Gonzaga women's basketball announces date for annual FanFest

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Gonzaga women's basketball team head into the 2026-27 season boasting an insane level of roster retention, which should make them the favorites in the new-look Pac-12.

Fans hoping to get a look at this new but very familiar squad can do so on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the team's annual FanFest, happening at the McCarthey Athletic Center at 2:00 PM PT. FanFest is essentially the equivalent of the men's 'Kraziness in the Kennel' an annual event where fans can see the team in action for the first time.

Like Kraziness, FanFest features player introductions, speeches from the coaching staff, and a variety of on-court events, including a three-point shootout, skill challenge, and concluding with an intrasquad scrimmage. Gonzaga women's basketball guard Allie Turner . | Photo by Lane Mathews Unlike the men's team, which has 11 newcomers among its 15 players, coach Fortier's team is returning nearly everyone from last year's squad.

Of the 13 players on last year's roster, only three - senior Ines Bettencourt and transfers Paige Lofing and Vera Gunaydin - are no longer in the program, with Lofing returning home to Montana while Gunaydin is at North Alabama. Meanwhile, Bettencourt - who spent two years at Gonzaga after two years at UConn - has been granted a fifth year of eligibility via a lawsuit in California, and could return to Spokane for another year after starting all of last season.

Bettencourt did, however, so whether she comes back or not - and whether her eligibility sticks - remains up in the air. Bettencourt is the only starter who is not returning for coach Fortier, with guards Allie Turner and Zee Aokuso, and forwards Taylor Smith and WCC Player of the Year Lauren Whittaker all back in the mix - along with key reserves Jaiden Haile, Teryn Gardner, McKynnlie Dalan, and Julia Wilson.

Joining this roster is a pair of transfer guards in Emmy Roach and Jocelyn Medina from Rider and Denver, respectively, as well as freshman forward Abby Lusk from Pocatello, ID. Gonzaga got off to a slow start last year, going 6-5 through the first 11 games of the season before rattling off 18 wins in their next 22 games.

That camaraderie should carry over into the new-look Pac-12, where the Zags will face a budding rival in Oregon State as well as routinely strong WBB programs at Colorado State and San Diego State. The Beavers are almost certainly the biggest threat to Gonzaga winning the first title in the rebuilt conference, but behind Whittaker and Turner, this Zags team has enough talent and familiarity to get back to the NCAA Tournament for a second year in a row and sixth time in the last seven years.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendationsAndy Patton is a diehard fan and alumnus of Gonzaga, graduating in 2013. He’s been the host of the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021, and one of two co-hosts on the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022.

In addition to covering college basketball, Andy has dabbled in sports writing and podcasting across nearly every major sport dating back to 2017. He was a beat writer covering the Seattle Seahawks from 2017–2021 for USA TODAY, where he also spent one year each covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and had a stint as the lead writer for College Sports Wire.

Andy has also written about the NBA, NHL, and MLB for various news outlets through TEGNA, including KREM in Spokane, CBS8 in San Diego, and KING 5 in Seattle. After stints in Spokane and Seattle, Andy is back in Oregon near his hometown with his wife, daughter, and dog.

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