A look a the new Lady Zags

Courtney Vandersloot graduated in May as the only Division 1 men or women’s player to have over 2,000 points and 1,000 assists. She was drafted third overall in the WNBA draft. Anyone following the GU women’s basketball program knows that and understands that the team this year will definitely be different than the past four years with the all-start point guard on the court.

However, it is time to move on for the Lady Zags, and use this new season to strut their new team.  Several key players from last years’ Elite Eight team return to the MAC for the 2011-2012 season, and a few new faces joined the squad, who are expected to make an impact.

Haiden Palmer, a transfer last year from Oregon State, will play her redshirt sophomore season after sitting out last year. Palmer has a great reputation as a point guard, and will likely fill in the role for Courtney with her new style of play. At OSU, she started every single game (31), averaged over 10 points per game, and made the PAC-10 All-Freshman team.

Taelor Karr is a junior transfer from Kansas State University, and has been declared eligible by the NCAA, and is also predicted to be a major asset to the Bulldogs’ roster. Karr played in all 32 games at K-State last year, and started 29 of them. The 5’8” guard will bring valuable experience of high level basketball to GU, as the Big 12 is one of the toughest women’s basketball conferences in the NCAA.

The group of freshmen coming to Gonzaga bring some great height to the roster. There are seven first year players, five of whom are 6’0” or taller. Sunny Grienacher, from Germany is 6’4” and Shelby Chelsek of Pullman, Washington is 6’5”—capping of the height as the tallest player on the squad. Megan Benedict is 6’1” and a guard, which is a nice combination. Danielle Walters, a redshirt freshman, and Shaniqua Nilles of Spokane Valley, are each 6’0” tall.

The other two freshmen, Maikai Viela (5’6”) and Keani Abanez (5’10”) round out the new group of faces earning spots on the roster.

Last season was a one that definitely made history in women’s basketball at Gonzaga, but this team of ladies is ready for the challenge of a new year. The team may look different than the 2010-2011 squad, but the goals are the same, and hopefully the results will be too.

The Lady Zags have made a national presence on the basketball court over the past few years. In the 2010-2011 season, the Bulldogs captured one of the most memorable experiences by competing in four NCAA tournament games, in front of their home town crowd in Spokane.

An Elite Eight finish was something for the memory books, while studette point guard Courtney Vandersloot left her name in the record books. As the summer kicks off and the school year ends, it is time to put away those books from the past and focus on what is to come.

That is the mindset with the Gonzaga Women’s Basketball program, as they look to make another run at success in the 2011-2012 season.

To start things off, they are reorganizing and revamping the coaching crew. The Zags are proud to welcome Julie Shaw as an assistant coach to the program for the upcoming season.

Don’t worry though; the Bulldogs aren’t getting rid of anyone. Michelle Elliot is just moving into a position as a fulltime Director of Basketball Operations. Elliot played for the Zags for two years and then picked up the clipboard as an assistant for three seasons following her graduation in 2008.

Julie Shaw will be assisting with the GU Women's Basketball program in 2011-2012.

Shaw comes to Spokane after spending six years as an assistant for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the 2010-11 Big West regular season champions. She is known for her post-player coaching, dedication to academics, and organizational skills.

Shaw has continued her pursuit of addressing and improving academics not only for the athletes she coaches, but herself too. After graduating with a degree in psychology from UC Riverside in 2002, she obtained her Master’s in Educational Leadership and Administration from Cal Poly. Shaw is in the process of completing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration from UC Santa Barbra.

The Zags are happy to have an asset like Shaw added to the already prosperous program.  Her book smarts and court intelligence will hopefully be a nice fit for the Bulldog’s “books” in 2011-2012.

Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot was drafted third overall by the Chicago Sky in the WNBA draft Monday.

The wind is howling in Spokane today. It must just be a sign, since Courtney Vandersloot is headed to the Windy City!

With the third overall pick in the WNBA draft, Gonzaga’s senior point guard was drafted by the Chicago Sky.

Vandersloot is the first Gonzaga women’s basketball player to be a first round draft pick. The record breaking point guard became the first ever NCAA Division 1 player to net 2,000 points and dish 1,000 assists in her collegiate career.

The Chicago Sky also had the 15^th, 17^th, and 23^rd picks. Boston College center Carolyn Swords was the second draftee for the Sky, followed by Tennessee guard-forward Angie Bjorklund, and finally Northwestern’s center Amy Jaeschke.

It looks like there could be quite a few Sky fans in Spokane now. Considering Bjorklund is a Spokane native, and Courtney became the darling of the city, leading her team to the first ever Elite Eight in program history—which also happened to be played in Spokane.

