‘We’re perfectly positioned’: Lisa Fortier’s Gonzaga Bulldogs navigated rough waters early, found smooth finish late
MINNEAPOLIS – Lisa Fortier had an inkling of the kind of basketball team she had when players gathered for preseason practices in late September.
What developed the last five months has her as proud of any team she’s had in her 12 years as head coach.
Consider most of her players hadn’t played together, and the Zags returned just one starter.
Fortier and her coaching staff knew patience and trusting their tried-and-true formula would be key.
“Some people might knock on the fact that it’s taken us this long to start to do some of the things we’re doing, but that’s just the reality,” Fortier said. “We didn’t have a date in mind where we wanted to be at our best. Except you don’t want to peak early.”
That wasn’t a concern considering the youth-laden team. Gonzaga has one senior, starting guard Ines Bettencourt. She teams in the starting lineup with redshirt freshman forward Lauren Whittaker, two-year starter Allie Turner, a sophomore guard, and two junior transfers, guard Zeryhia Aokuso and forward Taylor Smith.
Two juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen come off the bench.
“We want to stay true to what we talk about all the time, which is the process and keep getting better every day,” Fortier said. “We’re perfectly positioned where we can just continue to improve to whatever the end of our season is.”
The 12th-seeded Zags (24-9) face their toughest test of the season when they meet No. 5 seed Ole Miss (23-11) in an NCAA Tournament first-round game Friday at the University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena. Tipoff is at 12:30 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN2.
Whether Gonzaga’s growth is enough to carry it through against a hardened team from the SEC remains to be seen.
Gonzaga takes confidence in that it arrives in Minneapolis playing its best ball of the season.
“Just staying present in each moment, we want to do our very best on every possession,” Fortier said. “While the competitive circumstances change, the process is always the same.”
The Zags will have their hands full, beginning with Ole Miss senior guard Cotie McMahon. She was named a USBWA honorable mention All-American on Tuesday. A transfer from Ohio State, McMahon averages 19.9 points on 45.1% shooting to go with 5.3 rebounds and three assists in 30.5 minutes.
This is McMahon’s first and only season in Oxford, Mississippi. The 19th-ranked Rebels feature six other senior transfers.
The honor for McMahon marks the seventh time she has earned All-America recognition in her career. She was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year, the lone league honor given to an Ole Miss player.
Fortier knows the in-your-face style Ole Miss presents. The Zags were handled 71-48 by the Rebels in an NCAA Tournament first-round game in 2023.
Ole Miss reached the Sweet 16 at the Spokane Arena last year before its season ended with a loss to UCLA.
Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin has much respect for Fortier. They became acquainted when McPhee-McCuin had a stint as an assistant at Portland.
“I know Lisa really well and I’ve been part of the (West Coast Conference) back in the day,” McPhee-McCuin said in a press conference Sunday. “Really excited to see her. She’s a cancer survivor. I just have a lot of love and respect for her. Really happy that they were able to win the WCC (Tournament). She’s the OG there. I know she’ll have her team ready. Really looking forward to the challenge.”
Ten SEC teams earned berths to the NCAA Tournament. Ole Miss finished 8-8 in conference play and in a four-way tie for sixth.
“Any team that makes the NCAA Tournament is equipped,” the eighth-year Ole Miss coach said. “For us, we’ve been through so much. Four games in eight days and then three games in a row in the SEC Tournament against the best of the best.”
Ole Miss is making a fifth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s hard to win y’all,” McPhee-McCuin said. “It’s hard to get to the tournament. Not everybody can dance in March. Our league has prepared us to just be able to play whoever, whenever and however. And our schedule … having to win games versus highly ranked teams on the road. There isn’t much that we haven’t experienced.”
The Rebels have more on their minds.
“Told my team, ‘Four wins and we’re in Phoenix. Six, you win the whole thing, but we’ve got to take it one game at a time or else you go home,’” McPhee-McCuin said. “I want to win an SEC championship, I want to win a national championship. We don’t think about getting into the tournament anymore. That is what we do, that’s the standard. Now I want us to get past the Sweet 16.”
Gonzaga, making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in two years, hopes to make things difficult for the Rebels on Friday.