Written By: Matthew Conciatori
Edited By: Nabil Haider
If someone were to tell you that you were part of the West Coast Conference (WCC) Women’s Basketball First Team, WCC All-Freshman Team, and led your team in scoring and assists as a freshman, then hit an all-time low as you suffered a season-ending injury tearing your ACL and meniscus in your right knee, how would you respond to such a dire circumstance?
Arizona native, Shaylee Gonzales, lived through such an experience, having undergone 16 months of grueling rehab, before making her return to college basketball after a horrific knee injury. Currently listed as a sophomore at Brigham Young University (BYU), Gonzales looks to build on her successful freshman season and bring the BYU Cougars back to the NCAA Tournament.
Gonzales’ first year at BYU was unimaginable and a dream that every basketball player wishes they could experience. In the WCC, Gonzales was ranked second in minutes played, third in scoring, sixth in steals, eighth in assists, and tenth in 3-point Field Goals (FGs) made. In her first year, Gonzales was an exceptional player with exceptional talent coming right out of high school. Gonzales had 40 double-doubles, seven triple-doubles and was the first player at Mesquite High School to reach 2,000 career points.
During the 2018-2019 WCC Basketball Championships, Gonzales carried her team to victory, giving BYU their third WCC tournament championship.
After winning the WCC for her school, Gonzales led her team to the NCAA Championship Tournament, where they lost in the second round to Stanford. Gonzales, in her first ever NCAA Championship Tournament, played excellent basketball showing the older competitors that she is far beyond the average rookie.
This is obviously not the first time an athlete has come off of such a dominant season and experienced similar injuries. What makes Shaylee Gonzales’ story different than the ones the public has heard of is simply that she is a women’s basketball player. That is literally all. A female basketball player who puts up notable numbers as a freshman, although, receives far less recognition than her male counterparts, indicative of the disparaging lack of attention women’s basketball receives.
As the start of the new College Basketball season is here, Gonzales has been one of the stars of women’s college basketball in the early part of the season. Averaging 20 points per game and shooting 55.6 percent from the field, putting her among elite company.
Before the start of the NCAA season, BYU head coach, Jeff Judkins, referred to Gonzales as BYU’s version of all-star Utah Jazz guard, Donovan Mitchell. Those are mighty shoes to fill, however, Gonzales has absolutely taken control of the games so far.
Gonzales has shared her experience through her YouTube channel, “Shaylee Gonzales,” to show fans what the life of a female division one (D1) athlete is like. In game day videos, the content consists of very similar activities that male D1 athletes participate in to prepare for games, showing how the women’s sport is no different than the men’s counterpart.
Prior to the winter break, BYU is currently 6-1 with a conference record of 2-0. Gonzales’ last two performances have been exquisite, as it adds to her ever-increasing likelihood of one day becoming a professional WNBA basketball player.
In the victory against Montana State, Gonzales made a series of plays that garnered much attention across the basketball community, including ESPN’s SportsCenter. As BYU were leading the Bobcats with a score of 42-21 during the 3rd quarter; Gonzales inbounded the basketball off the back of a Bobcat defender, leading to her stepping inbounds and scoring a layup. Within 5 seconds of game time, Gonzales had put up 4 points.
Before the game against Montana State, Gonzales told the media “this is my first home game in 22 months, that’s what I am thinking”. It led her to have a great game with once in a life-time plays, like the off the back inbound play. Gonzales touched upon her days when she was hurt and working on her recovery. “During the offseason I went home early because of COVID and got some extra work done with my Dad, my brother and against other boys,” Gonzales continued, “I’m not a player who gets nervous for games but because of my big comeback I felt a little nervous. Honestly, I’m surprised how well I’ve been doing. My teammates help me with that and get me open shots. Our team chemistry is awesome”.
With 16 games left in the conference season for BYU, Shaylee Gonzales continues to prove to the world how athletes can be at an all-time low and still recover to bounce back into perfect form. Her story will forever be one to tell for all basketball players, men and women alike.
Matthew Conciatori
2nd Year Honours Political Science
References:
- https://byucougars.com/schedule/w-basketball/2020-2021
- https://www.heraldextra.com/sports/college/byu/basketball/women/wcc-womens-basketball-preview-gonzales-back-on-the-attack-for-byu/article_fa9aac70-bb1e-57ab-917f-a1ff3ba825fa.html
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