Lady Zag family getting bigger
Back with tomorrow's story on the Gonzaga women's basketball team. There's a little inside joke, and no doubt someone out there is going to take this wrong, but it's a story with the, awe, never mind, I'm too tired to take grief. Anway, Kelly Graves always talks about the Bulldog family. Well, it's about to get bigger. Heck, it could be getting bigger between the time I write this and the time you read it. The story is posted below, Dan Pelle's picture is above.
ESPN.com looks at the Sweet 16 matchups, with Gonzaga's Kayla Standish in the spotlight; the three experts also pick ... UConn, Duke, Stanford, Tennessee, Nebraska, ... well, check it out. There's also 16 questions, including on on Courtney Vandersloot. And there's a little more love in this breakdown. Leftcoasthoops checks in with the Zags.
There's also some links to pass on. San Francisco fires its coach; the CincinnatiEnquirer story on Xavier's win over Vanderbilt on Tuesday. Been trying to catch up on some notes, but I'll got by memory. Monday was junior Angie Bjorklund's (U-Hi) 100th game with Tennesee. She also has 100 3's, which I believe is 3 shy, maybe 5 of the school record for a season. Will keep an eye over the weekend. The lady Vols' game with Baylor and Brittney Griner, who blocked like 14 shots, a tournament record, in a win over Georgetown, which may have been a little intimidated, shooting 17 percent, is at 9 a.m. on Saturday. They played in the season opener, with UT winning.
By
davet@spokesman.com; (509) 927-2154
How sweet remains to be seen.
The Gonzaga women’s basketball coach traveled to Sacramento on Thursday, two days after her doctor gave her the green light and telling her her actual due date was Wednesday, not April 1, as they had previously believed.
Yes, Fortier is that pregnant.
“I get to go. I thought there was no chance he was going to let us go,” Fortier said. “It’s definitely worth it. And I’m not that uncomfortable. I don’t know if I’m forcing myself not to be because we’re so busy or if I’m just lucky.”
Actually, she knows how lucky she is.
“The convergence of the biggest moment of my personal life and the biggest moment of my professional life so far, coming together at the same time,” she marveled. “They’re both monumental events.”
That’s why the biggest buzz around the seventh-seeded Bulldogs’ practice on Wednesday had very little to do with the NCAA Tournament or third-seeded Xavier, their opponent Saturday night at ARCO Arena.
“I’m just really happy she gets to go,” head coach Kelly
GU senior Tiffany Shives said, “I can’t believe we don’t have it already. All the excitement here?
“I still think it’s going to be on the ride home and Pete’s (trainer Peter Clark) going to have to deliver it.”
Fortier and her husband Craig are making contingency plans.
“We’re both from that area,” she said. “All of our family is there. We have familiarity with the area. It’s not like we’re going to be across the country. Worst case scenario, we’ll be able to get ourselves where we need to go. We’re working on a plan to be a little more specific.”
But no one is happier than assistant coach Jodie Kaczor
“I think it’s awesome,” she said. “I hate being the center of attention.”
That’s because she’s also pregnant, due in July.
“I plan better,” she quipped.
“It was planned, but a little bit miscalculated, obviously,” Fortier countered. “We’re going into our slow time of season, but we were by no means trying to have it at this time because we knew this team was going to go far.”
It’s not like her husband didn’t have the same problem – he’s an assistant for the Whitworth men’s program, which made it to the Division III Sweet 16, necessitating a trip to
“If we would have been a little better planning we wouldn’t be dealing with any of this right now,” Fortier said, adding it has been a pretty sweet around their house this winter.
When Whitworth lost, snapping a 25-game winning streak and ending the season at 25-3, that allowed Craig to be with his wife last weekend in
After the 71-70 upset of second-seeded A&M Monday night,
“Oh-oh, labor,” he said.
Fortier said, “I got all these of texts from people saying, ‘I’m going into labor and I’m not even pregnant yet.’ The second game I did start to feel my heart beat down in my side. I don’t know if it was the baby’s or mine, but it was a little bit exciting. I tried to stay calm out there but you can only make yourself stay calm so much.”
She said the team has been a fun part of the experience.
“It’s been a process for them,” she said. “They’ve been excited for us the whole time but they’re protective of me, too. As much as they want me to be on the road, they’re asking me if I can do this and they tell me to get off the court.
“The hardest thing is staying out of the drills. Kelly’s done a good job. When it was time he started kicking me out of drills. I realize now my role has changed now, I can pass but I can’t defend.”
The players aren’t above making fun of Fortier, calling her “Big House” or putting basketballs under their practice jerseys.
“We’ll be in a middle of a drill and she’ll say, ‘Sorry, pushing on my bladder, gotta go pee.’ ” Shives said with mock exasperation. “Every day. It’s an every day occurrence.”
Assistant coach Michelle Elliott has a little different perspective.
“I feel really out of place,” the second-year assistant said with a pretend pout.
“Not really. Jodie and Lisa are so awesome. We get along so well, but at the same time, they’re married and starting a family. I like where I’m at, I get to learn from their experience and see how they do it so I can be prepared when it happens for me someday.”
“It enhances the entire experience, the whole setting, everything that we’re about,” he said. “Tell me that kid is not going to be loved. Jodie’s, too. They’re going to have free baby sitting.”
Sweet.