what on earth did Gonzaga unearth from Saint Louis?
Boy, what a surprise year, to me at least, from the freshman. Of all the recruits I’ve looked at from the past two classes, Turner had the most information online about, but even that was pretty sparse and didn’t really tell me much outside of being a proven winner at the prep level. So to come in the way she did and basically secure a starting spot from the jump is flat out impressive. Even in the first two games of the season when she didn’t start, Allie played 31 and 32 minutes. In fact, the Missouri native only played less than 30 minutes on just 6 occasions with all but one coming in games in which the Zags won by double digits.
So when I predicted in the preseason articles that Turner would be competing for minutes with Vera Gunaydin and average something like 10 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve seen something age this close to milk given her season average numbers of 13.4 points, 3.6 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 steals.
Allie’s freshman season will likely be forever highlighted by her three point shooting. Those 105 rainmakers led the WCC, all NCAA freshman, and finish tied for 7th in the nation, although the player she’s tied with had two more games played so make of that what you will. Not only that, Allie shot with precision as indicated by her 45.65% three point shooting that ranked 5th in the NCAA and slots her 2nd all-time season mark for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Despite those impressive shooting numbers, Allie’s contributions with the ball in her hands may be just as impressive. After playing mostly as an off-ball shooting guard in high school, Turner stepped into a new role at GU as the lead point guard and took to it with far more ease than many expected. She finished the campaign with a team-high 3.6 assists per game and just 2.7 turnovers per game. While that 1.3 A/T ratio may not stand out, only two other players, Tayla Dalton and Ines Bettencourt, managed to do the same and it’s pretty rare to see true freshman achieve such a milestone.
These performances, among other reasons, saw Allie Turner take home both All-WCC First Team honors and WCC Freshman of the Year, the first player since Courtney Vandersloot to receive both awards. She was also recently named to the WBCA NCAA D1 Coaches All-America honorable mentions along with three other Zags, Yvonne Ejim and Maud Huijbens. Interestingly, Gonzaga is one of only four schools in the nation with three selections to this award list.
The sky looks to be the ceiling for Allie. She will likely need to take on an even bigger role for the Zags this coming season with 4, possibly 5, players departing, but I think the guard has the talent and moxie to thrive in Spokane. The only thing I’m a bit concerned about will be Gonzaga’s ability to keep her at the program with the transfer portal threat likely looming each and every opportunity. Let’s hope the bonds built within the team, school, and city help to keep her showcasing her talents in the McCarthey Center to us loyal fans.