or guard, Gabby will likely get more than 20 mpgs next year and with that she could likely average a double-double. What team wouldn't take that, and make room for her to do her thing on the court?

UConn loses 48 mpg between KML and Kiah, along with 19 ppg and 12 rpg. Especially since UConn will be again playing 2/3 of their games against opponents who are overmatched by 30-70 points, the minutes will be spread around as Geno sees fit. As to what happens for the core unit that plays the majority of the minutes in those last four games of the season not at Gampel, that will work itself out, but I would expect that as a veteran Gabby will have a big role there whether as a starter or as the rebounding machine 6th man who replaces Kiah in that role. Paired with Stewie as the hammer on the right while Stewie pounds on the left side and Butler cleans up any misses hitting the boards in the center, that could be a really sick post unit when it's on the floor. And Tuck can do everything, so the Huskies are loaded.

 

[caramel]

Actually,where Gabby plays,what position she has on the floor,where she shoots from,whether she can handle the ball well on the dribble,etc.,really has nothing to do with what this team is achieving.I would stake my money,on the fact that coach doesn't care if you score from 2 feet or 30 feet.Coach doesn't care if you defend the 2,3,or 4,on the other team.Coach doesn't care,if you can dribble behind the back,or dribble 2 basketballs at once.Coach gives each player an offensive or defensive assignment,within team play,and expects each person to do their very best,at all times,to succeed at it.
Gabby scores where she is comfortable scoring,as long as it is within the guidelines of what the team needs and expects.Gabby plays defense and rebounds,because that is what helps the team.
All i know is,this young lady has the talent and desire,to improve.She has the right attitude to earn playing time.Even if the coming classes are very talented and unique,Gabby will earn playing time,where coach sees fit,and I truly believe that playing time will never be a problem for her,during her Connecticut career!

 

[Geno-ista]

I like her attitude too, but I think she has a problem. She is a bit undersized to be a forward, and hasn't exhibited the skills to be a guard. She shoots a high percentage, but rarely takes a shot from more than three feet from the basket. With SCs tall front line, Gabby wasn't going to get a shot off. I hope that during the off season, she works on shooting away from the basket. There are four kids coming in next year that are all taller than her, and she may have trouble finding a niche.

BTW, I thought that Kia Nurse's performance in the SC game was a bit underwhelming, maybe freshman nerves. Geno must have agreed, as she only played 19 minutes.

She made a few bad decisions on offense. But over all, she had played well on defense and the offense flowed the entire game. Plus the way they defended Mithchell with the face guarding, the fresh legs with Chong didn't hurt. But you are right, she didn't stand out, but did really facilitate well.

 

[Geno-ista]

When I first heard Geno was moving Gabby to a post position I thought he was a genius. With her intensity hitting the offensive boards, her quickness and leaping ability she is creating nightmares for a lot of bigger post players. She seems to have overcome her initial reluctance to all the contact in the paint so she seems like a precedent for a new type of post player. Great leaper, quick, aggressive and can bang with the bigs. There are going to be coaches roaming the track and field meets looking for the next Gabby.

Great point- the Volley ball courts probably have a few too!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Butler will start. KLS will not - defense deficit. Gabby will not, 'cuz Butler will. Could be musical chairs for lots of next year - hope so. That means a deep deep team.

 

[EricSD]

I like her attitude too, but I think she has a problem. She is a bit undersized to be a forward, and hasn't exhibited the skills to be a guard. She shoots a high percentage, but rarely takes a shot from more than three feet from the basket. With SCs tall front line, Gabby wasn't going to get a shot off. I hope that during the off season, she works on shooting away from the basket. There are four kids coming in next year that are all taller than her, and she may have trouble finding a niche.

BTW, I thought that Kia Nurse's performance in the SC game was a bit underwhelming, maybe freshman nerves. Geno must have agreed, as she only played 19 minutes.

My thought exactly. Gabby was not effective when she was in, at least not from a scoring perspective. She just can't get a shot off against a cadre of 6'4"+ players. I get that she got to the FT line, but being so much shorter (at 5'11"), as a front court player she was not effective vs. SC.

