Ridenour headed toward record
First, knock on wood.
No one wants the following information to jinx Katy Ridenour.
However, barring a personal catastrophe, the Gonzaga senior will break the school record for games played in the last game of the regular season.
Senior Night, Feb. 24, at McCarthey Athletic Center will be Ridenour’s 122nd game, moving her past Ashley Burke, Raeanna Jewell and Shannon Matthews, who finished up two years ago.
“Wow, I did not know that. Interesting,” Ridenour said after practice Monday. “I’m kind of speechless because I never thought I’d set a record. I feel good. I put in a lot of effort and it paid off. I played in a lot of games and it shows I was actually useful.”
Bulldogs coach Kelly Graves said, “Isn’t that amazing? It’s consistency of effort. She brings it every day in practice so you never have to send a message.”
Almost everything that has happened to Ridenour since she graduated from Post Falls High School has exceeded her expectations.
“I just really liked the coaches and the team,” she said. “I wanted to have a good experience. Everybody wants to be on winning team but basketball is something I love to do. I didn’t have expectations of setting records or winning a lot of games.
“Gonzaga has surpassed everything because I didn’t set those goals. Being on a winning team and having great teammates has been great.”
Defense has been Ridenour’s trademark.
“Katy is a versatile defender,” Graves said. “She can guard a big guard, a small guard or a point guard. She’s a good, solid all-around player who gives you good effort.”
That goes for the classroom as well. Ridenour has wrapped up her degree in marketing and her only class in her last semester is photography.
“It’s a nice little break,” she said with a guilty laugh.
She plans to join her brother in Nashville and may go to graduate school.
So far her highlight and lowlight came in the 2004-05 season. The Bulldogs set a record with 23 straight wins, including 14-0 in league, were ranked in the Top 25, and finished with a 28-4 record. It was the third loss that hurt most, coming in the West Coast Conference tournament. No NCAA tournament bid followed.
A return trip to the championship game would probably be Ridenour’s 124th game, tying Jermisha and Jerkisha Dosty (Saint Mary’s 1998-2002) for the league record.
And what would be a perfect way to break the record?
Ridenour’s laugh answered that one.
Tip-ins
The “name” games on GU’s schedule for next season – against teams ranked at one point this season – have been set. The big one is a trip to Tennessee on Sunday, Dec. 16. The Bulldogs open the season at Arizona State on Nov. 9. Washington is here Nov. 14, Marquette comes in on Nov. 23 and Purdue on Dec. 19. … Washington State has two ranked opponents on the road this weekend, No. 11 Stanford on Thursday and No. 20 California, which ended Stanford’s 51-game conference home winning streak Sunday, on Saturday afternoon. … JJ Hones, Stanford’s standout freshman point guard, injured a knee 45 seconds into the Cal game. … Kate Benz needs 20 rebounds for the WSU career record. … WSU’s 55-51 loss to Arizona was its fourth this season by five points or less. … Stephanie Hawk, a GU senior who missed four games her freshman year, needs five more blocks for the school career record. … Katy Ridenour is tied for 10th on the GU steals list with 121. … Montana has won 20 games for the 25th time in Robin Selvig’s 29 years as coach.