A player from Brigham Young University’s basketball team has captured widespread online attention with her explanation of why the team refrains from practicing on Sundays, especially during the intense period of March Madness.
Delaney Gibb, a 20-year-old athlete, addressed the media during a press conference before their Final Four game against the Kansas Jayhawks, emphasizing that some values transcend the sport of basketball. “When you step back and look at it from our team and the culture that we’ve built and the faith that we have, it’s a day that we get to have a different perspective on life,” she shared on Monday.
This commitment did not hinder their performance, as the team triumphed over Kansas with a close score of 70 to 67 in the semifinal round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament held in Wichita. This victory was particularly significant given that BYU had previously suffered a 21-point defeat to the Jayhawks earlier in the season.
Despite the high stakes of the match-up, the team, based in Provo, Utah, famously chose not to practice the day before the game. “Obviously, we don’t have that day to prepare and to be able to improve and get better,” Gibb noted, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
The Provo, Utah-based team famously abstained from practicing for the high-stakes match-up the day prior.
‘Obviously, we don’t have that day to prepare and to be able to improve and get better,’ Gibb added, per the Salt Lake Tribune.
‘So when you’re looking at it from that standpoint, it might seem unfair or just a bit more challenging.’
Delaney Gibb, 20, went viral this week for eloquently explaining why she does not practice on Sundays
Gibb is a sophomore at Brigham Young University and plays as a guard on the women’s basketball team
BYU women’s basketball coach Lee Cummard added his own thoughts after Gibb and another player shared their perspectives.
‘It’s something that I really value,’ he said.
‘I know every Sabbath day or Sunday I’m going to be at home with my wife and kids and be able to worship the way that I choose.’
The team lost the championship round 81-64 to Columbia on April 1. Gibb scored 24 points during the game.
Her interview clip went viral, with commenters criticizing the team’s dedication to religion.
It garnered more than three million views, 135 replies and thousands of likes on X.
‘Mormonism is a perversion of God’s truth. It’s definitionally a cult. I pray these young women find the truth in Christ,’ one person said.
Gibb told reporters that she takes Sundays off to ‘have a different perspective on life’
‘Losing in basketball because of a superstition invented by a 19th-century conman,’ another added.
Others supported the team’s decision.
‘I love the comments from these beautiful young women who love Jesus Christ and have witnessed the joy that comes from keeping God’s commandments,’ one person said. ‘Thou shall honor & keep the Sabbath holy.’
‘The awesomeness of the program. Keeping the Lord first above the world,’ another added.
Several people called Gibb ‘beautiful’ while one person referred to her as ‘Mormon Shakira,’ due to her blonde curls.
Gibb joined the team in 2024. During her freshman season, she was honored as the Big 12 Freshman of the Year
Brigham Young University is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, colloquially known as the Mormon church.
At the religious school, student-athletes are required to follow the school’s honor code.
Per the BYU website, rules include abstaining from alcohol, living a ‘chaste and virtuous life’ and ‘striving to deepen faith and maintain gospel standards.’
Gibb is originally from Canada. She has played guard on BYU’s basketball team since 2024.
During her rookie season, she was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year.
The Daily Mail contacted Gibb and BYU for comment.
