St. Joseph’s guard Gabby Casey has emerged as a ‘multidimensional’ player

When St. Joseph’s coach Cindy Griffin recruited Gabby Casey out of Lansdale Catholic High, she compared Casey to Susan (Moran) Lavin, who scored 2,340 points, the most by any men’s or women’s basketball player for the Hawks, from 1998 to 2002.

Casey set the scoring record for the boys’ and girls’ teams at Lansdale Catholic, and her natural scoring knack intrigued Griffin. The Hawks’ culture drew the 5-foot-9 guard, who joined St. Joe’s during the 2023-24 season.

Her role gradually increased each year, and now as a junior, Casey has St. Joe’s fighting for a top-four seed and double bye in the Atlantic 10 tournament. She leads the Hawks in points, rebounds, and steals and prides herself on being a well-rounded player and leader for her teammates.

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“I felt that over the summer I had to put in a lot of extra work and come in more confident than I ever had before because I knew I was going to have a much bigger role,” Casey said. “I knew I was going to score in order for us to win, and that has really been the fun part for me. Scoring and then getting to lead the girls is so easy.”

Casey played sparingly off the bench as a freshman, averaging 13.2 minutes. Last season, she was elevated into the starting lineup but was a secondary scorer, averaging 7.7 points. The Quakertown native has been an example for her teammates.

“That used to be the natural progression,” Griffin said. “Kids stay, and they reap the benefits of their work, and when it’s their time, it’s going to be their time. I think Gabby is a great example of that, just staying the course and being where her feet are. She loves being around our team and our culture, and being able to step into that leadership role is really nice to see.”

Casey has embraced leading a St. Joe’s team that lost a lot of experience from last season’s team, which won 24 games. In Griffin’s eyes, Casey has carried on the lessons that she learned from past team leaders.

She has filled the leadership role seamlessly, guiding the Hawks to a 19-9 record with one regular-season game, at home against third-place Richmond (2 p.m., ESPN+) remaining.

“[I try to] bring consistency in just showing up every day with the same mindset and same goals,” Casey said. “Then also creating an environment where everyone feels welcomed and feels like this is a place they want to be every day.”

Casey always possessed the ability to score, which was evident from her high school days, and has put it on full display this season. She is averaging 16.0 points, good for third in the A-10, while shooting 48% from the field.

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Her favorite way to score is a turnaround jumper, but she also can get to her spots in the midrange for pull-up jumpers. Casey also is a threat from three and leads the team with 62 triples.

However, her on-court impact goes beyond scoring. She is St. Joe’s top rebounder with 6.4 per game, tied for second in assists (3.1), and is first in steals (1.6). When Casey is struggling to score, she still finds ways to help her team compete.

“She’s multidimensional. It’s not just about scoring, it’s how she impacts the game,” Griffin said. “I go back to her freshman year, when we beat Villanova on our home court, and the trajectory of the game changed when Gabby came in and got a couple of steals. It changed the game, and that’s her impact. She’s gritty, tough, and competitive.”

Now, Casey aims to lead St. Joe’s to success in the conference tournament.

“These practices are going to be key to dialing in on the little things that we have to fix throughout the rest of the year,” Casey said. “We have to really focus on the little details that will give us the edge because A-10 play is going to be hard.”