Despite lack of experience, Gonzaga women’s basketball – led by Yvonne Ejim – keeps championship expectations

One has to wonder if picking the Gonzaga women’s basketball team to win the West Coast Conference regular-season championship is something automatic for opposing coaches.

The Zags have won 19 WCC titles, two in a row, and eight under coach Lisa Fortier, who is entering her 11th season.

Gonzaga has advanced to a postseason tournament in nine of Fortier’s 10 seasons. It would have been 10 had COVID not interrupted things in March 2020.

The 2024-25 team might be the least experienced team Fortier has returned. Least experienced in terms of playing together, though, not regarding ability. Four starters are gone from the team that went 32-4 and advanced to the Sweet 16.

Gonzaga must replace 58.3 points per game and four starters who averaged in double figures.

Fifth-year senior Yvonne Ejim, the reigning WCC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, will likely break school records this season and is likely to impact the season as much as she did last year, if not more so.

Fortier has some retooling to do to be sure. Fair or not, the Zags are embracing the challenge.

Truth is, they want to break through in the conference tournament. The Zags have been upset by Portland in the tournament finale the last two years.

Five of the 11 WCC coaches picked Gonzaga to win the conference title, and with 92 points the Zags edged affiliate member Washington State. The Cougars, Portland and another affiliate member, Oregon State, each received two first-place votes.

There’s no shying away from the target that’s been placed on the Zags. But new faces doesn’t mean different expectations.

“We’re expecting our team to be the best version of us,” Fortier said. “Right now, we don’t know what that is yet. I don’t think you know the identity of your team until the middle of December when you start to know what you’re made of.”

The Zags’ obvious strength is the inside game anchored by the 6-foot-1 Ejim, who led with 19.7 points and 8.7 rebounds. She also had 15 double-doubles and was named the Becky Hammon Player of the Year.

Joining Ejim will be 6-3 senior forward Maud Huijbens, the WCC Sixth Woman of the Year last season, and redshirt freshman forward Lauren Whittaker, a 6-3 forward from Canterbury, New Zealand.

Huijbens, an All-WCC preseason selection, averaged 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds last year, and those contributions should go up measurably.

The Zags have raved about Whittaker since she joined the team in January and began having an immediate impact in practice. She’s considered a versatile scoring threat, either inside or from 3-point range.

The critical area of need is at point guard where Gonzaga must replace talented twins Kaylynne and Kayleigh Truong. Candidates include junior Ines Bettencourt, a 5-9 transfer from UConn; Tayla Dalton, a 5-9 graduate transfer from Saint Mary’s; and 5-8 freshman Allie Turner from St. Louis.

“They’re going to do a great job,” Fortier said. “It has just been a long time since we’ve had a point guard that we’ve had to teach and then rely on. It’s an important job for us – it’s as important as any job we have this year – to get (them) up to speed for what we expect there. That position is critical to our success. Coaching that position might be the most critical piece of coaching that we do all year.”

The Zags also lost 3-point shooting ace Brynna Maxwell, a two-year starter at wing. Returners Esther Little, a 6-2 senior, and Claire O’Connor, a 6-0 sophomore who same limited time off the bench last year along with sophomore McKynnlie Dalan, a transfer from Minnesota, will get the majority of time.

Junior Bree Salenbien, who is recovering from a third ACL surgery, could be in the mix if she decides to return.

Filling out the roster are 5-11 freshman guard Christabel Osarobo, 5-9 junior college transfer guard Vera Gunaydin and redshirt freshman forward walk-on Ella Hopkins.

Dalon and Dalan were slowed by injuries during much of the preseason.

“We have other parts of our depth that can come to the forefront and be strengths as well,” Fortier said. “We have so many new players that we’re going to watch all the film all the time. It’s interesting when you turn on the lights which players are going to play. Which ones look exactly like they do in practice and which look better and which struggle a little more.”

Fortier told the crowd at FanFest she expects defense will be a team strength. The Zags will have to lean into defense early as they sort out roles and minutes.

The Zags will rely heavily on the experience of the returners to show the newcomers the Gonzaga standard.

“We’re going to rely on those guys to bridge the gap,” Fortier said. “The young players are talented, game and eager to learn. There are more new people than returners. If ever there was a year to be focused on process it’s this year.”

This much is certain: Gonzaga fans can’t wait to watch the 2024-25 team develop.

Every season- ticket holder – more than 4,000 – renewed their tickets, and Gonzaga added more than 300.