Oct. 30—Entering its fifth year under head coach Joddie Gleason and associate head coach Skip Gleason, the Eastern Washington women’s basketball team is decidedly a Gleason-recruited team.
“This team really reflects us quite a bit,” Joddie Gleason said. “They work hard. They just love to get better. We’re all about trying to improve every single day.”
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If that translates into games, then the Eagles are poised for a competitive season.
With an 11-20 overall record and 7-11 mark in Big Sky Conference games in 2024-25, this season’s team — which returns much of last year’s core — is positioned to challenge for a league championship, something it won two years ago, when Gleason was named Big Sky Coach of the Year.
Three key starters are back, led by sophomore Kourtney Grossman. Last year, the 6-foot forward led the Big Sky in rebounds per game (10.5) and ranked 16th in scoring average (10.5 points per game).
“We’re at our best when we can play through Kourtney and when she gets that freedom to be able to make plays from all over the court,” Gleason said. “We have a lot of really good players around her, so she can distribute and not have to do everything herself.”
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Flanking her is 6-2 sophomore forward Jaecy Eggers, who averaged 8.6 points last year and scored in double digits 15 times.
The team’s leader is senior Ella Gallatin, who along with freshman Elyn Bowers and sophomore Emily McElmurry are expected to be the team’s primary ball-handling guards.
Two transfers — junior guard Brielle Magnuson and redshirt sophomore guard Caitie Gingras — are expected to make an impact.
“Brielle is just a knock-down shooter,” Gallatin said of the transfer from Walla Walla Community College. “Her midrange game is awesome. She steps up and makes big shots at big times.”
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Gingras spent the last two seasons at Cal State-Bakersfield, and in 2024-25 she averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 26 minutes per game.
“Caitie just has a high IQ and is playing really well for us,” Gleason said. “She’s a heady player.”