The Chicago Sky opens up the official WNBA season on June 4^th at Indiana. It’s not the first game that fans should really be interested in though, it’s the last. The team closes out the season on September 11^th in Seattle. The closest professional team to Spokane is the Seattle Storm, and considering Vandersloot’s westside roots, it looks to be the perfect opportunity for Courtney to close out her rookie season in front of a hometown crowd.

Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot shoots against Stanford's Jeanette Pohlen.

Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga’s senior point guard, was named the AP All-American second team Tuesday.

While that is a fabulous accomplishment, she should have been first team. This girl is THE BEST POINT GUARD in the country!

ESPN analyst and former Purdue Coach Carolyn Peck insisted several times throughout the NCAA tournament that Vandersloot was, with no question, the best point guard in the country. Kara Lawson, who co-hosted ESPN coverage of the tournament with Peck, agreed consistently that there was no other point guard like Courtney.

Apparently the AP didn’t agree with their opinions, or those of everyone that saw Vandersloot play.

This season, Courtney set the all time single season assist record with 367. That record had been in place since 1987. Vandersloot also became the first NCAA Division 1 men’s or women’s player to tally 2,000 points and dish out 1,000 assists in a career.

Records like those don’t happen just because you’re a pretty good player. Vandersloot is an incredible basketball player and should have made the first team AP All-American team without question.

The national stars that did make the team were UCONN’s Maya Moore, Stanford’s Jeanette Pohlen, Brittney Griner of Baylor, Jantel Lavender of Ohio State, and Texas A&M’s Danielle Adams.

All of those players are incredible contributors to the college women’s basketball scene.

Jeanette Pohlen is the point guard of the bunch. Granted, she and Stanford beat Gonzaga twice this season, once being Monday night to earn a trip to the Final Four, but no way is she a better point guard than Courtney.

I have seen Pohlen play for her entire career at Stanford. I was there when she and the Cardinal beat UCONN to end the incredible win streak the Huskies had. Jeanette is a superb player and one heck of a shooter. Yet, I was also witnessed Courtney Vandersloot the past two years.

The 5’8” point guard from Kent, Washington is by far the better point guard. Stanford may have had the better team this year, but being an All-American is an award for what an individual accomplishes in a season.

Vandersloot led the Bulldogs to the programs first ever Elite Eight, broke several school and NCAA records, and she made the 2,000 points and 1,000 assists mark. This has set the bar higher than anyone ever has before.

In the NCAA tournament, Courtney averaged 29.3 points, 10 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 steals. For the season, she led the nation in steals per game at 10.2 and had the best assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.08. Her average of 3.2 steals per game was seventh in the nation, while her 18 double-doubles put her at 11^th. Vandersloot was 16^th in the country in points per game at 19.8.

Courtney may have been the leader on the court at a mid-major school, and been on an 11^th seeded team in the tournament that fell one game short of the Final Four, but the AP needs to recognize the talent and contribution Vandersloot brought to the game.

However, Courtney did make the second team, and has earned several other national honors already.

Vandersloot was named to the John R. Wooden All-American team. Moore, Griner, Pohlen, and Stanford’s Nnemkadi Ogwumike were also members of the Wooden All-American team.

Vandersloot also has been awarded a spot on the US Basketball Writers Association All-American team. She is a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award, Nancy Lieberman Award, and State Farm Wade Trophy.

In the West Coast Conference, Courtney received her third consecutive Player of the Year award.

Despite the AP not giving Vandersloot the credit she deserves as a first teamer, I know I am glad that other media and national outlets have recognized her amazing talent and are rewarding her for it.

If you ever have a chance to watch the point guard play live, do it; she sure is fun to watch. I know I am so fortunate to have caught the second half of her college career at Gonzaga.

Gonzaga's senior super-star Courtney Vandersloot.

What a season it was for the Gonzaga women’s basketball team. So many amazing accomplishments!

The historical season came to a close Monday night as the powerful Stanford Cardinal took the court and the ticket to the Final Four from the Spokane Region.

The Bulldogs fell 83-60.

It was really a tale of two halves for the Zags. Although the No. 1 seed Stanford was bigger and stronger, the 11^th seeded Zags weren’t giving up. In the first half they kept pace with the Cardinal. Down by nine at halftime was only a small margin.

The first 20 minutes of the game were fast-paced and high scoring.  Stanford led 47-38. Courtney Vandersloot, the Zags stellar point guard, had 21 points in the first half too. At the rate the game was going, it looked to be another close game between the two teams competing for a birth to Indianapolis.

In November, the Cardinal beat Gonzaga at GU 84-78. The Bulldogs hoped to avenge that loss and keep their season going in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament.