I also agree that she needs to expand her guard skills. Of course there aren't that many teams with the size of SC, but clearly she's hungry, and I believe she has the ability to expand her game. She's going to be special.

 

[Aluminny69]

Butler will start. KLS will not - defense deficit. Gabby will not, 'cuz Butler will. Could be musical chairs for lots of next year - hope so. That means a deep deep team.

Random Thoughts:

I would like to revisit this thread next year at this time, just to see who was prescient, and who was not. I remember a thread before the season started on who would end up in the starting lineup, but unable to locate it.

Rather than discussing whether Gabby will start, the discussion should be whether she will average more or less than twenty minutes per game.

There has always been a difference in who plays major minutes in the six competitive games each season, versus the other 34 games where the major players can play less than 25 minutes.

 

[EricSD]

Now there is a role model...NOT. Self centered volume shooter.

IMHO there's a difference between comparing her game to his (even modeling her "game" after his), but no reason it can't be done sans the attitude of Anthony. By that I mean Gabby doesn't have the selfish streak Carmelo does and would never jack up the sheer volume of shots because Gabby KNOWS she plays on a team. Plus Geno would sit her....

 

[Biff]

This young lady is freakishly physically gifted with a positive attitude, a hard worker and driven to succeed. She has poise and maturity that belies her age. As was said above, I don't know or care if she's going to start or what "position" she plays, I just know that she will be an important player over her UConn career.

Geno to Rosie: "...I don't want to Jinx her, ....but if you keep her healthy, she's unbelievable."

Yeah, I think Geno's a little high on this kid.

 

[EricSD]

Just want to add - what a great and interesting thread. For the most part thoughtful comments, and really good observations on Gabby and how she fits into the team.

Want to add a few things and echo a few things that have been said by others. There are very few teams with the size of SC. Duke is one of them. Gabby played only a few minutes against them too. And Geno was right - the offense REALLY was clicking against SC and Gabby's game did not fit in well with what the team was doing. Even if she slips past her defender and gets open in the post, she's not big enough (like Tuck, or Stewie) to really get a shot off.

Yes she is athletic enough to shake off a defender, and matches up really well against a player like Welch, but when you have Wilson and Coates out there, and Gabby is basically playing at the 4 with limited perimeter and guard skills, she just won't he effective in the offensive flow UCONN was generating. This is partly why IMHO Saniya got so much more PT. Yes Saniya was playing really well, but she has guard skills that Gabby does not.

And while Stokes is the best post defender by far, SC was struggling so much to score anyway that Geno needed/wanted more offense on the floor and Kiah just is not a prolific scorer.

As for Gabby going forward, it's loony tunes to suggest that she EXCLUSIVELY should have been "groomed" as a guard this year. The reason is 4-fold:

1. Gabby's guard skills were REALLY rusty. Geno said "she can't pass, can't shoot, and can't dribble".
2. Geno basically has 3 really good guards - Saniya, Moriah, and Kiah. KML also has far superior guard skills to Gabby
3. But... Gabby has no 3 point shot and therefore can't play the wing either
4. IF she practiced with the guards, she would have gotten much less PT. UCONN is thin in the post and she gets more PT playing behind Morgan and Breanna than she would have playing behind Saniya, Kia and Moriah

I love Gabby's game and think she has the potential to be an AA at some point. I eventually hope to see her as a Barbara Turner type of player - undersized and started off in the post, but by her senior year developed enough range to her shot and guard skills to be a wing.

Those who think Gabby should have been groomed as a SG don't understand just how hard it is to be a guard at UCONN. Saniya had far superior guard skills to Gabby, and totally struggled last year, and even early this year on defense. Even Sadie Edwards had better guard skills than Gabby, but not only couldn't crack the lineup, barely got more PT than the walk ons.

But there were opportunities for her in the post and it will make her that much more well rounded and a better all around player in the future... She's so driven, a very had worker, great attitude, and physically gifted as well. The sky's the limit for her...

 

[JRRRJ]

I like her attitude too, but I think she has a problem. She is a bit undersized to be a forward, and hasn't exhibited the skills to be a guard. She shoots a high percentage, but rarely takes a shot from more than three feet from the basket. With SCs tall front line, Gabby wasn't going to get a shot off. I hope that during the off season, she works on shooting away from the basket. There are four kids coming in next year that are all taller than her, and she may have trouble finding a niche.

