Each week, a five-member womenshoopsworld.com panel votes to determine the best collegiate player of the preceding week.
As conference standings tighten in the waning weeks of January, the nation’s best players have begun to elevate their performances in an effort to gain an edge versus conference rivals, and in national polls. One of those strong performances came from one of the country’s elite players: University of Connecticut junior forward Gabby Williams, the WomensHoopsWorld player of the week for Jan. 23-29.
Williams, a Sparks, Nev. native, began the week with a solid all-around effort that showcased her versatility, as she became only the fifth player in Connecticut history to have a triple-double. Her 16 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists versus American Athletic Conference foe East Carolina was followed by an equall- outstanding 19-point, 10-rebound outing against league rival Houston a few nights later. For the week, the 5-11 forward averaged 17.5 points, 13 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game.
A former high school track athlete, Williams combines rare athleticism with a unique jack-of-all-trades style game on the court, which has allowed her to do whatever has been needed for the Connecticut program to help keep the Huskies undefeated (20-0 overall, 8-0 conference) for the season.
Williams and Connecticut look to continue their strong play as they travel to Philadelphia on Wednesday for an AAC showdown against Temple (16-4 overall, 6-1 conference).
