To call Aleksa Gulbe’s 2021-22 season a “breakout” wouldn’t be quite right.
She was already a reliable starter for Indiana, but taking an extra step on offense made Indiana that much more dangerous throughout last season. Gulbe’s points per game took a leap from 9 as a junior in 2020-21 to 11.8.
Those 9 points per game as a junior matched her offensive output as a sophomore the previous year. The clear focus ahead of 2020 was working on rebounding, which leapt from 5.5 per game in 2019-20 to 6.9 the following season.
What really made the difference this past season was Gulbe’s shooting from beyond the arc.