Gonzaga Bulldogs
Overall Rank: #42
Conference Rank: #2 West Coast
Gonzaga reached the NCAA Tournament for fourth time in Coach Lisa Fortier’s five seasons leading the program. The Bulldogs are turning into a very consistent program. That bodes well for another trip to the tournament, but there are some big holes to fill, most notably that of forward Zykera Rice who led the team with 15.0 points and 5.8 rebounds. Losing Chandler Smith and point guard Laura Stockton hurts too, but this is a Gonzaga team that has plenty of experienced players ready to step up.
2018-19 Record: 29-5, 16-2
2018-19 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Lisa Fortier
Coach Record: 127-40 at Gonzaga, 127-40 overall
Key Departed Players (starters in bold)
Zykera Rice, Forward, 15.0 ppg
Chandler Smith, Guard, 9.2 ppg
Laura Stockton, Guard, 8.9 ppg
Key Returning Players (starters in bold)
Katie Campbell, Senior, Guard, 8.1 ppg
LeeAnne Wirth, Junior, Forward, 6.5 ppg
Jill Townsend, Junior, Guard, 9.4 ppg
Jenn Wirth, Junior, Forward, 8.3 ppg
Jessie Loera, Senior, Guard, 5.8 ppg
Melody Kempton, Sophomore, Forward, 4.3 ppg
Louise Forsyth, Junior, Guard, 2.2 ppg
Gillian Barfield, Junior, Forward, 0.1 ppg
Key New Players
Kylee Griffen, RS Freshman, Guard
Eliza Hollingsworth, Freshman, Forward
Kayleigh Truong, Freshman, Guard
Kaylynne Truong, Freshman, Guard
Anamaria Virjoghe, Sophomore, Forward, Transfer from Northwest Christian
Cierra Walker, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Vanderbilt, not eligible
Projection:
Katie Campbell is one of the best shooters in the WCC. She connected on 45.0 percent of her 140 attempts from beyond the arc. If Campbell can add another dimension to her offensive repertoire, she will be in for a big senior season. Jill Townsend is the more dynamic perimeter scorer. She did not start a single game last season, but was second on the team with 9.4 points per game. Townsend can knock down shots from long range consistently, but will also finish around the basket. Jessie Loera is another experienced guard who was in the regular rotation last year. LeeAnee Wirth, Jenn Wirth and Melody Kempton will anchor the frontcourt and look to replace the production lost with Rice. All three are capable interior scorers and solid rebounders. This group has all the pieces they need to compete for a West Coast Conference title and there are some good newcomers who can add a little more depth to this roster. But this group will mostly be about the experienced players and whether or not they can play a slightly larger role and take this team back to the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.4 (47th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 58.9 (46, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.4 (20, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 37.7 (66, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.7 (280, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.8 (8, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 76.7 (18, 1)
Rebound Margin: 5.6 (43, 2)
Assists Per Game: 15.6 (46, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (41, 2)
Madness 2019 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#163 Kaylynne Truong
