Seattle Storm power forward Gabby Williams has been steaming it lately in the WNBA. Averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists this season, Williams has quickly established herself as one of the top scorers for the Storm. One of the many reasons that attribute to her high productivity on the floor comes from her time spent playing for Geno Auriemma’s UConn Huskies from 2014 to 2018.
Williams helped the Huskies reach a 148-3 record over her four-year career. She even helped UConn secure four Final Four appearances and win consecutive National Championships.
On Jeff Teague’s ‘Club 520’ podcast, Williams revealed how UConn was never one of her first choices for schools during her recruitment.
“I didn’t want to play for a team that had that kind of prestige,” Williams said. (4:29)
Perhaps, Williams did not want the pressure of winning games during her college tenure. Many players often play college hoops to upskill themselves before entering the big leagues. However, Geno Auriemma convinced Williams to join the Huskies in the coldest manner possible.
Recalling Auriemma’s pitch, Williams added:
“I just remember coach like when he was recruiting me and he sat me in his office and he was like,’ you can come here if you want but if you don’t, you’ll just lose. We’ll win a championship with or without you.”
Auriemma was confident in the roster that he was building. Though adding Williams would have mean a boost for the squad, he was confident in his other recruits to bring a winning mentality to the team.
Seems like it was a risk worth taken for Gabby Williams. And as Auriemma had claimed, the Huskies did in fact kept to their winning ways.
Williams is one of the only nine Huskies to have scored at least 1,000 points and as many rebounds for the program. She finished her college career ranking 22nd on UConn’s all-time scoring list with 1,582 career points, seventh in rebounds with 1,007 career boards, and 13th in assists with 481 dimes to her name.
Gabby Williams’ incredible performance this season earned her the All-Star nod
Gabby Williams’ 2025 season’s scoring averages is the third-best for the Seattle Storm, just behind Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins. Furthermore, she is raking career high in assists, steals (2.4), and blocks (0.5). Besides, she has also further cemented herself as one of the staple-pieces for Seattle, leading the team in minutes played.
Much of Gabby Williams’ outburst into the scene this season can be attributed from her performance for France last summer. She led the Les Bleues in scoring (15.5 points), assists (4.8) and steals (2.8) in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Furthermore, she was France’s second-best rebounder, raking 4.7 rebounds per game.
Gabby Williams never really considered herself an All-Star. Rather, she was entirely focussed on making her team better. Perhaps, a skill she had learned from her time playing for the Huskies. But with a team surrounded by talents that helped tap into her potential, this All-Star nod was something much deserved for her.
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