Carleton Ravens’ guard Kyana-Jade Poulin is having a stellar season. From dropping a triple-double and breaking the women’s points record at the 2026 Capital Hoops Classic to becoming the fourth player in the program’s history to reach 1,000 career points, it seems nothing can break her stride.
But it hasn’t always been that way.
Poulin, who grew up in Montreal, said it took a while for her to even get into basketball.
“I hated sports,” Poulin said.
“My mom played basketball when she was younger so she really, really wanted me to play.”
Poulin said her mom finally convinced her to try co-ed basketball around age nine, but Poulin wasn’t sold.
“At first I hated it because the guys would never pass to me,” she said.
“But I’ll always remember: I made a buzzer-beater in one game, and that really motivated me to continue. It was probably my only basket of the year, but it just got me really hyped.”
Poulin said her love for basketball grew after she joined an all-girls team, where the welcoming environment and supportive teammates pushed her to improve.
“They’re still friends that I have now,” Poulin added.
From there, her interest in basketball blossomed. She played for Collège Charles-Lemoyne during her last two years of high school in Montreal before attending Vanier College in 2018.
Poulin committed to Carleton ahead of the 2022-23 OUA season, but not before establishing her name at Vanier. At the time, she was the collégial RSEQ assist leader, recording 43 assists in just 11 games.
“I didn’t really know anything about U SPORTS before coming here,” Poulin said. “I really liked Ottawa because it was close to home.”
“When I came for my visit, I knew I was going to come here,” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow, I’m sold.’”
Poulin added that Carleton’s competitive spirit set it apart from other schools.
“They just looked very good, and I was motivated to get as good,” she said, giving the Ravens coaching staff credit for helping build the program’s reputation.
“I’m not the same player I was,” Poulin said. “I’m very grateful because I don’t know how I would have grown anywhere else.”
“When you’re here, you don’t really realize that you get better because everybody else is better than you.”
Poulin has represented Carleton at the national and international level, which she said she is “eternally grateful” for.
Because of these experiences, Poulin is no stranger to the spotlight. She went on to perform under pressure at this year’s Capital Hoops Classic.
“I feel like every time I play in that game, I don’t really realize the crowd,” she said. “Once the tip is up, you don’t really see anything else. You’re just focused on the game.”
Poulin said the key is not to make the game bigger than it is.
“It was a game where as a team we really fought and we really had fun too,” she said, adding that the collective effort from the Ravens squad was more meaningful than her 28 points.
“I’m happy I broke the record, but I’m even more happy that as a team, we did so well.”
Poulin said that on-court chemistry has been huge for the Ravens’ success all season. Now heading into the playoffs with a 16-6 record, she said her confidence in the squad is high.
“We’re not even close to our peak,” she said. “Right now, we have nothing to lose. We’ve lost games already — I think we just have everything to win.”
Even though this year’s roster is made up of newer faces, Poulin said she’s enjoyed taking on a larger leadership role.
“I think what’s very fun about leadership is that you can always be better,” she said.
Right now, Poulin is keenly focused on improving her pull-up jumper.
That shot has helped her average 19.8 points per game, ranking fourth in the league.
But even with all her achievements, Poulin made it clear her teammates are still her biggest motivator.
“All I want is for them to be happy, have fun and have a good experience,” she added.
The most important thing Poulin said she’s learned from the program is how to participate in something bigger than oneself.
“Once everybody does that, you really build something special as a group,” she said.
Poulin and the Ravens entered the playoffs as the fourth seed, earning a bye to the quarterfinals tonight, where they will face the Guelph Gryphons.
Tipoff is 6 p.m. at the Ravens’ Nest.
“My goal is to try to reach the best basketball that we can play. I don’t think the learning can ever stop,” Poulin said. “You can always get better, even when you think you’re at the top.”
Featured image by Simon McKeown/the Charlatan
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