Sterling Gibbs hasn’t had the easiest of transitions to his new home in Storrs. Following two 20-plus point performances in the team’s first two games of the season (Maine and UNH), Gibbs wound his way down into an up-and-down stretch that belied the player he truly was.
In the team’s first nine games of the season, Gibbs averaged 11 points per game. The majority of those points came on three-pointers despite running cold from behind the arc. Gibbs attempted over five threes per contest, making only 34 percent of them. Against Gonzaga, his 0-6 performance from deep was a crushing disappointment, as the Huskies lost by a mere three points.
As Gibbs was struggling to get his long-range shot going, the more concerning trend was his lack of free throw attempts. The Huskies as a team have struggled to get to the line in recent years but Gibbs’ two attempts per game were of particular cause for alarm. As the team’s primary ball-handler and its best free throw shooter, there was no reason for Gibbs to be struggling so mightily to get to the line.
Slowly, something has now changed.
Over the team’s last 10 games, Gibbs has increased his scoring output to 14.8 points. He’s taking and making more threes (2.3-5.4 per game 42.6 percent), and is getting inside the defense at a much higher frequency. In that span, Gibbs has averaged 6.2 free throws per game, making over 82 percent of his attempts. His 12 attempts against Georgetown on Saturday were a season high and accounted for seven of UConn’s 28 second half points.
One strange mark on Gibbs’ recent stat line is that his percentage on two-point shots has dropped precipitously. In that first nine game stretch (where remember he was not getting to the line), Gibbs made 60.7 percent of his two-point attempts. That has dropped to 30.4 percent over the last ten games. One would think that his shots from close range would be falling at a greater frequency considering so many of those attempts are now resulting in fouls. Instead the opposite has happened. The reason: who the hell knows?
Perhaps we should chalk it up to the wonder of statistics. After all, Gibbs’ two-point percentage now stands at 42.7 percent on the season — the exact mark he posted at Seton Hall a year ago.
In fact, Gibbs’ season statistics are gradually creeping back towards the numbers he put up en route to earning a spot on the All Big Team Second Team. Gibbs has regained his form and become the player that the Huskies were expecting when he arrived this summer.
Now Gibbs will have to maintain his current pace until the end of the season. Recently, UConn has seen both Daniel Hamilton and Rodney Purvis struggle for prolonged stretches. Gibbs and Shonn Miller have become the most dependable — and the most important — options on offense. Gibbs’ improved production over the most recent 10 games has corresponded exactly to those missed by center Amida Brimah. UConn is, obviously, a significantly more dangerous offensive team when Gibbs is leading the way.
Any path to postseason success for the Huskies depends on Gibbs. After a tough start, it now appears that he’s up to the challenge.
