SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga women’s basketball is back, and this year’s edition looks like a mirror to the last.
The Zags return sophomore stars Lauren Whittaker and Allie Turner, plus freshman three-point sharpshooter Teryn Gardner.
“We’ve built that foundation, you know, no excuses. We’ve been together for a year now,” Whittaker said. “Everyone, majority of players, know the system and they know it well, and so, I think from now on it’s just building those habits. And taking it further.”
“So, I’ve never been a part of a season where we have that many returners,” Turner said. “So it’s pretty fun already. I feel like we were doing some plays there and most of us already knew what we were doing, which is always cool. And then there’s only three new people to really teach, so that’s awesome.”
Senior Ines Bettencourt played what she and the rest of the team thought was her last game this spring, but she joined a successful lawsuit against the NCAA to grant her a fifth season of eligibility, at least for now.
“I’m just so grateful to be back,” Bettencourt said. “A year, another year under Lisa’s coaching, all the assistant coaching, playing with all my best friends. Just having one more, one more shot at this, making the tournament, and just being more prepared for whatever’s next for me. So, it’s just awesome.”
“I mean, she’s a pro in all ways,” head coach Lisa Fortier said. “And so she’s great to have around, and we’ve been saying we’ve got nine of our nine returners, it’s crazy. When you add Neshy, ten returners is just unheard of.”
Gonzaga begins the season with the Numerica Fan Fest on Oct. 10 at 2:00 p.m. at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
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