BTW, I thought that Kia Nurse's performance in the SC game was a bit underwhelming, maybe freshman nerves. Geno must have agreed, as she only played 19 minutes.

"With SCs tall front line, Gabby wasn't going to get a shot off."

There's no evidence this is true. Gabby's athleticism & hops make it likely she'd be at least as successful as our last undersized power forward -- the BTExpress, who is in the top twenty on the all-time UConn scoring list. Her use of the glass & spin to get around defenders hands astonishes me on a regular basis. And I'm not sure it can be practiced very successfully, given all the movement/height/defender variables involved, so I'm crediting it to excellent instincts & inventiveness. Don't get me wrong -- inventiveness requires there has been a lot of practice so you know in general what's possible, but adjusts for the specifics of the as-yet-unencountered present situation.

Kind like how Roger Federer regularly invents shots on the fly, especially on the backhand.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

IMHO there's a difference between comparing her game to his (even modeling her "game" after his), but no reason it can't be done sans the attitude of Anthony. By that I mean Gabby doesn't have the selfish streak Carmelo does and would never jack up the sheer volume of shots because Gabby KNOWS she plays on a team. Plus Geno would sit her....

Guess we can disagree and agree on that on the 'Mello thing. He has never helped a team get over any hump, becuz' he is a hump. Looking for the guy with the better shot on a play has never been his thing. He is the antithesis of UConn ball, so I think it is rather silly to be talking about him as a role model for a UConn player.

 

[EricSD]

Guess we can disagree and agree on that on the 'Mello thing. He has never helped a team get over any hump, becuz' he is a hump. Looking for the guy with the better shot on a play has never been his thing. He is the antithesis of UConn ball, so I think it is rather silly to be talking about him as a role model for a UConn player.

I actually agree with you. I'm simply referring to Melo's skill set. So i'm not sure there's anything to disagree with!

By the way I hope you can understand that there's a HUGE difference between a "role model" and "modeling your game" after a player. Saying someone has a "game like Melo's" is way different than saying they "play the game like Melo"...

I agree with you also - don't like the way Melo plays with his teammates, don't like his "leadership skills", if you can call them that, and don't like his selfish style of play. But also, I really don't care for the mostly 1 on 1 game that the NBA has become. I prefer teams like Dallas and San Antonio - teams that play TEAM ball.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

I actually agree with you. I'm simply referring to Melo's skill set. So i'm not sure there's anything to disagree with!

By the way I'm sure you can understand that there's a HUGE difference between a "role model" and "modeling your game" after a player. Saying someone has a "game like Melo's" is way different than saying they "play the game like Melo"...

Ah, the misunderstanding is clear now. I see no difference between "role model" - which to me is I wanna be like Mr X - and modeling your game after.... Now, saying someone has moves like Mr. X or a fade away like Mr. X etc., that I can get into. But Mello and Iverson and their ilk ... take yourself to the playground and be a superstar!

 

[Deadrody]

Suggie,
I think you are mistaking our support of Nurse as a starter over Gabby as "Defending the coach". This coach needs no defense-IMO.
The numbers (Assists, Turnovers, 3pt Shooting ) and the required skill set of shooting guard in UCONN offense (ballhandling & transition ofense) overwhelmingly support NURSE as the starter.
Assists- Nurse is second on the team in Assists
Turnovers-Gabby has more turnovers than Nurse despite playing 9 less minutes per game.
3pt Shooting-46% for Nurse 0% for Gabby Don't underestimate the pressure that Nurse's 3Pt shooting puts on the defese of UCONN's opponents.

I love gabby and what she brings but NURSE is a better option at the SG.

How about what she DOES ? At her size, the fact that she nearly leads the team in reb/ 40 min is ridiculous. Those numbers clearly support Geno moving her into the post.

She reminds me of Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams. She may be a little smaller than them, but she makes up for that with athleticism. And if she can add her guard skills confidently into her game ? - Ridiculous

She's already my favorite player on the team.

