Freshmen come from near and far to make an impact for new-look Zags

They hail from hometowns as far-reaching as Essen, Germany, and Lahaina, Hawaii. They come from different backgrounds and grew up with different styles of play.

Despite all these factors which might have kept them from ever meeting, they have arrived in Spokane for a common reason: to play for the Gonzaga women's  basketball team.

For Sonja Greinacher, Maiki Viela and Shaniqua Niles, it came down to a gut feeling: Gonzaga seemed like the place to be.

As Viela, who hails from a small town in Hawaii, succinctly put it, "When I came on my official visit, it just felt like home. This team is a family. I committed on the last night of my trip; I didn't even have to take any other officials."

It was a sentiment shared by Greinacher and Niles.

"Since I didn't have time to come see the campus, the coaches came and visited me in Germany," Greinacher said. "The girls on the team also wrote me a note. From the beginning, I just felt comfortable with the program."

Niles grew up in Pullman, but said she committed to the Bulldogs because of the team's cohesive nature.

"Gonzaga was close to home. Jasmine Redmon and Danielle Walter are two of my very good friends. They gave me a large incentive for coming here. If they liked it, I figured there was a good chance I would, too," Niles said.

This blend of camaraderie will be crucial for the six newcomers (Viela, Greinacher and Niles are joined by Shelby Cheslek, Keani Albanez and Oregon State transfer Haiden Palmer) who join a team that last season set a school record with 31 wins and reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

Four seniors are gone from that unit, including point guard Courtney Vandersloot, whose talents are displayed with the WNBA's Chicago Sky.

Six upperclassmen are back, however, led by returning leading scorers Kayla Standish (17.1 ppg) and Katelan Redmon (16.7 ppg). Both earned All-WCC honors last season, and will be counted upon to lead the Bulldogs as they look to win an eighth consecutive WCC regular-season title.

"Katelan has taken me under her wing and showed me the ropes," Niles said. "Coach Graves has told me to watch and learn from her. She's been a great mentor so far."

 Niles will be training this fall to acclimate herself to the speed and physicality of the collegiate game.

"I need to work on my strength and be in the best shape of my life. If go into the game, I want to be prepared for whatever is thrown at me," Niles said.

Greinacher also acknowledged the change between high school and college basketball and, to a greater extent, the difference between the American and European styles of play. They're separated, after all, by more than just the Atlantic.

"I need to adjust to the physical style of the American game, which is much different than Europe's. West Coast basketball is fast-paced, with an emphasis on running the break. The girls are much more confident here than some of the players in Europe."

Each of the incoming players took summer school classes at Gonzaga, which they said helped the academic transition from high school.

"Taking classes over the summer got me used to balancing school and basketball, and adjusting to the collegiate atmosphere," Viela said. "We have workouts every day, but it's been fun."

"So far, classes have been good. Summer school definitely helped, classes aren't as overwhelming as they might have otherwise been," Niles agreed.

Greinacher, who would like to major in psychology, noted the importance of becoming independent.

"Gonzaga has been really fun, but it's a lot different than high school. You're on your own more. All the girls on the team have helped me with that transition."

The team has improved its postseason accomplishments incrementally over the past three seasons, reaching the NCAA Tournament second round in 2009, the Sweet Sixteen in 2010, and the Elite Eight last season.

With the impressive talent within this year's team, they'll be looking to keep that streak alive.