Gabby, how about a three?

[Ukonnfan]

Firstly, I liked very much the toughness of Gabby against Cincy. When the opposing center bashed her to the ground, she game back with a tremendous drive to the basket on that same girl. Just missed the shot. That was very telling of her physical abilities.

One thing I do keep hoping for, is that she will at least take a 3 point shot. She seems to have developed a great 15 foot jumper, foul shot, and a three point shot every now and again will keep the defense honest on her and open up the area under the hoop. I also believe she can make em. The defense is leaving her open for this. She was a guard in high school, I'm thinking she made a couple threes in those days. .....Sometimes I wonder if this is Geno's doing and he's saving it for the tournament.

 

[jimazee]

Firstly, I liked very much the toughness of Gabby against Cincy. When the opposing center bashed her to the ground, she game back with a tremendous drive to the basket on that same girl. Just missed the shot. That was very telling of her physical abilities.

One thing I do keep hoping for, is that she will at least take a 3 point shot. She seems to have developed a great 15 foot jumper, foul shot, and a three point shot every now and again will keep the defense honest on her and open up the area under the hoop. I also believe she can make em. The defense is leaving her open for this. She was a guard in high school, I'm thinking she made a couple threes in those days. .....Sometimes I wonder if this is Geno's doing and he's saving it for the tournament.

She worked a lot on some other things this past summer, and it shows. Maybe 3s will get the same attention this summer.

It was a nice statement when she got off the floor and attacked with a purpose...too bad she missed but the message was still there.

 

[pppggg]

First, Geno doesn't save anybody for any reason.

Second, when it come to the tournament, guard play is critical, especially when you get to the sweet 16 and beyond and Geno knows that better than anyone.

Mo's play last year was a key reason why they won. I love Gabby's play but that is why Kia will start and Gabby will be first off the bench at the 3 or 4 spot.

 

[Ukonnfan]

Mo's play last year was a key reason why they won. I love Gabby's play but that is why Kia will start and Gabby will be first off the bench at the 3 or 4 spot.[/QUOTE]

This was just a suggestion for a three pointer from Gabby, not whether Gabby will replace Kia.

 

[Dougie]

Mo's play last year was a key reason why they won. I love Gabby's play but that is why Kia will start and Gabby will be first off the bench at the 3 or 4 spot.

This was just a suggestion for a three pointer from Gabby, not whether Gabby will replace Kia.[/QUOTE]
I've not seen any evidence of a 3 point threat from Gabby and she's not about to start experimenting now. On the other hand, she has clearly demonstrated how hard she works in the off season on any weaknesses in her game. She is a fierce competitor and will do anything to get better. Is a 3 pointer in her future? Maybe yes, maybe no but her real strength seems to be close to the basket and mid range.

 

[Roundball fan]

Lets not forget Gabby did not play high school basketball her junior and senior year. Geno still wanted her, I am positive we will she great thing from her the next 2 years. A 3 point shot will come but probably not until next year. Gabby is a very hard worker and her up side is very high.

 

[Carnac]

She worked a lot on some other things this past summer, and it shows. Maybe 3s will get the same attention this summer.

It was a nice statement when she got off the floor and attacked with a purpose...too bad she missed but the message was still there.

Two thoughts come to mind after reading your comment. In her two short years at UConn, Gabby (Gabulous) has become a fan favorite. We are very lucky to have her.

1. Gabby is not a punk! If you note her demeanor, she's not cutesy. She's hard nosed, and all about business. She's focused, and goes about her business and gets the job done!!

2. Gabby is not soft. She has grit. Gabby will not back down to anyone. Because its a team rule that you don't argue calls, she doesn't. But sometimes you can tell by her body language that she's not happy when she's whistled for a foul, and does her best to suppress her emotions.

Having made that "sophomore leap", Gabby is now comfortable. Having become the 6th man, Gabby knows that she can play at this level, and play well. She knows that Geno trusts her.

I like where she has taken her game. She improved beyond our wildest dreams over the summer. I expect her to improve that much again this summer. I'd like to see her start next year, and I'd like to see Geno give her a little more leash. Given more minutes, Gabby can make a huge impact in UConn's games next year. In 30+ games next year, I can see her getting at least 20-25 double doubles.

There will be some very BIG shoes to fill next season. Hopefully Gabby will take the bull by the horns, and fill a pair.
I'd also like to see her take on more of a leadership role. With the big 3 gone (I don't expect Tuck to come back), someone has to pick up that baton and carry on.

Because of their personalities and demeanor, I see Gabby and Kia Nurse emerging as the team's new leaders next year. Geno and staff will have one of their most interesting camps next year before the season starts. They'll begin the season for the first time in the past several years without an All-American on the roster.

We may have had a glimpse of next year's starting lineup against Cincinnati on Wednesday, and the ensuing result.
Geno and staff have their work cut out for them. Geno may have to dig real deep in his bag of tricks to make a way where no way seems possible. The cavernous gap between UConn and the rest of WCBB that they've enjoyed for the past several years will close just a bit at the end of this season.

I'm not related to "chicken little" by any means, nor am I a bearer of woe. I am reasonably proficient at reading tea leaves. UConn will not go undefeated next year. I expect UConn to remain extremely competitive, but not dominant. Expect to see fewer blowouts next year. I expect several games to be won by less than 10 points.

 

[JordyG]

Gabby still has a lot of work to do with her short range jumper before she considers moving to the three point line. Her feet still fly apart, she occasionally over jumps and she doesn't always release at the top of her shot. All of which changes her release point, and that point needs to be more consistent. But if she continues to improve at the same rate we're talking AA.

 

[bags27]

Maybe Geno has to play the same mind games with Captain America:

UConn's best free-throw shooter is Collier at 90 percent. And Auriemma said she has great touch from 17 to 19 feet. But until Wednesday, she had taken only three three-pointers and missed them all. So when Auriemma saw her taking them at practice the other day, he thought it was worth a comment.

"Every day at practice she will make at least two or three of them," Auriemma said. "And then she'll stay after practice and shoot another 30 of them. Finally on Wednesday I said, 'Stop practicing those, please, don't practice shots you're not going to take in a game.'"

Collier told Geno that Wednesday would be different. And it was. She took two threes and made the first one of her career.

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...n-women-cincy-follow-0219-20160218-story.html

 

[stamfordhusky]

Lets not forget Gabby did not play high school basketball her junior and senior year. Geno still wanted her, I am positive we will she great thing from her the next 2 years. A 3 point shot will come but probably not until next year. Gabby is a very hard worker and her up side is very high.

Actually she played the majority of her senior year - 13 of her HS team's 19 games. Her last game that season was January 25th and then she was shut down.

She took some threes that year btw. Made 7 of 24.

 

[bags27]

Actually she played the majority of her senior year - 13 of her HS team's 19 games. Her last game that season was January 25th and then she was shut down. She took some threes that year btw. Made 7 of 24.

With her improvement trajectory, she'll come back next year as the next KML.

 

[chrissaran]

Gabby doesn't need to shoot 3s. We need her rebounding a lot more than we need her shooting 3s. With Katie Lou coming on, Breanna, Moriah, Kia and Morgan, we have enough three point shooters.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Actually she played the majority of her senior year - 13 of her HS team's 19 games. Her last game that season was January 25th and then she was shut down.

She took some threes that year btw. Made 7 of 24.

She played half her junior year before tearing her ACL as well.