SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga women’s basketball has opened the season with an 11-6 record, and one of the steady contributors along the way is a player whose path to the Kennel has come full circle.
Sophomore guard Teryn Gardner, a Mead High School alum, is back in Spokane and carving out a meaningful role for the Zags after growing up dreaming of playing for Gonzaga.
“Ever since I grew up in Montana, when I was a little girl, the dream was always to play at Gonzaga,” Gardner said. “Gonzaga is a pretty big name in Montana. Like, if you play there, you’re the coolest person ever.”
That dream began with watching former Zag standouts Jill Townsend and Jill Barta. Gardner still remembers attending a small high school camp in Montana where Barta — a Fairfield, Montana native — gave her a Gonzaga practice jersey.
“At the time, that was just the coolest thing ever,” Gardner said. “I had dreams of playing at Gonzaga.”
Gardner eventually moved from Montana to Spokane for high school, where she became one of the most decorated athletes in Mead history. She earned Greater Spokane League MVP honors as a junior and senior, was named the Metro Girls Athlete of the Year at the Spokane Youth Sports Awards, and was recognized as the league’s best defensive player as a senior.
She was named all-conference all four seasons, led the Panthers to three consecutive top-five finishes at the WIAA Class 3A state tournament — including a runner-up finish her senior year — and was selected to the Washington all-classification, all-state team twice. Gardner finished her high school basketball career with 1,568 points.
Her success wasn’t limited to the court. Gardner earned second-team all-state and second-team all-conference honors as a midfielder in soccer, won a state championship as part of Mead’s 4×400 relay team, and graduated as class valedictorian.
Gonzaga assistant coach Stacy Clinesmith, also a Mead alum, remembers following Gardner closely during her prep career.
“We really liked Teryn in high school,” Clinesmith said. “Of course, being a Mead athlete, I had some personal love for Teryn… I think we kind of caught on to the bandwagon a little bit late, and when she committed to Boise State, I think we kind of felt like we lost one through our fingers.”
After one season at Boise State, Gardner entered the transfer portal — a decision that brought her back home.
“The last year wasn’t what I was expecting, and so to come back here, like to be playing here, it’s still, I think about it every day,” Gardner said. “Like, it is insane how surreal it is and how blessed I am.”
Through her first 17 games with the Zags, Gardner has made an immediate impact. She has appeared in every game, starting once and coming off the bench the rest of the way. She is Gonzaga’s fifth-leading scorer at 5.6 points per game in 19.3 minutes while averaging 3.2 rebounds. Gardner is shooting 46.4% from the field and a team-best 49% from 3-point range.
Her impact, however, goes beyond the box score.
“We talk about it a lot, the ‘Zag plays,’ which are hustle plays or making the right pass or making a read that we had worked on in practice or diving on the floor for a loose ball,” Clinesmith said. “Those are all Zag plays, and she literally hits them almost every single game.”
Gardner embraces that role, focusing on energy, defense and doing whatever the team needs.
“Any time I can come in off the bench and give a little spark or just help out the team in any way I can, that’s what I really want to do,” Gardner said. “But just moving the ball, feeding the ball to Lauren (Whittaker) and Allie (Turner) and then really playing hard defense and crashing the boards.”
Known for her competitive edge, Gardner also brings joy and enthusiasm to the bench — something Clinesmith says defines her presence.
“She high-fives me on the bench before every single game, and we look at each other and smile,” Clinesmith said. “That’s what it’s all about, like having fun. This is a game. Especially at home, we get a great crowd. It’s super fun for her to be home in front of our crowd, and so she’s a great kid.”
For Gardner, pulling on a Gonzaga jersey in the Kennel still hasn’t lost its meaning.
“It’s so cool playing in the Kennel and wearing the Gonzaga jersey instead of a Mead jersey or an AAU jersey,” she said. “So it definitely feels like home.”
Gardner and the Zags return to the McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday to host the Portland Pilots at 2 p.m., a game you can see on SWX-TV and SWXLocalSports.com.
