Culture at Gonzaga helped sway Truong sisters’ decision to return for fifth year
Relationships matter, and it’s a major reason why the future couldn’t be much brighter for the Gonzaga women’s basketball program.
This year’s season is far from over, and the Zags are closing in on another West Coast Conference title and a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
But with the Truong sisters’ announcement last weekend that they will stay in Spokane for a fifth season, next year holds boundless promise.
Their decision was partly due to the foot injury Kayleigh Truong suffered early on the season. It has cost her most of the season and robbed her and Kaylynne a chance to start at the same time for the first time since high school.
“For me personally, I was working so hard to start alongside ‘Leigh,’ to be able to share the court with her,” Kaylynne said after the Zags beat Saint Mary’s in the final home game of the season.
But if that was the only reason to stay, they might have opted to transfer or go pro.
Both players cited the culture at Gonzaga as a major factor in their decision to return.
“It’s been a long four years, but I think Gonzaga is a really good school, and I love playing with everyone on this team,” Kaylynne said.
For that, fans can thank head coach Lisa Fortier and the longterm relationships she’s built with former players dating back to her time as an assistant under Kelly Graves.
Follow Fortier on Twitter, and almost every week you’ll see her offering birthday wishes to a former player.
“Meaningful relationships really matter a lot to me, and they matter a lot to my assistants,” Fortier said on Saturday. “That’s the type of people we are.”
It hasn’t hurt that Fortier’s assistants – her husband Craig, Jordan Green and Stacy Clinesmith – have been at her side since she took over the program almost nine years ago.
Relating that to the Truongs’ decision, Fortier said that “if it didn’t matter that much to us, then maybe it wouldn’t be as special (for them).
“We try to invest a lot in them, and I think it is a testament to my staff and what they’ve done for those guys and what they’ve built with them in a relationship and their teammates.”
Conversations with the Truongs began last spring, said Fortier, who acknowledged that the stakes were higher because the sisters both play point guard.
“We were kind of joking with them for a while, then it was summer,” Fortier said.
Both played big minutes last season, with Kayleigh starting and Kaylynne the first player off the bench. Finally, they started together – that is, until Kayleigh’s foot injury in the fifth game of the season.
In a January interview with The Spokesman-Review, the twins said they planned to discuss their future after the current season was over.
But two weeks ago, they met with Fortier and Clinesmith and confirmed that they would return.
Joining fellow seniors Brynna Maxwell and Eliza Hollingsworth on Senior Day, they delighted the sellout crowd by announcing that all would return next year.
“I think they were leaning in that direction anyway, but they really love playing with each other,” Fortier said of the Truongs. “And I think they love playing here, they love their teammates and they love Spokane.
“And things have gone well,” added Fortier, who has the Zags one win away from another WCC title.
Next year could be even better.
Gonzaga will be a heavy favorite to win the WCC next season and vie for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“To have the caliber of person that they are, and the caliber of player … it’s pretty special,” Fortier said.