2021-22 Player Preview: Kaylynne Truong

Kaylynne Truong’s sophomore season saw her settle into a solid and defined role as the first guard off the bench to spell her sister Kayleigh Truong and Vanderbilt transfer Cierra Walker. That rotation represented a steady triumvirate for Lisa Fortier, with Kaylynne wielding a versatile skillset that allowed her to play alongside either of the duo ahead of her on the depth chart thanks to her ability to play as the point or off the ball.

Gonzaga returns that trio for another run this year, and it is reasonable to expect that Fortier will open the season maintaining their roles and usage from the prior year absent any injuries or downturn in performance.

While Kayleigh and Walker appear to be entrenched as the starters, however, Kaylynne will face more competition for minutes from sophomore McKayla Williams who got her feet wet in a smaller role last season, along with senior Abby O’Connor and the highly touted Bree Salenbien who is the highest rated recruit to ever sign with the women’s team (#44 in ESPN’s ranking, and the 7th best guard in her class). Williams, O’Connor and Salenbien give Lisa Fortier a lot of options in fielding a different looking lineup with more size in the backcourt (of course, they also have the versatility to slide into the frontcourt in a more positionless scheme).

The key for Kaylynne will be to bring her three-point shooting closer to the levels we saw from her as a freshman when she converted at a 43.9% rate rather than the 33% clip we saw in her sophomore season, and continue growing as a reliable leader on the floor. She has a great partnership with her sister and Walker, and plays with a grittiness to do all the little things on the floor that engenders a lot of trust from the coaching staff. Assuming she continues on a steady upward developmental arc, Fortier will not have much cause to tinker too heavily with a tested formula.