2022-2023 Player Preview: Kayleigh Truong

Kayleigh Truong stepped up in a big way and took the mantle for Gonzaga last season—her second as a full-time starter. Truong led the team in assists and points per game average as a junior, punctuated by a stellar 20-point, 4 assist, and 5 rebound performance in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to lead Gonzaga over Nebraska.

The key to Truong’s ascendance to Gonzaga’s lead scoring option was an increased willingness to drive and attack the rim which made her a multi-dimensional threat when coupled with her outside shooting. With another year of experience and development in the books, Truong may be even better in both aspects of her game which should be a concerning thought for WCC foes.

As with every player, Truong still has areas of improvement that she can emphasize going into her senior campaign. Her passing numbers and efficiency took a dip last season—the assists per game dropped slightly from 4.1 to 3.8 between her sophomore and junior seasons, while her turnovers increased significantly from 59 to 82 over the same span. This is perhaps attributable to the increased scoring burden and the losses of Jill Townsend and the Wirth twins on the interior who drew attention away from Truong and the perimeter during her first two seasons at Gonzaga. Whatever the reason, Truong is assuredly hoping to improve big those figures in a big way this season while avoiding injury after a knee injury caused her to miss three games and nagged her for portions of WCC play last season.

Truong doesn’t have to do it all for Gonzaga, of course, even with the losses of four starters from last season and specifically Cierra Walker and Abby O’Connor in the backcourt. Twin sister, Kaylynne, is still by her side to share the distribution responsibilities while new transfer guard Brynna Maxwell adds another perimeter threat. On the inside, Yvonne Ejim will be a star and should form an exciting inside-outside duo with Truong.

After earning All-WCC First Team Honors last season and Preseason All-First Team Honors this season, Gonzaga fans should be in store for another exciting senior season from the dynamic guard.