Gonzaga women familiar with Texas guard Shaylee Gonzales, who spent three years with BYU

PORTLAND – Two years ago, the Gonzaga Bulldogs thought they’d seen the last of Shaylee Gonzales.

A three-year starter at BYU and a two-time West Coast Conference Player of the Year, she was also a major nemesis of Gonzaga. With her in the lineup, BYU won six of nine meetings against the Zags, plus a WCC Tournament final in 2019 and the regular-season title in 2022.

She transferred later that year to Texas, which faces GU in a Sweet 16 game Friday night at the Moda Center.

Gonzales has been a special player since she arrived at BYU in the fall of 2018.

As a freshman in 2019, she scored 32 points in a second-round NCA Tournament loss at Stanford.

Two years later, Gonzales led the Cougars to another spot in the round of 32.

The ride ended in 2022. A veteran BYU team crashed in the WCC Tournament and was bounced in the first round of the NCAAs. Later that spring, longtime coach Jeff Judkins retired, and Gonzales faced a crossroads.

“It was my time to leave,” Gonzales said. “I didn’t want to restart a program.”

Instead, she chose to help an elite program get better under veteran coach Vic Schaefer.

“I don’t feel the same pressure as I did at BYU,” said the 5-foot-10 guard, who averaged 18 points, 5½ rebounds and almost four assists in Provo, Utah.

At Texas, she averaged 12.7 points; this year she’s down to 9.5 ppg – and loving it.

“I have a lot of other players around me, so that I can do more different things,” Gonzales said.

Notably, she’s become a better defender.

Her coaches noticed.

During Friday’s news conference, Schaefer spent more than 5 minutes praising Gonzales, now a second-year graduate student.

“We wouldn’t be where we are today without her,” Schaefer said. “She was the most unselfish, great teammate, great kid.

“Every day I get the same smiling, energetic, young lady. She just embraces the challenge that our level has brought, and just has met it head-on.”

On Friday night, Gonzales will go head-on once more with Gonzaga, with the stakes never higher.

“I know the coaches and the players,” said Gonzales, who has been sharing that information with the Longhorns.

But for Gonzaga, little has changed.

“It’s the same challenge, just a different jersey,” GU coach Lisa Fortier said.

“We have to be physical, but not too physical,” Fortier said. “Make sure we ball share when she’s around us. There’s a lot – she’s a tough player.”