« Women’s Basketball 2020-21

Jill Townsend

School
Gonzaga University
Position
Guard
Major
Biology

Classroom

Jill Townsend is working toward a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a minor in sociology, currently holding a 3.39 cumulative GPA.

She is a two-time WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention honoree.

Character

Townsend is an exemplary student-athlete, succeeding both on the classroom and on the court, but she’s also a good person. She cares for her teammates and coaches deeply, and she puts others before herself. For example, over Labor Day weekend 2020, Townsend’s family ranch was at risk of burning from a major wildfire in the area. Former teammate Chandler Smith’s family ranch was also in danger. Townsend drove overnight to reach home and assist in battling the flames with her family and former teammate, putting herself at great risk to do so.

She has also shown incredible personal strength in the face of adversity, first when her sophomore year was cut short due to a grueling leg injury in 2019, and again when her junior year was ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Townsend put her team before herself and continued to support the program in every way she could. Townsend handles obstacles with class and grace, further proving she’ll be able to handle anything life throws her way.

Community

Since arriving at Gonzaga in the summer of 2017, Townsend has logged 58 hours of community service. She has participated in various events, including but not limited to: helping to feed the homeless at Blessings Under the Bridge, playing Bingo! with senior citizens at various retirement communities, basketball instruction for local youth through Spokane Stars and a neighborhood cleanup with Gonzaga University.

Townsend, an avid reader herself, has participated in several reading-based community service efforts, including Reading Night with the Continuous Curriculum School, as well as reading for the Dr. Seuss Week with the Spokane International Academy. She has been an incredible representation of Gonzaga Athletics and University out in the Spokane community.

Competition

The reigning WCC Player of the Year, Townsend is a two-time All-WCC performer and was selected as preseason All-WCC selection for the first time this season.

She also became the first Bulldog in program history to be named to a National Player of the Year watchlist, being honored by the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy and the 2021 Ann Meyer’s Drysdale Award.

As of January 4th, Townsend is 51 points shy of becoming the 24th Zag in history to reach 1,000 career points. She has also recorded 472 career rebounds and is shooting 48.6 percent from the floor for her career, just shy of a top 10 performance.

Townsend has helped Gonzaga reach new heights during her career, including the first-ever regular-season Top 10 ranking and the highest projected NCAA Tournament seed. During her career at GU, she has helped the Bulldogs to a 92-16 overall record for an 85.2 win percentage. Townsend has led Gonzaga in scoring each of the last two seasons and has already set new career marks for scoring (29 points), assists (7), and blocks (2) this season in addition to recording two double-doubles on the year (points, rebounds). So far, Townsend has scored in double-figures 43 times in her career.