Because St. Mary’s junior Louella Tomlinson  will probably break both the NCAA Division I single-season and career records for blocked shots in Thursday’s critical home game against No. 22 Gonzaga, you simply assume she knows what he’s talking about when she says the key to blocking shots is not jumping.

Louella Tomlinson could lead St. Mary's into first place by beating No. 22 Gonzaga Thursday -- Photo by Tod Fierner

If anyone else had said it, you’d laugh.   It’s like saying the key to getting a job is staying home.   Or the key to losing weight is eating.  

“I think blocking shots is instinctive,” she said.  “Being able to block shots without leaving the ground is a skill, and, yes, I get most of my blocks while I’m still on the ground.”

Who’s to argue?  She has 161 blocks this season, leaving her three shy of the single-season record of 164 set last year by Brittany Pittman of Morehead State.

That record-tying third block could also break the career record of 480 blocks set by Sandora Irvin of Texas Christian in 2005.   We say “could” because the career mark is a bit of a moving target.   Allyssa DeHaan of Michigan State had 479 career blocks heading in her game Thursday night, so she might hold the record by the time Tomlinson, who has 478 career swats, steps on the court Thursday.   It’s only a matter of time, though, because DeHaan is a senior, and Tomlinson is a junior.

At 6-4, Tomlinson is not as tall as most of the nation’s top shot-blockers, such as 6-8 Baylor freshman Brittney Griner, whose 6.0 blocks per game are second nationally only to Tomlinson’s 6.7.  (No one else is averaging more than 3.7 blocks). 

Tomlinson also leads the West Coast Conference in scoring (17.7) and rebounding (10.9) is the main reason St. Mary’s would move into first place if it beats Gonzaga on Thursday.

If you are wondering how St. Mary’s landed such a gifted player, you need to know just three words: She is Australian.   

The land of vegemite (yes, she eats the stuff) has played a large role in turning both the women’s and men’s basketball programs into West Conference contenders.   Even with the departure of Patty Mills, five of Gaels top male players are from Australia, helping St. Mary’s challenge Gonzaga for the WCC title.   And now Tomlinson has joined them.

Surprisingly, she did not even know the men’s Australian players were at St. Mary’s when she arrived in the United States to take a look at four colleges – Minnesota, Samford, Virginia and St. Mary’s.   The St. Mary’s campus felt right for her, as it has for all the male Aussies.

Tomlinson does not keep track of her blocks, but she was made aware of the approaching record by her mother, who reminds her nearly every time they talk.    And that is nearly every day, because Tomlinson has Skype, which enables her to communicate with folks in Australia at any time.

“The record is exciting, but not as significant as winning games,” Tomlinson said.  “It’s more like an added bonus, not a priority.”

If the Gaels manage to beat Gonzaga,  Tomlinson may become a lot better known nationally, partly because it will represent an upset of a ranked team, but mainly because it will move the Gaels a half-game ahead of the Bulldogs.

People will start to hear about this Aussie woman at the tiny school in bucolic Moraga – the one who blocks shots without leaving her feet.

lks in Australia at any time.

“The record is exciting, but not as significant as winning games,” Tomlinson said.  “It’s more like an added bonus, not a priority.”

If the Gaels manage to beat Gonzaga,  Tomlinson may become a lot better known nationally, partly because it will represent an upset of a ranked team, but mainly because it will move the Gaels a half-game ahead of the Bulldogs.

People will start to hear about this Aussie woman at the tiny school in bucolic Moraga – the one who blocks shots without leaving her feet.