 

[CocoHusky]

As I mentioned before - she can paly with KLS. Gabby can guard any quick 2 or 3. SO she isn't competing as much would think with KLS (just another body getting minutes). They in fact could eventually become a super-duo. Thus if KLS starts at the 3- Gabby can play well off of her.

Hoop & Joe, I am not ready to pick sides yet because I agree with most of both your analysis. Two additional point 1) Don't sleep on Boykin-as a hybrid 3/4 she will challenge Gabby for playing time. She rebounds, defends and passes well enought to get minutes in any line up. Most importantly she will takes and make the 3 at a high enough clip that defenses have to honor it.
2) Gabby foul shooting could become problematic enough for team to consider a hack a Gabby strategy which could be enough to keep her out of close games. I want to enjoy this year. We have a whole summer to debate next year's starters, positions & minutes.

 

[EricSD]

Ah, the misunderstanding is clear now. I see no difference between "role model" - which to me is I wanna be like Mr X - and modeling your game after.... Now, saying someone has moves like Mr. X or a fade away like Mr. X etc., that I can get into. But Mello and Iverson and their ilk ... take yourself to the playground and be a superstar!

See? I NEVER disagree with you LOL!!!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

See? I NEVER disagree with you LOL!!!

Funny. Knew we could talk this out.

 

[CocoHusky]

How about what she DOES ? At her size, the fact that she nearly leads the team in reb/ 40 min is ridiculous. Those numbers clearly support Geno moving her into the post.

She reminds me of Asjha Jones and Tamika Williams. She may be a little smaller than them, but she makes up for that with athleticism. And if she can add her guard skills confidently into her game ? - Ridiculous

She's already my favorite player on the team.

What gabby does is already " Ridiculous good"! Her athleticism? Breathtaking! So glad she in a UCONN uniform. Is she my favorite? -that sort of not fair like asking me to pick between my children: I have 2. My post was in response to the opinion that Gabby should be the starting SG over Nurse- I disagree.

 

[Sonny44]

This young lady is freakishly physically gifted with a positive attitude, a hard worker and driven to succeed. She has poise and maturity that belies her age. As was said above, I don't know or care if she's going to start or what "position" she plays, I just know that she will be an important player over her UConn career.

Geno to Rosie: "...I don't want to Jinx her, ....but if you keep her healthy, she's unbelievable."

Yeah, I think Geno's a little high on this kid.

Amen Biff.
I don't understand all this angst about Gabby. She could accomplish at least as much as Kiah has. She's what 3 inches shorter than Kiah, but probably jumps 6 inches higher.

 

[CocoHusky]

Amen Biff.
I don't understand all this angst about Gabby. She could accomplish at least as much as Kiah has.

Of course she can after a summer of working on her jump shot , passing, balling handling, and fould shooting if you ment Kia Nurse. Shot blocking if you are talking about Kiah Stokes.

 

[DobbsRover2]

"With SCs tall front line, Gabby wasn't going to get a shot off."

There's no evidence this is true. Gabby's athleticism & hops make it likely she'd be at least as successful as our last undersized power forward -- the BTExpress, who is in the top twenty on the all-time UConn scoring list. Her use of the glass & spin to get around defenders hands astonishes me on a regular basis. And I'm not sure it can be practiced very successfully, given all the movement/height/defender variables involved, so I'm crediting it to excellent instincts & inventiveness. Don't get me wrong -- inventiveness requires there has been a lot of practice so you know in general what's possible, but adjusts for the specifics of the as-yet-unencountered present situation.

Kind like how Roger Federer regularly invents shots on the fly, especially on the backhand.

Yeah, it's not the size that matters so much as the quickness, and when Gabby does the spin and bank shot, I have not seen it get blocked, even when she's had someone like Houston's Ty Gilbert on her who is big and blocks a lot of shots. When Gabby has been blocked in the last ten games it has been on jumpers in the lane or straight lay-ups, which are much more vulnerable to getting blocked unless ironically you're that short MoJeff who never gets blocked. The two players who get blocked the most on UConn are Nurse and Tuck because of their style of play in taking it to the hoop on drives. Stokes also brings the ball down too low often when she goes to the hoop but it's not usually a block because no shot gets attempted in those cases.

