Golden, Gonzaga Set to Begin NCAA Women's Tournament

Stephanie Golden’s freshman year at Gonzaga University has been a whirlwind experience so far — and it has kind of taken her off guard.

The 6-foot-3 center from arrived in Spokane with high expectations, but the overwhelming support for the GU women’s basketball team, which breezed through the West Coast Conference and into the NCAA Tournament field, has left her in somewhat of a state of awe. 

“It’s hard to explain,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting sold out crowds and all this love. Our fans our amazing, they really are the best in the nation.”

Even though the Zags (28-4) were awarded just a No. 11 seed, they’ll be at home in the "Kennel" today when they open the NCAA tournament against No. 6-seeded Iowa at 1:10 p.m., on ESPN2. A win would mean another home game on Monday against either UCLA or Montana.

“I will say this its a huge advantage for us,” Golden said. “It’ll be mostly our fans with a little bit for the other teams.”

Golden’s official bio lists her hometown as Clayton, where she lived until she was 13. She attended — “Home of the Bobcats,” she said —  but moved before high school started.

It was at Miramonte where Golden blossomed into a highly touted basketball recruit, checking in at No. 20 in the ESPN Hoop Gurlz rankings of the top post players in the country. 

“In high school, I went through three different coaches, so that was a lot to deal with,” she said. “We always made NCS, we always were a good team, but as a high school player you have no idea what it’s like to be a college player.”

Golden has appeared in 23 of Gonzaga’s 32 games, is averaging3.2 points per game and is content with her role as a true freshman.

“I knew coming in you have to earn your time,” she said. “That’s how it was in high school as well. I think for me, I didn’t know how crucial it would be to learn the Gonzaga system. I can definitely see maybe next year working my way up (to more playing time), but when I’m on the bench I’m so happy to see my teammates do what they do. When I get in, I just do what I can and play hard.”

Making the jump to D-I basketball has been a definite adjustment period for Golden, but so has living in Spokane.

“Oh my goodness, there is so much about Spokane I didn’t know,” she said. “I didn’t know I was coming to the North Pole.”

“I’m thankful it’s starting to warm up a little.”

The women's basketball team has been hot for awhile. Winners of its last 18 games, Gonzaga hasn't lost since Dec. 29.

"March Madness, it's just crazy," Golden said. "I always thought it would be so cool to be a part of. I remember watching (Carondelet alum) Jayne Appel at Stanford, thinking 'wow, that's where I want to be. I want to be a part of team in that touranment.' Now I'm finally here."