Jill Barta adapts, leads Gonzaga women to another big year
Saint Mary’s is back in town, bringing a tough challenge for the Gonzaga women and some rough memories for Zags forward Jill Barta.
Barely a year ago, GU trailed the visiting Gaels by a point with a few seconds to play. The ball came her way at the top of the key, and the redshirt freshman drove the lane.
Barta split two defenders, but her layin struck the glass a bit too strong and the Gaels escaped with a one-point win at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
An hour later, the Kennel was empty except for a few custodians, one sportswriter and Barta, who was back at work on her craft.
“Just trying to get better,” said Barta, who did just that: She went on to be the Zags’ leading scorer last year and figures to do the same this season.
Barta is a game-changer because she’s willing to change her game to help the Bulldogs win. “When the lights go on, she’s ready to play,” coach Lisa Fortier said.
Quest for perfection
Defeat has never gone down well for Barta, who could barely grasp the concept in high school because her Fairfield, Montana, team never lost a game in four years.
“I did take it a little for granted, but looking back now it was a great accomplishment for our school and our town,” said Barta, who still hangs out with her old teammates during summertime in Fairfield, population 721.
“We have a lot of pride in our home town,” said Barta, who appreciated the fact that “there are people who never win in high school.”
Barta gets some kidding about the perfect high school record, but she tasted defeat many times in AAU ball up and down the West Coast. Those games also boosted her stock among college coaches.
One of them was former GU coach Kelly Graves, who paid a visit to Fairfield. Barta returned the favor and promptly fell in love with the GU program – the special education program.
“Coming here, it wasn’t just for basketball,” said Barta, who checked with alums and found that “they had nothing but great things to say about the special ed program.”
Three years later, Barta appreciates the fact that her classes average 10 to 15 students – a rarity at Montana and Montana State, the other major contenders for her services.
Barta already signed with GU when the call came: Graves was leaving for the University of Oregon. No matter, she was already sold on the education program. Fortier’s promotion to head coach made the transition easier.
The toughest change in 2014-15 was redshirting: Practicing but not playing while GU played its way to the Sweet 16.
“You think to yourself, ‘are you not good enough,?’ but I realized that redshirting helped my confidence and feel for the game,” Barta said.
A change for the better
Coaches saw the potential in the athletic 6-foot-3 Barta, who saw double-digit minutes from her first game.
She was the spark off the bench at small forward, an offensive energizer who started only 10 games out of 33 yet led the Bulldogs with 14 points per game and finished first team on the All-West Coast Conference squad.
It was a breakout season, with a few caveats. Barta sometimes struggled on defense and with her stamina, but made conditioning a priority in the offseason.
The other adjustment change came from the coaches: The graduation of post Shelby Cheslek left a rebounding void that Barta was expected to fill.
“She’s such a great athlete, with good timing,” Fortier said. “When she wants to rebound she’s tough to stop … but if there’s something she doesn’t want to do, she lets you know.”
Crashing the boards demanded a change in Barta’s mentality.
“Rebounding, it’s not always the first thing I’m going to think about, but I’m trying to be a more complete player,” Barta said.
Senior forward Kiara Kudron is the Zags’ top rebounder with 7.6 per game, but Barta isn’t far behind at 6.4. And her 16.8 scoring average is almost three points better than a year ago.
More important, GU leads the West Coast Conference going into Saturday’s game against Saint Mary’s. Confidence is high.
“On this year’s team we’re more willing to do things for each other,” Barta said. “I know that on defense, if I let my person go by me, someone’s going to be there for me.”
