‘Really proud of her.’ Gonzaga’s Lisa Fortier makes pit stop in Vegas to watch Courtney Vandersloot at WNBA Finals

On Oct. 11, Lisa Fortier, the 10th-year coach of the Gonzaga women’s basketball program, had a busy day in Las Vegas for the West Coast Conference Media Day. She had photo shoots, television promos, and multiple interviews throughout the day. While Fortier embraced these opportunities to promote her program, it’s understandable that she was looking forward to her evening plans.

After wrapping up at media day, Fortier planned to make a short trip across town to watch Game 2 of the WNBA Finals between the New York Liberty, led by Courtney Vandersloot, and the Las Vegas Aces. It wasn’t until a conversation with her husband Craig, who is an assistant for the Zags women’s team, that Fortier realized she could conveniently attend the game since she was already in Vegas.

“I asked my husband when the games are,” Fortier said. “He said, ‘They take so long (between games), it’s Sunday and Wednesday.’

“Wednesday? Wednesday’s great.”

During Vandersloot’s college career at Gonzaga from 2007-11, Fortier was an assistant under former GU coach Kelly Graves. She served as an important mentor to Vandersloot, who was a three-time WCC Player of the Year and recipient of the Nancy Lieberman Award for the nation’s top point guard.

Fortier and Vandersloot still maintain contact throughout the WNBA season, and before Fortier went through the media day circuit with her current players, she sent Vandersloot a message to express her pride and excitement for her.

As Vandersloot entered her 13th WNBA season, she once again led the league in assists with 8.1 per game, while also averaging 10.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. Since 2017, Vandersloot has consistently been at the top of the assist leaderboard and has earned All-WNBA honors multiple times.

This wasn’t the first time Fortier had the chance to watch Vandersloot in the WNBA Finals. She had also attended Game 2 against the Phoenix Mercury, where Vandersloot’s Chicago Sky ultimately won the series and secured her first WNBA title.

Despite the passage of 16 years, Fortier still admires Vandersloot’s versatility, skill, and knowledge on the court.

“I know her game really well,” Fortier said. “So I’m not a hater on any of these other point guards out there, but I just value what she does, and having coached her and witnessed her continuous improvement and special ability to orchestrate the game – I’m not just talking about passing, pushing, or tempo.”

“Just the little things she does are special, and as a coach, I love sitting back and observing her. I’m really proud of her.”

Originally, there was hope that Fortier would have company at the WNBA Finals, but unfortunately, the three Gonzaga players who attended media day couldn’t join their coach.

“We did try and we failed,” said Eliza Hollingsworth.

“Our coach dangled the carrot in front of us and then yanked it away at the last minute,” added Brynna Maxwell.

Hollingsworth, Maxwell, and most of the Gonzaga roster had the chance to meet Vandersloot when she returned to Spokane last season to have her jersey retired. Fortier even wore a Vandersloot Zags jersey during the ceremony. However, for Game 2, Fortier planned to wear a New York Liberty T-shirt with her former player’s name and number.

“I’m always going to be a huge fan and advocate for what she does,” Fortier said. “And it’s also a great reminder that right here at Gonzaga, you can go on to become a WNBA/NBA champion. We have had players who have achieved both and done great things.”