A look back at the sensational freshman season of BYU basketball's Delaney Gibb

After an impressive freshman season, Delaney Gibb was unanimously awarded Big 12 Freshman of the Year.

If there is one positive to take away from the ups and downs of the 2024-2025 BYU women’s basketball season, it’s the outstanding play of Alberta, Canada’s Delaney Gibb.

Gibb was a top 50 player in the 2024 women’s basketball recruiting class and ended up bringing her talents to Provo, Utah. Before committing to BYU, Gibb was also recruited by heralded basketball programs such as Gonzaga, Oklahoma and Utah.

After having lofty expectations set on her shoulders, Gibb showed no signs of the lights being too bright. She started non conference play averaging 16.8 points per game and leading the team in minutes played.

Gibb’s season high of 26 points came against a young, talented Washington State Cougars team. This game occurred right before Big 12 play, leaving fans hoping that the 2024-2025 season would be full of more success than its previous year–unfortunately, this wasn’t the case.

Gibb excelled in Big 12 play, only scoring lower than double digits in three games. This consistent scoring output led to Gibb acquiring 10 freshman of the week awards throughout the season.

This was only the second time that a player has had 10 or more freshman of the week honors in Big 12 conference history, showing just how great of a season Gibb has had.

Although Gibb dominated, BYU only had a 4-14 record in conference play and lost multiple gut-wrenching games down the stretch.

One impressive win BYU was able to secure was against its Big 12 mate, No. 20 Oklahoma State. The Cougars showed flashes of a team that could compete with experienced rosters but were unable to demonstrate this on a night-to-night basis.

Gibb scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out six assists, leading BYU to an unprecedented upset.

This was the first BYU women’s basketball win over a ranked opponent since Feb. 7, 2024 against Baylor.

BYU fields a relatively younger team compared to its experienced, veteran heavy Big 12 opponents, setting the stage for Gibb to lead BYU to higher levels in her next few seasons.

Gibb was the only BYU Cougar to win a Big 12 award, other notable awards featured TCU’s Hailey Van Lith winning Big 12 conference Player of the Year, as well as Newcomer of the Year after transferring from LSU.

BYU played against Van Lith, and TCU late in the season, getting blown out 79-47. This late season defeat could provide a learning experience for Gibb and her Cougars, trying to emulate the experience that Van Lith possesses.

Although BYU’s only chance to the NCAA tournament would be through winning the Big 12 championship, the Cougars could use improved play in March to carry extra momentum into next season.

Historically, the teams that perform best in march madness have electric, talented guard play. Delaney Gibb checks those boxes and gives BYU a chance in any game it plays.