Nationally recognized, but not satisfied

Stockton. Santangelo. Stepp. Dickau ...Vandersloot? 

Actually, there is no question about whether that last name belongs on the Gonzaga "Mount Rushmore" of point guards. 

Unbeknown to a number of Gonzaga basketball fans, the Bulldogs have one of the best point guards, if not the best, in the country on their roster. In a recent ESPN.com article by Graham Hays, Vandersloot was called the top point guard in the country.

"I hope all of our fans appreciate what they are seeing," Head Coach Kelly Graves said of his star point guard.

The thing is, Vandersloot does not really care whether she is given attention by the media or not. 

"I don't really read any of that," Vandersloot said. "It's a cool thing to be recognized at a national level and I am honored, but I would not be anywhere near where I am without my teammates. My main focus is on the team."

In fact, Vandersloot said that she would not even know if she was in the papers or not if it were not for text messages from friends and family saying "congratulations." 

She may be able to ignore the attention, but it is hard for the rest of the country to ignore her skill and impact on the team. Vandersloot leads the nation in assists at nine per game and is second in the nation in steals per game at 4.1. 

"She is a really special guard," Graves said. "She is a coach on the floor and she sees things that I can't see.  I am learning from her, and I think she is helping me more than I help her."

One thing Vandersloot takes pride in is her competitive nature, something that comes along with the point guard position because of the need to lead.

"I'm one of those people that hates to lose in anything and will compete no matter what," Vandersloot said. "It's easy for other people to feed off of that." 

Graves recalls two games that Vandersloot's competitive nature simply took over and she willed her team to a win.

Last year, the Zags were on the road against LMU and trailed by 17 points with 14 minutes left in the game and, as Graves put it, gave no indication of mounting a comeback. Then, Vandersloot scored 22 of her 26 points in the second half and carried the Zags to a comeback victory.

"That game was a turning point for her," Graves said.  "I think she secured her WCC Player of the Year title with that game."

Another game that showed Vandersloot has the ability to put the team on her back, as Graves said, was an overtime loss at South Dakota State. 

"We were awful in that game," Graves said, "but she single-handedly kept us in it."
Both Graves and Vandersloot have noticed an increase in confidence since her freshman year, which has been a major component to her success. 

"I have gotten used to the speed of the game and the pressure," Vandersloot said.  "I am a better floor leader. I am not scared out there to have a decision based on me."
Graves contributes this to the success she has seen on the court.
"I knew it was just a matter of time," Graves said. 

For how much success Vandersloot has seen, she still sees weaknesses in her game.
"I need to get a lot stronger," Vandersloot said. "And I need to start making better decisions with the ball and develop a more consistent outside shot."

Graves credits her for not being afraid to put the work in and wanting to develop her game. Vandersloot does this not for herself, but to put her teammates in a position to succeed.
"I want to be a part of the team that makes history and turns the school into a nationally-recognized program," Vandersloot said. "I don't really care about career points. I think about the guys team that went to the Elite Eight and they were all individually great players, but you remember them as a part of the team."

When Vandersloot's career is over, she may be one of the top players to wear a Gonzaga uniform, male or female.  However, she would rather tell you about the team she played on.

It is up to Gonzaga fans to go see how good Courtney Vandersloot is, because, like Mount Rushmore, her skill is much more impressive when you see it firsthand.