The meaning of Gabby Connally’s homecoming to San Antonio for the NCAA tournament
As a young child, Gabby Connally always watched women’s basketball games that were on the biggest tournament stage. She vividly remembers it all.
The streams of confetti wading through the sky. The elation of an NCAA tournament victory. The tense, edge-of-your-seat moments as teams pushed to survive-and-advance. The agony of defeat.
Connally always envisioned herself holding the trophy and marking her place in the sport’s lore.
“I’ve pictured myself in their shoes,” Connally said. “A chance to do it here is everything I’ve dreamed of.”
Georgia (20-6) opens NCAA tournament play Monday (noon, ESPN2) against 14th-seeded Drexel. Once the Lady Bulldogs take the hardwood at Bill Greehey Arena, it’ll be a familiar site for Connally.
Home.
The 5-foot-6 senior guard is a hop, skip and a jump from her roots in San Antonio, Texas. Connally won’t get to spend much time with her loved ones due to the restrictions surrounding COVID-19 and the strict guidelines that a traveling party must follow. An environment that she knows all-too-well, however, gives Connally another level of motivation to help the Lady Bulldogs reach their goal of making a national title run.
San Antonio is the place where Connally became a star. That’s true, in fact, for a slew of local players at high-profile universities who are having a homecoming of sorts: Amber Ramirez (Arkansas), Kiana Williams (Stanford), Kyra Lambert (Texas), NaLyssa Smith (Baylor), Sahara Jones (Texas A&M) and Deja Kelly (North Carolina).
“There are no words for it,” Connally said. “The way it all happened is really crazy and I’m super excited to be heading back home. For me to finish out my last games in San Antonio is really special to me. It’s bittersweet.”
Connally hails from Brandeis High School, where she earned the moniker of a five-star prospect and a player that every Power 5 program had its eyes on. She scored over 2,500 points at the prep level, was a McDonald’s All-American nominee, San Antonio Express News Co-Player of the Year and a name that everyone in that area of Texas knew of.
Connally decided to make the long trek to Georgia due to the culture built under now-sixth-year head coach Joni Taylor. She joined the Lady Bulldogs because of the team’s people-first priority and the fact that Taylor represents Black women in Division I basketball.
But Georgia didn’t find its would-be anchor at point guard easily. Or, maybe it did come pretty simply and by pure coincidence.
Connally, as a young high-schooler, played in an AAU tournament in Texas. Taylor made the trip in the middle of July to watch another player. She noticed someone on the other court who executed a ball screen beyond her years. She came off of two ball screens — made a shot on one and made a nifty play on the other. Taylor instantly perked up, asked “Who is she?” and found Connally.
Needless to say, that’s who Georgia honed its focus on from there on out.
“I knew that Gabby was going to be tough,” Taylor said. “She was going to be prepared from a scouting report and she was going to be able to come in and play immediately and be a really good point guard for us. I got a lot of things answered in a short amount of time.”
Many years later, the San Antonio trek for Connally proved worth it for both sides. The volume shooter blew many away with 37 points in her first homecoming as a freshman at Texas A&M. She continued it on three years later with a strong senior campaign.
Connally crossed the 1,000-point threshold in the team’s win over Georgia Tech. She has posted a handful of 25-point-plus games and even hit the buzzer-beater for the Lady Bulldogs’ signature win over Arkansas.
“She hits big shot after big shot after big shot. She is one of our sharpest players,” Taylor said. “The vibe we have as point guard and coach is something that takes time to develop and when you see it come together it’s a really special thing. It has been tremendous for our program.”
After the SEC tournament, Georgia took some time off. One of players’ biggest duties was to pack a bag, because the Lady Bulldogs are planning for three weeks’ worth of tournament games down by The Alamo. Connally likened it to the first day of school as a little girl. She laid all of her clothes out on the bed with giddiness.
She took time to reflect on an opportunity that hasn’t fully sunk in yet. This is her moment.
The saying is “Win or go home.” Connally heads into the NCAA tournament with the chance to win a big game or two at home.
“That’s all I ever wanted to do,” Connally said.
NCAA women’s basketball tournament: Georgia vs. Drexel
Who: No. 3 Georgia (20-6) vs. No. 14 Drexel (14-8)
Where: St. Mary’s University in San Antonio
When: Noon Monday, March 22
TV: ESPN2