Gonzaga women’s basketball prepares for ‘bonding’ opportunity with European expedition

Excitement in McCarthey Athletic Center was palpable before Thursday morning’s practice as the Gonzaga women’s basketball team looks forward to a trip of nearly two weeks to Croatia and Greece starting Sunday.

The team will get the opportunity to enjoy multiday expeditions in Athens, as well as trips to Split and Dubrovnik, Croatia. With junior guard Esther Little, of England, being the only Bulldog to have traveled to either country, team members have been looking forward to the trip .

“It’s a new experience for everybody,” Zags head coach Lisa Fortier said. “Our staff, our team, nobody has experienced anything quite like this. I just think it’s really fun for us and it’s nice to do this with such a big group of people and have a shared experience.”

On a trip that will be coequally a business and fun experience, Fortier said she hopes the Bulldogs can develop as people, as players and as a team.

Graduate guard Brynna Maxwell, who’s only left the United States to visit Canada, looks at the European trip as an opportunity for her and her teammates.

Throughout their travels, the Zags will encounter various sightseeing opportunities and play three games against international competition, teams to be determined.

Maxwell said she’s most looking forward to playing overseas.

“It’s fun to play basketball in August and it’s a rare thing to do,” she said. “I think it’s just a really cool experience, especially for the freshmen.”

The Zags have added three freshmen to their squad – forwards Ella Hopkins and Naya Ojukwu, and guard Claire O’Connor.

Looking toward the 2023-24 regular season, Fortier said it’s important for the freshmen and other team members to get the early summer reps in.

“Usually, you talk about how, once you go on the road, that’s when the team really has to start bonding,” Fortier said. “Because we have a really tough nonconference schedule, I think it’s a good thing to get set early and be tested. The further we can be along in the process, the better off we’re going to be.”

Between games, the Zags will be treated to city tours and landmark visits to the Panathenaic Stadium and Olympic Museum, Cape Sounion on the Attica peninsula, the ancient Temple of Poseidon, Mostar UNESCO World Heritage Site, and various lakes, rivers and waterfalls in Krka National Park.

Having primarily been around one another in a basketball setting, Zags players look forward to using the opportunity to try international foods and learn about different cultures as they venture through multiple sites.

“I’ve heard the beaches are pretty nice,” graduate guard Kayleigh Truong said. “I’m open to try new foods and also being in new places. We get to be able to gel more as a team and get used to the new faces.”

The team introduced a new director of basketball operations, Shannon Donegan, earlier this month. The coaching staff also appointed video coordinator Haiden Palmer the additional duty of an assistant coach. Erika Bean rounds out the coaching staff as she begins her first year at GU as an assistant coach.

“We had some young people who want to be coaches, and we can now have them gain some on-court experience and recruiting experience,” Fortier said of the staff changes. “Erika and Haiden have both done lots of work recruiting, both on the road and in person. It’s great for them and good for us. They’re the future of the game, and they’re going to be great coaches.”

The Bulldogs will leave from Spokane on Sunday and return Aug. 25. The trip is made possible by charitable contributions from members of the Zags community. This is just the second foreign tour in program history, the last being a trip to Spain and Italy in 2019. The NCAA allows teams to take trips such as this every four years.

“There was a lot of planning that went into this,” Fortier said. “And, luckily, I don’t have to do it all. I’m grateful that we have the people and resources through this big process.”

While much of the planning duties went to the directors of basketball and business operations, respectively, Fortier came up with the decision of traveling to Greece and Croatia. She said she’s most excited to be on a European trip with both her family and her team.

While the tour is designed to be a fun and meaningful experience, the team still wants to focus on getting shots up quicker and playing better defense, Fortier said.

Besides the 10 designated summer practices, each player has worked throughout the summer on individual skills. Now, the Zags get a chance to learn more about one another and the world around them.

“I think there’s room to grow in every aspect of the game,” Truong said. “Team chemistry is a place that all teams can grow from.”