Fortier joined the Gonzaga women’s basketball staff on May 5, 2014, rounding out head coach Lisa Fortier’s staff hires. Craig, Lisa’s husband, brought over a decade of coaching experience with him to Gonzaga, including three seasons as the associate head coach of the Eastern Washington men’s basketball team.
Fortier had also previously spent time as a graduate assistant for Gonzaga’s men’s basketball team from 2004-06; during that same time, Lisa served as the coordinator of basketball operations for GU’s women’s team.
Working primarily with the posts going into his 12th season at GU, he has tutored 20 all-conference forwards including 13 first team selections and the first-ever WCC Sixth Woman of the Year (Melody Kempton, 2021) followed by Yvonne Ejim also earning the award in 2022. Fortier has mentored four WCC Player of the Year honorees in Jenn Wirth (2021), Jill Barta (2018) and Yvonne Ejim (2024 and 2025). Ejim was also given the WCC Defensive Player of the year in 2024 and 2025 along with the Becky Hammon Player of the Year. She was also named an AP All-American, Academic All-American and a finalist for Katrina McClain Power Forward Player of the Year in back-to-back years of 2024 and 2025. Ejim went on to get drafted in the WNBA to the Indiana Fever. Wirth, a two-time First Team All-WCC selection, collected multiple postseason awards, including Honorable Mention AP All-America and DI-AAA ADA Scholar Athlete honors, finishing her career ranked 22nd all-time in scoring with 1,051 points and 8th all-time in rebounding with 685. Barta, who was a three-time First Team All-WCC selection in three seasons, became just the third Zag in program history to do that. Barta finished seventh all-time with 1,620 points and 11th all-time with 652 rebounds. She was drafted into the WNBA after three seasons on the court at Gonzaga. Under his tutelage, Zykera Rice, Kiara Kudron and Sunny Greinacher were also selected First Team All-WCC. Rice also joined Barta in the WNBA ranks, earning a training camp spot with the Seattle Storm in 2019.
While at Eastern Washington, Fortier helped direct the Eagles’ defense, and in 2013-14, EWU finished in the top three in the Big Sky in three different categories, including blocked shots (1st; 4.3), field goal percentage defense (2nd; 44.6) and three-point field goal percentage defense (3rd; 34.5). The Eagles also had top three season in school history in turnovers per game, averaging 12.0 in 2013-14, 13.4 in 2012-13 and a school best 11.8 in 2011-12.
Prior to his time with the Eagles, Fortier was instrumental in helping the Whitworth men’s basketball program reach new heights. In 2010-11, Fortier helped the Pirates advance to the NCAA Division III Sectional Final (Elite Eight) for the first time in program history. Whitworth ended that season with an impressive 28-2 mark, also a program record.
Fortier’s experience also includes a one-year stint as an administrative assistant for the men’s basketball team at Colorado State University and a one-year stint and the assistant men’s basketball coach for his alma mater, Cal State Monterey Bay.
He graduated from Cal State Monterey Bay in 2003 with a degree in human connection. He earned his master’s degree in sport and athletic administration from Gonzaga in 2006.
Fortier has been married to Lisa since 2006 and they have two sons Marcus (2010) and Calvin (2012), and a daughter, Quincy (2014).
