Lauren Whittaker Wins Two WCC Awards, Gonzaga WBB's Turner and Haile Also Honored
For just the second time in league history, a player has won both the WCC Player and Freshman of the Year awards. After an outstanding season, Gonzaga women’s basketball forward Lauren Whittaker collected the accolades in her first year coming off a torn ACL. Coincidentally, the New Zealand native was named to the conference’s first team as well as the all-freshman squad.
Joining her on the All-WCC First Team was sophomore guard Allie Turner, who won the West Coast’s Freshman of the Year last year and stacked another strong season for the Bulldogs. And also standing out in her first season of collegiate basketball with the Zags was forward Jaiden Haile, who picked up hardware as the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year and was selected to the conference’s all-freshman team as well.
What did each of these players do individually that contributed to GU finishing second in the WCC?
Lauren Whittaker, WCC Freshman and Player of the Year, All-WCC First Team, and WCC All-Freshman Team
Per-Game Conference Stats: 19.2 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.28 steals, 54.3 FG%, 80.6 FT%
Racking up awards like Infinity Stones, Whittaker flat-out performed like the best freshman in the country this season. She led the conference in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage. Her 17 double-doubles were more than all the other freshmen in the nation combined, as Whittaker’s consistency throughout the season earned her a WCC-record 13 Freshman of the Week awards. It was the fourth straight season Gonzaga produced the league’s Player of the Year, and the second straight it had the Freshman of the Year.
She scored 20 or more points in seven games, while eclipsing the 30-point threshold twice, including a 37-point performance at Oregon State.
The center of attention in Gonzaga’s offense, Whittaker dominated when getting the ball in the post. Her signature move was spinning off her defender and flipping the ball up and in, which often led to her getting trips to the free-throw line as well. With the Bulldogs not relying on dribble penetration like other teams in the half-court, Whittaker’s gravity was imperative to opening up looks on the perimeter. Standing 6-3, her efficiency was unmatched, especially with her three-point shot not falling as frequently once league play began.
Allie Turner, All-WCC First Team
Per-Game Conference Stats: 14.2 points, 3.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 48.9 3PT%, 97.8 FT%
Continuing to shoot the lights out, Turner maintained elite marksmanship from three-point range. Although she didn’t post the high volume that netted a program-record 105 threes last season, Turner was still the league’s best shooter from beyond the arc by far. Not to mention, she missed just one of her 46 attempts at the charity stripe, the best-ever clip in the WCC.
Due to the emergence of Whittaker, Turner wasn’t the focal point of the Bulldogs’ offense like some might have predicted. But her weaponizing shot meshed perfectly with Whittaker’s brute force down low, leaving opposing defenses needing to pick their poison. The St. Louis, MO., native was also the team’s secondary ball-handler beside Inês Bettencourt, showcasing an ability to defer to her teammates when the situation called for it and dish out dimes.
The 5-8 guard had limitless range, firing off triples anywhere on the floor from the corner to the wing. Turner logged at least 20 points in three conference games, including a 29-point game against Saint Mary’s, where she drained nine threes to tie a Bulldogs record.
Jaiden Haile, WCC Sixth Woman of the Year and All-WCC Freshman Team
Per-Game Conference Stats: 8.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 54.6 FG%
If it wasn’t for her teammate Whittaker, Haile would’ve been the West Coast’s Freshman of the Year, says GU head coach Lisa Fortier. She has a viable case, as Haile’s production increased over the course of the season. Only coming off the bench, Haile didn’t start a single game for the Zags, but still impressed and became a key member of the rotation.
She finished third for Gonzaga in scoring and posted three double-doubles in her freshman campaign. Haile’s highlight was a 21-point, 12-rebound game in a win over Pepperdine on Dec. 30.
Similar to Whittaker, Haile went to work on the block, staying aggressive and efficient to fill in admirably as the team’s reserve big. Competing on the boards and bringing energy to the Bulldogs, the 6-2 forward didn’t leave much to be desired when Whittaker went to the bench.
Still in their first two years of undergrad, these three led the charge for a young GU team that hopes to return to the NCAA bracket by winning the WCC tournament next week in Las Vegas, with their first game on Monday, March 9.
