WCC Media Day notes: Gonzaga women built tough nonleague schedule with singular goal in mind

LAS VEGAS – A three-time national champion at home. The reigning Pac-12 champs on the road. Three other teams that qualified for the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

The nonconference schedule Lisa Fortier built for her Gonzaga women in 2023-24 certainly passes the eye test.

“We’re going to be tested mightily throughout the season, but right from the beginning we have a really tough nonconference schedule,” Fortier said Wednesday at West Coast Conference Media Day . “I don’t know if we’ve had this tough of a nonconference schedule since I’ve been on the staff – not just since I’ve been a head coach. It’s very, very challenging.”

It was by design.

Two years ago, Fortier’s Zags felt they were somewhat slighted after earning a No. 9 seed at the NCAA Tournament. They won their tournament opener against eighth-seeded Nebraska but ran into top-seeded Louisville next and lost 68-59.

Gonzaga thought it had done enough to warrant a higher seed when the 2023 bracket was revealed, but the 28-win Bulldogs wound up with another No. 9 seed and lost to Ole Miss 71-48.

With past seeds in mind, and the departure of BYU from the WCC, Fortier and her staff went to work building what Fortier described as GU’s most challenging nonconference schedule since she arrived in 2007 as an assistant for Kelly Graves.

“We’ve been in the NCAA Tournament the last few years and we haven’t gotten the seed that we love,” Fortier said. “So trying to figure out if this would be the year to do our best with this schedule to at least position ourself. Obviously, you have to go out there and do something with the schedule on the court.”

The meat of Gonzaga’s nonconference schedule includes games at Washington State (Nov. 9) and California (Dec. 7), a home game against Stanford (Dec. 3) and neutral site/holiday tournament games against Alabama (Nov. 25), Louisville (Nov. 26) and Arizona (Dec. 20).

Coach Kamie Ethridge and WSU bring back a core of players from the team that won the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament. Stanford and Louisville both enter the season as preseason top-20 teams, according to an ESPN Top 25 poll. Arizona and Alabama both qualified for the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

“I love it, I’m super, super excited for it,” Gonzaga forward Eliza Hollingsworth said. “I think every time we come around to that stage of the year where we’re finding our nonconference (schedule), I think we’re all wishing we have those top-net teams because it’s such a good comparison for us to see where we’re at.”

Shooters shoot

Gonzaga fifth-year senior Brynna Maxwell posted remarkable shooting percentages last season while earning first-team All-WCC honors. She hit 48.3% behind the 3-point line, which ranked second nationally, and a school-record 94.9% (74 of 78) at the free-throw line.

It didn’t happen by accident.

“I worked really hard. Coach Jordan (Green) is our wing coach and he works out with me on my shot,” Maxwell said. “But I think a lot of it is not thinking about the last one and focusing on the next one. Just having the confidence that this is going to go in and my teammates are great at giving me that confidence.”

Maxwell averaged 13.1, 12.8 and 10.6 points in three seasons at Utah before transferring to Gonzaga. She made 40.2% on 3-pointers at Utah, including 47.2% as a freshman in 2020.

Burnham eyes big junior year

Portland’s Maisie Burnham had a memorable season last year, including an upset win over Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament title game, fueled in part by her 19 points, six rebounds and four steals.

That meant a great deal to Burnham, who was born in Spokane and helped Liberty High capture a State 2B title.

“The moment for me was probably more special because I got to do it with a team and that was our goal the whole season and our focus,” Burnham said.

The 6-foot-guard is primed for another big season, her third as a Pilot after playing her freshman year at Eastern Washington. She was named to the 10-player preseason All-WCC team.

“I don’t know how much (her role) is going to change,” coach Michael Meek said. “From what I’ve seen, she just has a different maturity about her and confidence, how much she’s improved defensively and her well-roundness offensively. I feel like we’ve been seeing that every day in practice. She’s off to a great start.”