The Alberta Golden Bears women's basketball team is a proven example of sustained success.
Not only has Alberta not had a record under .500 since 2005-26, but the team has also reached the Final 8 in each of the past three seasons. Could another deep playoff run be in store for the Golden Bears in 2025-26?
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the season.
Coaching Staff
Scott Edwards returns for his 20th season at the helm of the program and holds a 281-89 record through the regular season. Edwards is also 53-41 in the postseason and has made the playoffs every season he has coached the team.
Roster Breakdown
1st Years: 4
2nd Years: 2
3rd Years: 1
4th Years: 4
5th Years: 4
Guards: 10
Forwards: 5
Strengths & Weaknesses of 2024-25
Scoring: Alberta's 72.3 points per game on offence ranked them eighth best in the nation. The Golden Bears were a lethal, dynamic offence that excelled at the three-ball, scoring in the paint and from mid-range. Six players recorded 100-plus points last season, and of those six, three surpassed the 200-mark.
Shooting: The Golden Bears shot a ninth-best field goal percentage in U SPORTS with a combined 39.8 per cent. But where they really excelled was shooting from the three-point line. Alberta's 31.9 per cent from beyond the arc was the third-best among all U SPORTS teams.
Defence: Alberta excelled at locking down opposing offences in 2024-25. They allowed just 53.6 points per game, the fifth-fewest in the country. Teams also did not shoot very well against the Golden Bears. They allowed the 11th fewest three pointers and held opposing teams to the ninth-worst average shooting percentage.
New Additions
1st Year, Guard, Kira Airey: The 5'10" guard from Calgary joins the Golden Bears after graduating from West Island College. Airey represented Alberta at the Canada Basketball National Championships for the past two summers and won silver and bronze medals in her two appearances.
1st Year, Guard, Victoria Davson: The 5'10" guard from Edmonton will wear the green and gold to represent the Golden Bears after graduating from Strathcona Composite High. Davson also represented Alberta alongside Airey en route to a silver and bronze medal.
1st Year, Forward, Sophie Hall: The 6'1" forward from Calgary joins the program after graduating from Centennial High. Hall also represented Team Alberta and helped capture a bronze medal, and is related to fourth-year Golden Bears forward Reece Hall.
1st Year, Guard, Mishynn Miller: The 6'1" guard from Lethbridge, Alta., makes the jump to university from Lethbridge Collegiate. Miller led her high school team to the provincial final four last year and joins the Golden Bears after playing both basketball and volleyball in Lethbridge.
Roster Analysis
Five of six players who recorded 100-plus point seasons last year are returning to the Golden Bears in 2025-26.
That leaves a small hole for an Alberta team that is stacked with veterans at every position. Replacing Claire Signatovich's 195 won't be easy, but it will not make or break the Golden Bears. They have a plethora of candidates who can step up and fill those minutes.
Annacy Palmer, Reece Hall, Jaydne Tanner, Morgan Harris and Ella Rees will be essential pieces of the offence again this year, and many of them are entering their final two years of eligibility.
There won't be many unknowns for Alberta this year. They have kept a strong core together that will likely lineup very similarly to how they did last year — and that will be a problem for teams in Canada West.
This team is poised to be one of the top teams in the country if its roster can create similar stats to 2024-25.
Position Battles
The backcourt is locked down, with Jayden Tanner and Morgan Harris returning. The duo have seen significant playing time as starters through the preseason and were starters for most of last year, so don't expect that to change this season.
Down in the paint, the three forward spots are also locked up. Reece Hall has started for the majority of the preseason, and so has Annacy Palmer. The one change to expect is the addition of Mishynn Miller. She has gotten most of the reps through preseason, and it seems unlikely the Golden Bears would go in a different direction in the paint to anyone other than Miller.
My Projected Starting Lineup
G - Jayden Tanner
G - Morgan Harris
F - Annacy Palmer
F - Reece Hall
F - Mishynn Miller
Schedule Overview
October: 2 Home Games (HG), 1 Away Games (AG)
November: 2 HG, 5 AG
January: 4 HG, 4 AG
February: 2 HG, 0 AG
Oct. 24 - vs. Mount Royal
Oct. 25 - vs. Mount Royal
Oct. 31 - @ UNBC
Nov. 1 - @ UNBC
Nov. 14 - vs. Brandon
Nov. 15 - vs. Brandon
Nov. 21 - @ MacEwan
Nov. 22 - @ MacEwan
Nov. 28 - @ Winnipeg
Nov. 29 - @ Winnipeg
Jan. 9 - vs. Saskatchewan
Jan. 10 - vs. Saskatchewan
Jan. 16 - vs. Manitoba
Jan. 17 - vs. Manitoba
Jan. 23 - @ Regina
Jan. 24 - @ Regina
Jan. 30 - @ Calgary
Jan. 31 - @ Calgary
Feb. 6 - vs. Lethbridge
Feb. 7 - vs. Lethbridge
Closing Thoughts
The Golden Bears have shown no signs of slowing down, and with a significant number of veterans returning from last year, there is no reason they shouldn't be a national championship contender.
Time may be running out with this group, though. Most of the roster contributors are fourth and fifth-year players. This year might be the last time Alberta has this good a shot at the national title for the next few seasons.
Watch for this team to be near the top of Canada West once again in 2025-26