How Delaney Gibb built on freshman season to push BYU to NCAA Tournament bubble

PROVO — There's no repeat award winner for Big 12 freshman of the year, namely because of the qualifiers of the award (and the fact that Ben Simmons doesn't play in the league).

But if there were, Delaney Gibb would be the odds-on favorite.

The sophomore from Raymond, Alberta, burst on to the scene a year ago when she averaged 17.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game as a freshman, including 14 games against Big 12 competition scoring 14 points or more and seven conference freshman of the week honors in nine weeks.

Gibb went on to earn unanimous Big 12 freshman of the year, one of just six players in BYU women's basketball history to ever hold the distinction.

After a summer where she debuted with the Canadian senior national team at the FIBA Women's AmeriCup, Gibb returned to Provo determined not see a sophomore slump. A preseason watchlist selection for the top player and shooting guard in the country and a unanimous All-Big 12 preseason selection,

Despite missing eight games with a lower-leg injury just five games into the season, she returned for conference play and has led the Cougars in scoring with 17.9 points per game on 37.8% shooting, including 47 3-pointers. The 5-foot-10 guard also started playing more with the ball, and averaged 4.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

Perhaps most importantly, a year after tallying a team-high 134 turnovers per game, Gibb reduced that number to 99 giveaways while often mentoring freshman point guard Sydney Benally, who averages 7.4 points, 4.17 assists and 3.0 turnovers per game in 30 contests (all starts).

"I think my coaches and teammates have done a great job of instilling confidence in me," Gibb said Monday before the Cougars headed to the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City.

"A lot is run through me," she added. "But honestly, I think my teammates have really helped me this year, putting me in positions to be successful — and I try to do the same thing back to them."

On Monday, Gibb was named to the Big 12's Starting Five for the second straight week, and third time this season. The honor followed her third and fourth straight games with 20-plus points, including a game-high 24 in a road win over Arizona State.

She's taking "some of the same shots," but with better rhythm, better game shape and better timing, BYU coach Lee Cummard said, noting how Gibb's shooting fits into the rhythm of the first-year head coach's game plan.

In all, she's taking more shots, converting them into more points, and when teams drawn up every play imaginable with double teams and other schematics to slow her down, she's found her teammates. More of a "sophomore super" than a "sophomore slump."

And it has BYU squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. ESPN's Charlie Creme currently has the Cougars among the 73rd to 76th-ranked teams in the country, or "Next Four Out" of the field of 68. Of the 16 bubble teams ranked ahead of BYU, though, the Cougars have played eight — and hold a 7-1 record including two wins each over Arizona State and Utah.

"She's been tremendous," Cummard said. "If I could add one pitch to the committee, I think the way she is playing right now is a great story on a young team that is going to be in the Dance in years to come."

Of course, as of Tuesday morning, the Cougars would still be on the outside, looking in at the NCAA Tournament. The 20-win resume is devoid of a Quad 1 victory, as well as a pair of losses to teams ranked 108th and 122nd in the NET, respectively, in Cincinnati and Arizona.

So there's still plenty of work to do as No. 9-seeded BYU opens the conference tournament Wednesday against 16th-seeded Houston (7-22, 1-17 Big 12). A win there, and the Cougars (either one of them) would face No. 8 Utah in Thursday's second round (12:30 p.m. MST, ESPN+).

But first thing's first, notes sophomore wing Brinley Cannon.

"The next game is the most important game," she said. "Right now, we're locked in on Houston and making sure we execute and do what we need to do to win that game."

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