Missoula’s Tinkle commits to GU women
National power Stanford, which has become a regular opponent for the Gonzaga women's basketball team, helped the Bulldogs land their latest recruit.
Ellie Tinkle, a 6-foot-1 forward and two-time all-state player for Missoula Big Sky, said she would attend GU next year, a decision made easier because her older sister Jocelyn went to Stanford.
Tinkle is the daughter of former Ferris star Wayne Tinkle, who is also the Montana men's coach and a former Grizzly standout, as is her mother Lisa.
"What really struck home with me is that I see my sister (Joslyn) and she also had to make the decision to go away from home (to Stanford)," Tinkle told KPAX TV in Missoula Monday afternoon. "And I see her now and she's just completely flourished being away from home and has really created her own independent lifestyle now and I think it's really helped her."
Gonzaga will play at Stanford in the upcoming season after playing the Cardinal twice last year. Stanford played in Spokane to complete a home-and-home series and then returned and beat the Bulldogs in the Elite Eight game at the Arena in March.