Gonzaga women’s basketball coach Lisa Fortier announces she has breast cancer

In the midst of what she called a “very epic” season, Gonzaga women’s basketball head coach Lisa Fortier was faced with some life-changing news.

On Feb. 6, Fortier was diagnosed with breast cancer. She announced the news in a social media post Tuesday, proudly displaying her bald head.

“It was very unexpected for our team and our family,” Fortier said in the video posted to X. “But you know, at that point, we were in the middle of a very epic season and it takes a while to figure out what to do next when you hear something like that.”

The Bulldogs went 32-4 and advanced to the Sweet 16 last season. Fortier has been in full-throttle treatment ever since, and she said her first surgery in April was a success.

“When you’re told you have stage 2 or 3 breast cancer that has spread to your lymph nodes, it’s a shock,” Fortier said. “Once the shock wears off, it doesn’t take long to realize what a wonderful life we’re blessed with. You only get one and you have no control over everything. So it’s really important to love the people around you and not let life pass you by.”

Following Gonzaga’s historic 2023-24 season, Fortier won the Kathy Delany Coach of the Year Award, which recognizes the nation’s most outstanding mid-major head coach. She has also been named the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year six times and was named the Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year in 2015.

The Bulldogs have won at least 20 games every season under Fortier, who is entering her 11th year at the helm. The Zags have also won the WCC Tournament four times during her tenure. She has been a part of the program and the Spokane community essentially since earning her master’s degree in sports and athletics administration from Gonzaga in 2006. After one season as an assistant at Northern Colorado, Fortier joined the Gonzaga women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in 2007.

Since then, Fortier and her husband Craig Fortier have raised three children together as co-coaches/co-parents. Craig joined the Gonzaga women’s basketball team as an assistant coach in 2014.

The family-oriented approach has certainly rubbed off on the program’s culture. Like other Gonzaga athletic programs, the women’s basketball team strives to be leaders off the court by being active members of the Spokane community. Earlier this year, team members spent time with the children of Gonzaga Family Haven and residents of the Rockwood retirement community.

Snippets of Fortier’s long-standing bonds with current and former players can be seen via a quick scroll through her social media accounts, which are filled with heartfelt birthday messages dedicated to those closest to her.

“What I’ve learned so far is that you can’t take anything for granted,” Fortier said in the video. “No matter what my situation is, I have to enjoy every day that I get to a place where I’m happy to be there and happy to be around the people that are around me.”