Tallest of tasks in South Bend
Can Collier, Williams continue to make up for UConn’s lack of height in 1-2 matchup?
South Bend, Ind. — When news began to spread that All-American Morgan Tuck was passing on returning to UConn to take advantage of a fifth year of eligibility, there certainly must have been a collective sigh of relief from the other national powerhouse women's programs.
The Huskies' dominant frontcourt combinations in recent years played major roles in helping UConn win six of the last eight national championships.
With Tuck and national player of the year Breanna Stewart embarking on their professional careers, there were plenty of questions surrounding the four-time defending national champions, but none were more prevalent than the ones about frontcourt players being asked to pick up the slack.
The 6-foot-1 Napheesa Collier and 5-foot-11 Gabby Williams have been asked to match up against players sometimes six inches taller. It wasn't always easy especially against the towering front lines in the Texas and Baylor games.
Another major test comes today when No. 1 UConn puts its 82-game winning streak on the line against No. 2 Notre Dame (7 p.m., ESPN2) and a frontcourt headlined by talented junior forwards Brianna Turner and Kathyrn Westbeld.
“A lot of things are going to go their way as they do for home games, it is going to be a good test for us and be an-
“I think Napheesa and Gabby are playing with each other way more, especially in practice. They are getting a feel for each other and that chemistry shows through. I think as the season goes on they are definitely going to get that chemistry.” FORMER UCONN FORWARD MORGAN TUCK
er physical and mental toughness test,” Williams said.
Nobody was asking Collier and Williams to duplicate the production of Stewart and Tuck from a season ago. Their combined numbers through seven games fall short of what Stewart and Tuck contributed during UConn's most recent undefeated season.
However, when the numbers are crunched, Collier and Williams have more rebounds, assists, steals, blocked shots and fewer turnovers that what Stewart and Tuck had at the same point in their junior seasons and with the exception of the Tina Charles/Maya Moore partnerships, their numbers hold up well against the recent post duos.
"I think that takes time,” Tuck said. “I knew Bre way before we got to UConn. We didn't get to play together a whole lot, but when we did we got used to each other. I think Napheesa and Gabby are playing with each other way more, especially in practice. They are getting a feel for each other and that chemistry shows through. I think as the season goes on they are definitely going to get that chemistry, and then next year it is going to be like me and Bre and how we had that chemistry.”
Combined, Collier and Williams have seen the minutes rise nearly 40 percent from a season ago. If not for some early-game foul trouble by Williams in multiple games, the number may have doubled.
Williams, who had nine double-doubles in her first two seasons, already has two this year. Meanwhile, Collier never scored more than 14 points in a game during her freshman year but she has already topped that number five times in the first seven games.
“I think me and Pheese and are trying to get our teammates to trust us, that is not an easy thing to do,” Williams said. “You have to prove it so we really have to prove it."
It also helps that after doing the bulk of their scoring in the paint in the early stages of their careers, both Collier and Williams spent time working on becoming more proficient scoring from the perimeter.
“This summer I really tried to work on my outside game, try to expand my range and hopefully bring a lot more to my game this year,” Collier said.
Their confidence has also shown in the passing department.
Last season they combined for at least five assists on three occasions but have already topped that mark four times in this season's first seven games. Williams is tied with Kia Nurse for the team lead with 32 assists and half of those set up baskets by Collier.
“I try to give her the ball as much as possible,” Williams said. “She is an automatic two points once she gets the ball in that area. She looks really comfortable and I think she is only going to get better.”
HBO documentary on UConn
HBO cameramen and producers have been granted more access into the daily workings of the 11-time national championship UConn program.
HBO announced that its UConn Huskies: The March to Madness will premiere on March 1 with an hour-long show with new 30-minute segments airing each Wednesday as the Huskies try to win an unprecedented fifth straight NCAA Division I women's basketball national title.
Footage is being shot during games, practices and there are also cameras allowed into the locker room and other footage taken of the team, which on Monday moved into the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press poll despite graduating its top three scorers.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be involved in this project,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in a release. “Knowing the kind of high-quality content that is showcased by HBO, I am already looking forward to watching the first episode. This offers a tremendous opportunity for a lot of people to get an inside look at our university and to see just what goes into building a championship team.”