Gonzaga reportedly hires Lisa Mispley Fortier as head coach of women's basketball

The Gonzaga women's team will announce assistant coach Lisa Mispley Fortier as the new head coach at 5 p.m. today, the Spokesman Review reported.

Fortier will have big shoes to fill as she replaces Kelly Graves, who left Gonzaga for Oregon after 14 years at the helm of the Bulldogs.

Graves brought success and consistency to the women's program comparable to the men's team. The Lady Zags are one of the top attended teams in the nation and have been to the NCAA Tournament six-consecutive years.

Gonzaga athletic director said last week that he would consider assistants for the job and appears to have kept the hiring in-house. Georgiia Stirton, an incoming transfer from North Idaho College, told the Spokesman Review that Fortier called her earlier today.

Fortier has been with the Bulldogs for nine years and has spent seven years as an assistant coach. Prior to becoming the head coach, Fortier was the defensive coordinator, the coach of the guards and the Bulldogs' recruiting coordinator. Gonzaga's defense has been one of the women's hallmarks. Last season, the team was second in the nation in field goal defense at 37.5 percent as a team.

Fortier played collegiate basketball at Cal State Monterey Bay and graduated from the school in 2004.