Freshman Aleksa Gulbe’s athleticism has been on display since the IU women’s basketball season tipped off.
In IU’s second game of the season — a 59-32 road win at Oakland University — Oakland junior forward Mercy Agwaniru rolled off a screen. But by the time Agwaniru turned, Gulbe used her 6-foot-3-inch frame to reach up and block her shot and start a push toward the offensive end.
“Aleksa can provide a rim protector because she has proven that she can alter shots,” IU Coach Teri Moren said. “She’s mobile, she’s athletic.”
Gulbe has also shown her ability to stretch the floor, as she has converted on eight 3-pointers this season while shooting close to 47 percent from behind the arc.
That said, she is averaging less than seven points and four rebounds in 17.8 minutes played per game. With Gulbe’s athleticism and aggressive play, foul trouble has followed. Thus Moren has been forced to play senior forward Kym Royster and sophomore center Linsey Marchese before Gulbe can find her groove.
“We can’t keep her on the floor for any duration because she’s always picking up fouls,” Moren said. “When I say duration — where she can get into a rhythm and into the flow. But she picks up two quick fouls in the first half and we have to sit her. Right now, we need her to play smarter.”
While Royster and Marchese are both key returners from the 2018 WNIT Championship run, they do not provide the same type of athleticism and ability to stretch the floor that Moren seeks.
“We don’t have a rim protector in Kym, Brenna and Linsey Marchese,” Moren said. “We just need her to continue to try to be active around the rim to give us that rim protector without fouling.”
Junior Brenna Wise is the second leading scorer on the team, but standing two or more inches shorter than Royster, Gulbe and Marchese, she does not present the same ability to play center.
Gulbe, a native of Riga, Latvia, came to IU after playing overseas. In the 2018 FIBA European Women’s U18 Championships, Gulbe was named to the All-Star Five after averaging 13.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists en route to the country’s fourth place finish.
Moren said the problem with Gulbe’s foul trouble is in her stance and lower body. She noted that when Gulbe goes up for blocks, she is making body contact with her opponents, allowing the officials to make the call.
“Until she learns that she has to be in a stance. You can’t play straight up and have to play not just with her feet, but with her hands up,” Moren said. “She keeps picking up silly fouls that keep us from playing her for any kind of duration."
As Big Ten play continues and opponents pose strong threats on the inside, keeping Gulbe out of foul trouble could be a major piece to success.
