:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61417045/Screen_Shot_2018_09_15_at_11.51.02_PM.0.png)
There is no bigger wild card on this year’s women’s basketball roster than Louise Forsyth. There’s probably no other guard on the roster that can score like Louise Forsyth. The problem is that we never got to see any of it last year.
Forsyth came into Gonzaga as a rare 5-star recruit last season. The 6’0” guard played high school ball in Canada, attending Brookswood Secondary. She made appearances on the Canadian National Team. Her final season at Brookswood, she put up video game numbers. She averaged an eye-popping 31 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists per game and was the 49th ranked recruit in her class.
Gonzaga had hopes of implementing her right away into their guard rotation the minute she stepped on campus. Unfortunately, Forsyth broke a bone in her foot and never really recovered from it. She missed the first six weeks of the season entirely, and by the time she made her way on the court, she was at the back of the rotation, still recovering and adapting herself to the college game. Forsyth appeared in 13 games and scored 10 points in 39 total minutes.
This year should be a different story. With an offseason to fully recover, Forsyth could become the scoring option the backcourt has been desperately searching for. With Emma Stach graduating, Gonzaga brings back Laura Stockton, Jessie Loera, and Jill Townsend as the only guards who averaged over eight minutes last season. Stockton and Lorea are both pass-first point guards and Jill Townsend is more of an off-ball slasher. The three of them combined to shoot a frustrating 34-for-153 (22.2%) from deep last season.
With Jill Barta gone, Gonzaga can’t rely on their frontcourt to carry the majority of the offense. They absolutely need more scoring from their backcourt. Top 100 freshman Kylee Griffen could help as well, but Louise Forsyth has to become that dynamic option. She was a top 50 recruit for a reason, and if she is back to 100 percent health, and she can tap into that killer instinct, Gonzaga could have a blossoming star on their hands.