The former Gonzaga basketball standout J.P. Batista has announced that he will serve as the head strength and conditioning coach for head coach Lisa Fortier and the women’s program. He previously was a graduate assistant on men’s head coach Mark Few’s staff.
“Excited and grateful to step into this new challenge and new role as the Strength Coach for Gonzaga Women’s Basketball. It’s truly humbling to be part of a program that’s committed to setting you up for success. So many people to be thankful for—your support means everything.” - J.P. Batista via Instagram
Before coming to Spokane, Baptista competed at the community college level in Nebraska and Kansas. He was then offered by the Zags before the 2004-05 season and grew within himself while being undersized at 6-9 in the center position. In his 2005-06 senior campaign, Baptista was named First Team All-West Coast Conference while averaging 19.3 points on a 58.9 field goal percentage and 9.4 rebounds per game.
He played 16 professional seasons all across the globe in Lithuania, Latvia, France, and lastly with his home country of Brazil before deciding to come back to his true basketball ground work in the Pacific Northwest.
Seeing the two high-level basketball staffs work with each other is what differentiates them from others throughout the college scene across the country. Both the men’s and women’s teams feed off one another’s success during the season.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho
