Zags identify big goal
West Coast Conference women’s basketball coaches didn’t give Gonzaga the preseason bull’s-eye, so Bulldogs coach Kelly Graves is painting his own.
“We have to take the next step,” the seventh-year coach said. “Over the last four years we’re the winningest team in the northwest – we’ve won 80 and lost 42. The Huskies are second – they’ve won 73. We’re the winningest team in the conference the last four years – we’re 44-12. The next closest is Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine with 37.
“We’re doing things right in the classroom, we’re doing things right in the community, we’re drawing fans. We’ve done everything we need to do. The one thing we haven’t done is make that NCAA tournament. That has to be our goal.”
After dominating the WCC two years ago and tying for the conference title last season, Gonzaga has been picked to finish third behind Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount.
“We were picked second last year, too, maybe third,” Graves said. “I think we can win it. We have a good enough team to do it, and that vote was pretty close. But those things don’t mean anything.”
Only three major statistical contributors return from last year’s 16-14 team – all-conference player Stephanie Hawk (12.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg), all-freshman pick Jami Bjorklund (7.5 ppg) and senior Katy Ridenour (6.7 ppg) – but Graves believes his team has eight solid players and could easily go 10 deep.
“We have three excellent wings for the two positions,” he said. “All three are a little bit different.”
That’s where Ridenour, Bjorklund and Pasco native Michelle Elliott play. Elliot started two years at San Diego State, averaging double figures both years, before returning home and attending Columbia Basin College.
The biggest surprise is at center, where Lewis and Clark graduate Heather Bowman joins Hawk, sophomore Maria Hassett and senior Simone Santos, who continues to struggle with injuries.
“Heather is a stud – she’s better than I thought she would be,” Graves said. “All three can give us something and Santos is getting healthy.”
Point guards are sophomore Sasha Polishchuk, who started nine games last year, freshman Tatriana Lorzeno from Hawaii and oft-injured junior Rachel Kane.
The other freshman who could see significant time as a wing or forward is 6-foot forward Vivian Frieson from Garfield High in Seattle.
The Bulldogs should be well-tested by the time they start conference play.
Their first game is at home against Utah, which made the Sweet 16, on Nov. 10. Arizona State, a Top 25 team, visits Dec. 6. Road games include Purdue, Marquette and Washington, which play return games next season. A Thanksgiving tournament in Hawaii starts with UCLA and could include North Carolina, Arkansas or Texas Tech.
“I think (a similar schedule) hurt us a little bit last year,” Graves said. “We have to stay positive. I think we’ll grow from it, but I have to do a better job as a coach. I can’t worry about the W’s and L’s – just worry about getting better.”