Gator Backcourt Club

The Official Booster Club of the University of Florida Women's Basketball Team

 Gator Soccer All-American Gabby Seiler Joins Hoops Team

University of Florida soccer standout Gabby Seiler, who is a 2017 United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American and three-time All-Southeastern Conference First Team performer, has joined the Gator women’s basketball team and will be active to play immediately, hoops head coach Cameron Newbauer announced Thursday.

A 5-foot-5 point guard from Peachtree City, Ga., Seiler scored 17 goals during her collegiate soccer career, including seven game-winning goals. The Gator’s 2017 team captain also recorded 21 assists and was named in 2017 the SEC Offensive and Top Drawer Soccer National Player of Week after scoring the tying goal versus then No. T-1 Stanford and the first goal in 2-1 win versus Syracuse.

Seiler will be on the bench for tonight’s women’s basketball home game against Alabama.

Basketball Resume

While Seiler has focused her attention on the sport of soccer for the last five years, she was a force on the hardwood during her prep career at McIntosh High School, where she broke the school’s all-time scoring record – boys and girls – eventually topping the 2,000-point plateau for her four-year career. The 20-year-old record she broke of 1918 points was held by Jeff Sheppard, who starred at Kentucky where he won two NCAA titles.

Soccer won out when picking sports

Gabby was a two-sport athlete, as she also was a point guard for McIntosh High School’s basketball team. It was the sport her older brother, Zach, played when he was in high school, which also drew her to the sport. Basketball was a focus for her as the sport didn’t come as naturally to her as soccer. She would spend hours in the gym before and after school working on her ball-handling and shooting skills. But she eventually chose soccer as the sport to pursue. Gabby enjoys soccer’s big team aspect and the creativity involved also appeals to her.

She has made herself eligible for the 2018 National Women’s Soccer League draft that will be held Thur., January 18, at 10 a.m. ET at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia.

Gabby Seiler’s Gator Soccer Bio

Wearing the Patch

On Seiler’s No. 2 uniform will be the SEC Graduate patch. She received her bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications- Management in August of 2017 and is currently pursuing master’s degree in Management.

Quotes from the Court

Gabby Seiler

On the excitement of playing basketball again:

“I was telling Cam (Newbauer) that basketball is my first love so just getting to be in this environment, joining a new team and getting to experience that is something I’m really excited about.”

On how soccer won out over playing basketball in college

“I don’t know. During the college recruiting process, everyone kept telling me I should play soccer so I just went with that. I was playing on the national teams for soccer so that’s kind of where I was headed anyway. But I always loved basketball first, for sure.”

On nerves about playing competitive basketball again:

“I’m nervous. I think it will take me a little bit to get back into the swing of things. Once I start getting back into practices, I think it will start to pick up and I’ll start to feel the ball again.”

On being a two-sport Division I athlete:

“I feel like this is all happening so fast. I don’t really have any time to think about it. I just have to get into it and get into practice.”

When did joining the Gator Hoops team become an option:

“Honestly, I don’t even know how it came up. I have to give a lot of credit to (UF soccer head coach) Becky (Burleigh). She told Cam I might be interested in joining the team and that’s how it started. I just remember one week getting a text from Cam that said, “Hey, I’m the women’s basketball head coach, can you give me a call?” Then it just started from there.”

On what she can bring to the team:

“Enthusiasm. I think I would give effort every single day. Hopefully, bring positivity and energy to the team.”

Gator Basketball Coach Cam Newbauer

On how he learned about Gabby Seiler:

“We had gotten depleted in practice with numbers because of injuries so we tried to figured out what we could do to help the nagging injuries and help people from having to do so many reps during practice. So I reached out to some other head coaches on campus to see if they had any athletes who would be interested in playing basketball. It came to fruition that way. I reached out to her and I think she can help the locker room, help practice and potentially play in games. Gabby is a great athlete, a champion and an incredible competitor. I think just from that standpoint she’s going to help the entire culture of our program. I’m excited to have her around and see what she can do basketball-wise to help us out.”

On recruiting her in high school for basketball:

“What’s really interesting is that I recruited Gabby when I was an assistant coach at Georgia. I watched her and saw game footage of her playing at McIntosh (High School). What’s funny was that when Becky Burleigh called me and told me she had a player who was interested and her name was Gabby Seiler, my first question was, “from McIntosh High School?” I remember she committed to Georgia for soccer. She transferred to Florida after her second year there. I reached out to her and here she is.”

Gator Soccer Coach Becky Burleigh

On Gabby Seiler:

“I would say two things about Gabby. One – she is an amazing teammate. I’m sure that is something she will bring to the basketball team right away. She is a person who people gravitate towards because she’s positive, works hard and models all the things you would want in a great teammate but also cares about people at a very high level.

“Two – from a competitive standpoint, she’s a gritty competitor who – I don’t care what you’re playing, you could be playing checkers and she would bring something to that.

“She has an incredible sports IQ that’s not limited to soccer.”

 

Seiler in the News

 

 

 

Gator Pronunciations for this Release:

  • Gabby SEILER: SIGH-ler

 

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