Gonzaga Women’s Basketball: Expected Starters

Last week, I posted about what I thought the starting lineup for the ‘24-25 Bulldogs might look like and today I want to discuss these players in some additional detail. As a reminder, here is my starting lineup:

Forward — Yvonne Ejim

Forward — Maud Hujibens

Guard/Wing — McKynnlie Dalan

Guard — Claire O’Connor

Guard — Tayla Dalton

Yvonne Ejim

Probability of Starting: 10/10

This one picks itself for obvious reasons based on her ‘23-24 season that included awards as the *takes deep breath* AP All American Honorable Mention, Academic All American, Becky Hammon POTY, WCC POTY, WCC Defensive POTY, All-WCC 1st Team, WCC All Academic Team, 6x WCC Player of the Week, and Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Finalist.

She will be the unquestionable top dawg on this squad as she currently holds the lead in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks based on last season’s numbers. While the Gonzaga offense may not be as dominant or fluid as the ‘23-24 squad, but with Ejim leading the way, I see a very strong floor for this team and believe that Yvonne could not only match her numbers from last year, but actually improve upon them.

Since enrolling at Gonzaga, Yvonne has carried a usage percentage ranging from 27.8 to 31.7. When comparing those numbers across the nation, Yvonne’s ‘23-34 mark of 31.7 registers about three percentage points below the 10th ranked player and it doesn’t seem unreasonable to think that with her skill and the level of roster turnover, she could eclipse that mark this coming year.

Her efficiency might take a hit, but I expect her raw numbers to grow and it will be interesting to see if Ejim features more on the outside to counteract the scouting reports that will likely want to restrict her in transition and her time in the paint.

Prediction: 33 minutes, 25 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.5 steals, 1 block

Maud Hujibens

Probability of Starting: 10/10

This will be Maud’s year. I’m calling it now.

After playing behind Eliza Hollingsworth the past two years, Hujibens enters this season as the second-most experienced forward on this team and features a skillset very similar to Eliza, which makes her integration into a starting lineup feel like a no-brainer.

Maud has sported a usage percentage of about 16 the past two seasons, but for the ‘24-25 campaign, I expect her to be around 20 percent, which is what Eliza posted last year, and to take on a much bigger responsibility on the offensive end where I could see her banging bodies in the post as well as stepping out for a deep shot.

Hujibens never took a three pointer prior to last season and in her 690 minutes across those 35 games, she only took 22, but was able to knock done at 40.9% clip. I’m hoping that she can continue in similar form, but that may be dependent upon the distribution provided to her since her shot creating capability from the perimeter is not her strongest suit.

So while this area of her game might feature some regression, I think that Maud has the sauce to mix it up down low and if her the practice videos are anything to trust, she looks ready for the challenge.

Prediction: 28 minutes, 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steal, 1.2 block

Tayla Dalton

Probability of Starting: 10/10

I’m really excited with Tayla joining this team. She brings a ton of experience to the squad, having played in 119 games for nearly 3000 minutes, something that will be important as the returning D1 guards, Claire, Ines, and Bree, have combined for just 87 games, 975 minutes, and one of them likely won’t be suiting up for some time this season.

She’s also someone joining a squad that, while currently inexperienced, possesses better pedigree, boasts a potential All-American, and program that consistently wins, as demonstrated by their 110-20 record and 72.9 points per game, a number that would rank just outside the top fifty from this past season, since ‘20-21. Conversely, St. Mary’s went 51-70 over the same time period and only averaged 64 points per game.

So not only will Tayla get the playing time to strut her stuff, she’ll be doing it with a team that is, by all measures of recent performances, better. As such, I’m expecting her overall production to increase from last season’s career high of 10.1 points, 46.5% overall shooting, 36% three point shooting, and 2.5 assists.

Prediction: 30 minutes, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2 steals, 0.2 blocks

Claire O’Connor

Probability of Starting: 7/10

This selection more boils down to Claire having experience in the system and Coach Fortier’s style rather than a statement about her being a better player or fit compared to someone like Ines Bettencourt.

When looking at her season numbers, 30 games played, no starts, 177 minutes with a game-high of 12, it’s apparent that Claire’s freshman season was one of acclimation and development as she sat behind high quality players like the Truong sisters, Brynna Maxwell, and Bree Salenbien. However, when looking at the game logs, after Bree’s injury in mid-February, Claire’s usage started to climb as she reached 10 or more minutes three times in the remaining seven matches and even reached a career high of 12 against UC Irvine in the NCAA Tournament.

Claire came out of Belleve Lakeside High School with a reputation for scoring. We didn’t see much of that last year as she adapted to the college game and scored just 35 points all season and she didn’t quite look in sync at times with her teammates while on the floor. Part of that likely involves being a freshman that’s learning the playbook, but also could be in part related to her joining a squad with a high degree of experience playing with each other that makes integrating difficult for newcomers.

All that has changed and Claire now steps into a position battle that looks wide open from the outside. If she can develop and showcase her talents on the court to lock down her role in the starting lineup this year, there is a potential we’re looking at a three year starter who could become the team’s leader in years to come. Let’s see how it shakes out.

Prediction: 25 minutes, 9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.5 steal, 0.2 block

McKynnlie Dalan

Probability of Starting: 3/10

I feel fairly confident in predicting this year’s starting lineup with the exception of this final position. Honestly, I feel like this spot represents a big question mark. Will it be the established defensive presence of Esther Little? Someone with inside/out offensive potential like McKynnlie Dalan? A bigger body like Lauren Whittaker? A mobile guard like Ines Bettencourt to space the floor? Maybe one of the freshman like Allie Turner?

A lot of this comes down to the progression in practice and the players fit within the team, something that a person in my outsider position can’t fathomably understand. However, I’m settling on McKynnlie because I think her high school pedigree features a skillset that looks most similar to Brynna Maxwell with her size, reputation for deep shooting, and her desire to get mixed up in the grimy plays.

That being said, I see this prediction as being the one I whiff the hardest on.

Prediction: 17 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 0.5 steals, 0.2 blocks