The Carleton Ravens in OUA women's basketball over the last three years have been the team to beat. They've won two Critelli Cups and two U SPORTS national championships.
They won silver at both the OUA and U SPORTS level last season. They've lost a total of four regular season games over the last 3 seasons, added to that an undefeated 22-0 record last year, but now, things might look a little bit different.
Last year the Ravens dealt with the loss of veterans with others stepping into bigger roles and the addition of Noelle Kilbreath as veteran help.
This year they have a fairly young team, only four players in their third year or beyond. Who takes a step forward this year out of their large group of first and second year players has got to be the biggest question for if Carleton can keep up their dominance of the league that they've had the last three years, but who they can play through requires no thought.
There are two players that the 2025 Ravens team can and probably will play through, and it's their two leading scorers from last season. Jacqueline Urban is one of the best forwards in the country and she has been ever since her Rookie of the Year campaign.
She can post up as good as anybody and as her career has went on, her ability to space the floor and knock down the three has been more and more prevalent. She is one of the Ravens leaders and she is one of those players you get the ball to and get out of the way, and that has been and still will be massive for how Carleton wants to play.
The other of the pair of players at the head of the Ravens, and their second leading scorer from last season is Kyana-Jade Poulin.
Kyana had a phenomenal year in 2024 averaging 12 points per game and being their third leading rebounder at 5.1 per game. She was contributing all over the floor and the Ravens will need that to continue this season as she will probably lead the team in minutes as she did last season.
Zerina Duvnjak came off the bench for most of last year but played 17 minutes per game, and now with the loss of players like Dorcas Buisa and Tatyanna Burke, her role should increase.
Playing alongside Jacqueline, two players I have my eyes on to take on bigger pieces of the pie on the floor are the Francis sisters, Nathalie and Gabrielle.
Nathalie played 20 minutes per game for the Ravens in her rookie 2024 campaign, and her presence around the rim working off Jacqueline rounded off the Ravens strong presence on the glass creating second chances and shutting out opponents offence inside the paint.
Outside of those players, the Ravens come into 2025 with 13 players in first or second year, a large core of young talent to fit into a well-oiled system. A few regular contributors may be different to what they were last year, but the Ravens hope they can keep the train going and stay atop the OUA.