Gabby Connally
Gabby Connally of San Antonio, Texas, gives Georgia a dynamic two-way point guard in the 2017 class. *Photo by Chris Hansen.
Gabby Connally, the 5-foot-6 guard from San Antonio, Texas, gave her verbal commitment to the University of Georgia and head coach Joni Taylor. Connally is the second top 25 ranked commitment for the Bulldogs in the 2017 class. She joins 5-8 guard Quanniecia Morrison of Riverdale, Georgia, in Taylor’s current recruiting haul expected to sign this November.
Gabby Connally challenges Aislinn Konig, a 2016 NC State
commit and the No. 1 player out of Canada in that class at
the Check Me Out Showcase in Seattle in 2015.
*Photo by Chris Hansen.
Connally is a terrific athlete and a point guard who can get her scorers involved in the offense. She’s also a willing and aggressive on-ball defender, which should help earn her minutes early in her career.
"I remember watching Connally in 2012 as a seventh grader at the ShesBallin.com Showcase,” Brandon Clay of ProspectsNation.com said. “At the time I projected Connally as a speedy guard capable of making a Power 5 roster in the way that Mychal Johnson did at Notre Dame in 2014. Along the way Connally has taken on players nationwide and not backed down from anyone in the process. She's a smaller guard with end-to-end speed. She'll bring a tempo changing dynamic to the backcourt in Athens. I expect Connally to be a defensive ball hawk and playmaker on the offensive end as well."
Connally, who played club ball with TeamXpress and coach Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil, is a player that has sought out competition beyond the normal club circuit tournament schedule. She has excelled in camps and individual showcase, seeking matchups with other elite players she may not get to play in a team environment. Her play in those events such as She’s Ballin’ and the Check Me Out Showcase, gave a clear read on her competitive nature, something that should translate immediately in the SEC.
Connally challenges the No. 2 player in the 2019 class,
Nyah Green, at the Check Me Out Texas Showcase.
*Photo by Chris Hansen.
The duo of Connally and Morrison should provide a fierce backcourt alone. But these two will be joined by Louisville transfer Taja Cole. This group will play together for three years after Cole completes her NCAA mandated transfer red shirt year. The group will be the core of the Bulldogs backcourt for years to come. The program has good young depth in the frontcourt as well with Stephanie Paul and Caliya Robinson in the mix.
Going forward UGA is also in on interior players Kasiyahna Kushkituah, a 6-3 post from Austell, Georgia, and Maya Caldwell, a 6-1 forward from Charlotte, North Carolina, among others. Any further additions would only bolster a strong class with these two guards ranked highly in the ELITE 150.
GEORGIA RECRUITING NEWS
GEORGIA 2017 COMMITS
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was a co-founder of and the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase. He can be reached at chris@prospectsnation.com.
