Gonzaga women excited to get back on the court for annual Fan Fest, heavy favorite to repeat as WCC champion

Gonzaga women’s basketball coach Lisa Fortier promised twin sisters Kaylynne and Kayleigh Truong that they could play on the same team during the Zags’ annual intrasquad scrimmage if they came back for a graduate year.

The guards are back and Fortier is keeping her end of the deal when GU’s FanFest takes place Saturday afternoon at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

“I’m excited because the Truongs convinced me to put them on the same FanFest team …” said Fortier, who is entering her 10th season as head coach.

Doors open at 2 p.m. and the event begins at 3.

Fans will get to see the Zags’ four newly minted preseason All-West Coast Conference picks – the twins and senior forwards Yvonne Ejim and Brynna Maxwell.

Kaylynne Truong, Ejim and Maxwell were first-team selections last season, and they played like it. Truong was named the WCC Player of the Year, averaging 15.9 points and 5.1 assists, Ejim averaged 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and Maxwell scored 13.5 points and made 3-pointers at a 48.3% clip, second best in the nation.

Kayleigh Truong missed 12 weeks through the middle of the season with a foot injury, returning in time for the postseason. She averaged 7 points and 2.8 assists in 10 games. The year before, she averaged 11.2 points and 3.8 assists while earning first-team All-WCC honors.

The Zags are heavily favored to repeat as WCC champions in the coaches preseason poll released Wednesday. They are coming off a 28-5 season that included a 17-1 conference mark.

The balance of the teams for the scrimmage was drafted Thursday.

Other activities will include a 3-point-shooting contest, a skills contest and a hot shot competition.

Gonzaga will roll out a veteran team mixed with some new faces.

“We’re excited to get in front of the fans,” Kayleigh Truong said. “Practice is practice, we just want to polish up stuff. But live segments are where we know what we need to work on. So FanFest is a good thing, minus the playing against each other.”

FanFest is free and open to the public. Seating will be first-come, first-served. Limited concessions will be offered. All concession stands are cashless and purchases must be made with a credit/debit card.

The next opportunity for fans to see the Zags will be Nov. 2 when Warner Pacific visits for an exhibition. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

The first regular-season game takes GU to Montana on Nov. 6. The first regular-season home game will be Nov. 12 against Toledo.