BYU’s Shaylee Gonzales named an All-American and a player ‘to keep an eye on’ in NCAA Tournament

BYU Cougars guard Shaylee Gonzales (2) drives to the basket throughout a recreation in opposition to Gonzaga Bulldogs on the Marriott Middle in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Gonzales was named a second-team All-American by The Athletic.

Mengshin Lin, Deseret Information

BYU’s Shaylee Gonzales can add being an All-American to her resume.

The sophomore guard was named a second-team All-American by The Athletic this week — her first All-America quotation as a Cougar — including to what’s already been a banner 12 months for the Gilbert, Arizona, native.

Gonzales has averaged 18.7 factors, 5.9 rebounds, 4.3 assists and a pair of.3 steals per recreation this season whereas serving to lead the Cougars to a 26-3 document, a regular-season West Coast Convention championship and an anticipated at-large spot within the upcoming NCAA Event.  

It’s been a busy award season for Gonzales. She earned WCC Participant of the 12 months honors after sharing the award final season, along with being to the All-WCC first group. Earlier this week, she was named one in all 5 finalists for the Becky Hammon Award, given yearly to the mid-major participant of the 12 months.

Her coach, Jeff Judkins, additionally obtained votes from The Athletic panel for its nationwide coach of the 12 months honor. Judkins, who was named the WCC Coach of the 12 months for the second straight season, was not too long ago named a semifinalist for Naismith Ladies’s School Coach of the 12 months.

In a narrative previewing the ladies’s NCAA Event, The Athletic’s Lyndsey D’Arcangelo recognized Gonzales as a participant “to keep watch over” within the nationwide match.

“It’s no secret that mid-major groups and gamers don’t get almost sufficient recognition or consideration. So, I’m throwing some Shaylee Gonzales’ method. The (sophomore) guard leads No. 15 BYU’s offensive assault, which ranks within the prime 10 nationally for factors manufacturing per recreation, with 18.8 factors on 51 p.c capturing, and averages 5.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and a pair of.4 steals per recreation,” D’Arcangelo wrote. 

“Gonzales has scored single digits solely as soon as this season, and she or he is twelfth general in Win Shares, in response to HerHoopStats.com. The Cougars misplaced within the WCC finals to Gonzaga, however they've the potential to bust some brackets with Gonzales getting the prospect to shine on the nationwide stage.”

Gonzales is not any stranger to taking part in on the prime of her recreation within the NCAA Event.

As a freshman through the 2018-19 season, she helped BYU advance to the Spherical of 32 whereas averaging 24.5 factors, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a pair of steals in two NCAA Event video games. That included a 32-point, five-rebound effort in a loss to Stanford.

Final 12 months, Gonzales once more helped the Cougars attain the match’s second spherical. 

In 4 profession NCAA Event video games, she’s averaged 20.5 factors, 7.2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.7 steals per contest.