Hard to say how effective Gabby was against USCar because she was in for 4 minutes and picked up a point and a rebound, which is not a terrible amount for so little time. USCar got one block (against Tuck) and it's hard for me to believe that someone like Wilson would have picked up a bunch of blocks if Gabby had been in there a lot longer tossing up her spin banks. Seeing how Wilson played defense, I actually think Gabby would have eaten her alive. Watch how Gabby does it, backing in or just driving her butt in on the defender to push her back, and then quickly spinning and sweeping the arm far out and curling it around for a high banker. As a defender you have to be quick and have perfect timing to block that shot. Maybe Stewie and Kiah have the wingspan and skill to do it, but I didn't see any Gamecock with that ability.

 

[hoophuskee]

Hoop & Joe, I am not ready to pick sides yet because I agree with most of both your analysis. Two additional point 1) Don't sleep on Boykin-as a hybrid 3/4 she will challenge Gabby for playing time. She rebounds, defends and passes well enought to get minutes in any line up. Most importantly she will takes and make the 3 at a high enough clip that defenses have to honor it.
2) Gabby foul shooting could become problematic enough for team to consider a hack a Gabby strategy which could be enough to keep her out of close games. I want to enjoy this year. We have a whole summer to debate next year's starters, positions & minutes.

No need to pick sides. I misinterpreted what he said. He was speaking of who will start.

As far as Boykin - she missed a year this year. You miss time it's tough to overcome. When Boykin committee - there was a poster here named "Godfather" I think that was very high on Boykin. I thought of possibility she could step in over Butler. But she's been out a consierdable amount of time - just in the back of my mind - just a wild guess I think she'll be behind the others early. - Though we'll find out soon enough.

And for me - with Gabby it comes down to how well she shoots. SO certainly I agree about her ft shooting and she has to be able to shoot 15 footers or I think she'll have to be like a tasmanian devil inside. Without either/or as others said more terrific players are coming.

 

[CocoHusky]

This young lady is freakishly physically gifted with a positive attitude, a hard worker and driven to succeed. She has poise and maturity that belies her age. As was said above, I don't know or care if she's going to start or what "position" she plays, I just know that she will be an important player over her UConn career.

Geno to Rosie: "...I don't want to Jinx her, ....but if you keep her healthy, she's unbelievable."

Yeah, I think Geno's a little high on this kid.

Biff,
I am surprised that another poster has not reminded you already that Geno said something similar about Heather Buck. Love the expressions of the entire coaching staff in the picture Geno-Mouth wide open. Shea-similar to Geno just saying wow. Marissa- peeking around Geno not wanting to miss a thing.
I am reminded of Gabby quoting Shea about her recruiting: “We don’t need you ( Gabby) but we are sure glad to have you.”

 

[Striper69]

Yeah, it's not the size that matters so much as the quickness, and when Gabby does the spin and bank shot, I have not seen it get blocked, even when she's had someone like Houston's Ty Gilbert on her who is big and blocks a lot of shots. When Gabby has been blocked in the last ten games it has been on jumpers in the lane or straight lay-ups, which are much more vulnerable to getting blocked unless ironically you're that short MoJeff who never gets blocked. The two players who get blocked the most on UConn are Nurse and Tuck because of their style of play in taking it to the hoop on drives. Stokes also brings the ball down too low often when she goes to the hoop but it's not usually a block because no shot gets attempted in those cases.

Hard to say how effective Gabby was against USCar because she was in for 4 minutes and picked up a point and a rebound, which is not a terrible amount for so little time. USCar got one block (against Tuck) and it's hard for me to believe that someone like Wilson would have picked up a bunch of blocks if Gabby had been in there a lot longer tossing up her spin banks. Seeing how Wilson played defense, I actually think Gabby would have eaten her alive. Watch how Gabby does it, backing in or just driving her butt in on the defender to push her back, and then quickly spinning and sweeping the arm far out and curling it around for a high banker. As a defender you have to be quick and have perfect timing to block that shot. Maybe Stewie and Kiah have the wingspan and skill to do it, but I didn't see any Gamecock with that ability.

Maybe Geno's saving something for the NCAA's...

(you know...don't show all your cards).