For the record: Louella Tomlinson holds multiple records at Saint Mary’s and in the West Coast Conference. And she is No. 2 in NCAA history when it comes to blocked shots. / Photo by Tod Fierner for SMC Athletics
Women’s Basketball Great Louella Tomlinson to be Honored with Jersey Retirement on January 17
She is the program’s all-time leading scorer and has earned places in the West Coast Conference Hall of Honor and the SMC Athletics Hall of Fame. In the NCAA, she holds the all-time record for blocks per game.
She was inducted into the Saint Mary's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. She was welcomed into the West Coast Conference Hall of Honor in 2023. And now Saint Mary’s Women’s Basketball program great Louella Tomlinson will see her No. 2 jersey hang in the rafters inside UCU Pavilion. And Gaels fans can see her on the court in person once more at a ceremony retiring her jersey on Saturday, January 17, when the Gaels face Santa Clara.
Tomlinson had a decorated Gael career to say the least. She stands as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,840 points over her four-year career. She was a two-time WCC Defensive Player of the Year. Her name is etched in the NCAA record books: She still holds the all-time blocks per game record at 5.3. And she ranks second all-time in NCAA history with 663 total blocks—only behind two-time Naismith Player of the Year and 2012 National Champ Brittney Griner.
Shot Blocker Extraordinaire
The Melbourne, Victoria native has the most career shot blocks of any WCC player. She has the highest shots blocked average per WCC contest at 5.0. And she ranks second in total blocks in WCC play, just behind all-time leader Sara Hamson of BYU.
The top-three single-season blocked-shot totals and four of the top-five seasons in blocks overall by a WCC player belong to Tomlinson. She also holds the top four spots for blocks in a single season at Saint Mary's. And she broke the NCAA record her freshman year by rejecting 156 shots.
Her jersey retirement is more than justified as she stands as one of the program pillars on and off the court for Saint Mary's basketball.
“We’re super excited and honored to retire Louella's jersey,” said current Women’s Basketball Head Coach Jeff Cammon. “Louella was a program legend not just for her talent on the court but for also paving the way for future international players that have come through both basketball programs here at Saint Mary’s. She left her mark on collegiate women’s basketball and continues to impact lives back home through education and basketball. She's more than deserving of this honor, and we can't wait to celebrate with her.”
“A Beautiful Community”
“For me, life as a Gael meant the world,” Tomlinson wrote. “I built a beautiful community there and I had some amazing families who cared about me and gave me the support I needed so far from my own parents and three sisters. It was a really special time in my life.”
And it was a special time for the Gaels. “We had some really successful years together,” Tomlinson observed. She credits her teammates for that. “I was lucky enough to play alongside some incredible athletes and prolific scorers.”
“Nothing makes me more proud than seeing the influence Saint Mary's has on so many Aussie basketballers,” Louella Tomlinson said, “and that our time as Gaels will always connect us.”
Tomlinson was also a pioneer in her play. “As the first Aussie girl in the Women’s Basketball program and Coach Paul Thomas’ first recruit, I took that role seriously. I wanted to leave a legacy,” she wrote. “Nothing makes me more proud than seeing the influence Saint Mary's has on so many Aussie basketballers, and that our time as Gaels will always connect us.”
Tomlinson will become just the second Saint Mary's Women’s Basketball player to have her jersey retired. No. 2 will hang alongside Anja Bordt’s No. 15, and among Gael greats like Men’s Basketball players Matthew Delladova, Patty Mills, Tom Meschery, Jock Landale, and Volleyball player Mandy Bible.