The second half was all Stanford, the Ogwumike sisters particularly. The junior super-star from the Cardinal squad, Nnemkadi Ogwumike, dominated. She controlled the paint and the boards and would not let Gonzaga stop her. She ended the night with a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds.

Nnemkadi’s younger sister, Chiney, is a freshman on Stanford’s roster. She demonstrated her talent in the game as well, grabbing 15 rebounds and tossing in 18 points.

Senior teammate Jeannette Pohlen took care of the perimeter shooting for the Cardinal going 5-8 from behind the arc. She finished with 17 points.

Along with Stanford’s offensive domination in the second half, their defense improved tremendously too. They did not let Gonzaga score much, and when Gonzaga tried, nothing went in. It felt as though there was a lid on the bucket. I have never seen so many balls go half-way down the net and pop out.

When I said Gonzaga had trouble scoring in the second half, I meant it. At the 13:21 mark, Gonzaga had only made one basket. The score by that time was 61-40.

Vandersloot finished the night leading all scorers with 25 points. However, she only managed four in the final 20 minutes. Courtney also had nine assists and only one turnover in the game.

Kayla Standish, the Bulldogs junior standout, contributed 17 points for the night.

Gonzaga finished the season with a school best 31-5 record. It was an incredible season for the ladies, making the programs first ever Elite Eight. Not only did the make the round of eight, but were the lowest seed (11) to ever do so in the women’s tournament.

Courtney Vandersloot became the first NCAA Division 1 men’s or women’s player to record 2,000 points and 1,000 assists in a college career. She also became the all time single season assist leader this year. She is potential player of the year candidate, and named the best point guard in the country by several media outlets, and anyone that has seen her play. Number 21 will forever be remembered as a legend.

Although the end of the spectacular run was not how Zag Nation dreamed it would end, the season as a whole is one to never be forgotten. A Cinderella story that will remain in the history books forever.

Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot drives past a Stanford defender in the November matchup between the two teams.

One more win. One more upset. The eleventh seeded Bulldogs did it again.

Saturday night, the Zags beat seventh seeded Louisville to advance to the Elite Eight in a 76-69 win.

The Sweet Sixteen couldn’t get much sweeter for the Gonzaga women’s basketball team. The ladies got to play in front of a hometown crowd for the third straight game in the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs found a way to win against the higher seed for the third straight game as well.

Of course, what would a trip to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history be without a little drama, and some more record breaking at a school like Gonzaga? It wouldn’t be…that’s for sure.

The lady Zags came out and played amazingly well for the first 30 or so minutes of the game. At the 14:11 mark of the second half, the Bulldogs led by as many as 20 points.

Then, the drama played out. Louisville decided they weren’t about to let Gonzaga have their way with the Cardinals and slowly crept into that impressive lead.

With only 2:59 to go in the game, Louisville showed why they were in the NCAA tournament, and made it a three point game. It was 65-62 with Gonzaga hanging on to the slight lead. The last three minutes were GU’s to capitalize on.

Some clutch Zag free throws by junior Kelly Bowen, and seniors Janelle Bekkering and Courtney Vandersloot sealed the win.

Bekkering hit four consecutive free throws in the final minute and ended the night with 15 points.

Vandersloot, once again, showed the country why she is the leader of the Bulldog’s squad in tallying 29 points, seven assists, and seven steals.  It wouldn’t be a Courtney performance without another record though, so she decided it was time to break the all time NCAA single season assist record.

While it was quite difficult to watch the 20 point lead vanquish, it showed how the level of play in the NCAA tournament is so much higher than the West Coast Conference competition that Gonzaga is used to. Throughout league play, the Zags were accustomed to double digit leads that only grew larger as time dwindled down.

Louisville is not a WCC school though. In a valiant effort by the Cardinals freshman sensation Shoni Schimmel, who netted 18 points, the ladies from Kentucky demonstrated that they are from the powerful Big East conference. Twenty points was not insurmountable in their eyes. Although the Zags proved to be just a little too much for the Cardinals, what they did was remarkable.

For the Cardinals to make up 17 points in Spokane, in front of 10,000 Gonzaga fans, is worth applause. Keshia Hines and Tia Gibbs both had significant contributions for the University of Louisville team. Hines tossed in 17 points, while Gibbs scored 16.

Gonzaga will continue to make history as they become the first 11 seed in the women’s tournament to make the Elite Eight. Monday night will be a rematch the Zags eagerly await. GU will take on the No. 1 seed Stanford Monday night in the Spokane Arena at 6pm.

The Cardinal travelled to Spokane November 21^st where they squeaked out a win against the Bulldogs 84-78. The Zags are ready to keep the history books open and not let Stanford out of Spokane with another win.

Stanford beat North Carolina Saturday 72-65 to make the round of eight.