With the Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team headed to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) Final 8 championships for the first time in the team’s history March 18—20, it’s clear the women’s basketball program has taken major strides in the last few seasons.
Third-year guard Alyson Bush has been key to that success.
Bush, a 5’6” Ottawa native, entered the Ravens program three years ago in the same season Taffe Charles was named head coach.
“When I first took over the job and I had my first recruiting class, she was the one kid I absolutely needed to have,” Charles said.
“I thought that if I could work with her . . . we could probably get the best out of her,” Charles recalled, “and she hasn’t disappointed so far.”
After earning a place on the starting lineup last year, Bush has taken on a leadership role with the Ravens, according to third-year guard Kendall MacLeod.
“Her confidence has grown a lot, especially taking on a huge role last year . . . and taking the point position,” MacLeod said. “She really stepped up to that plate and she’s done extremely well.”
This season, Bush averaged 8.8 points and five rebounds per game, good enough for third place on the team. She was also named an Ontario University Athletics East second team all-star.
“[Bush] has definitely been a major key in every game for us,” MacLeod agreed. “She hustles and she works so hard for everything. She never gives up.”
“She’s a great distributor of the ball and obviously a playmaker, and she can score herself,” rookie guard Krista Van Slingerland said.
“As a team, we often struggle with composure, so having someone at the point who is pretty veteran and can keep our head helps us a lot,” Van Slingerland continued. “When [Bush] is composed, I think we all feel a lot better and a lot more calm about what we’re doing.”
Bush herself was quick to credit her teammates and coaches for the Ravens’ most successful season in history.
“We have so much chemistry on and off the court and I think that definitely shows. We’re a real hard-working team. Our success can definitely be attributed to the coaching staff,” she said. “They really push us and it’s been a great three years.”
Charles said he’d like to see Bush continue to maintain her central role on the team in her last two years of eligibility as a Raven.
“She can make a direct impact on the game and every time she’s on the floor, on both ends of the floor,” Charles said. “She’s got to realize her impact to the team and her value to the team.”
“Hopefully she continues to feel comfortable [knowing] ‘Hey, I am one of the go-to people and I don’t mind actually taking the last shot at the end of the game.’ ”
If she’s the one taking the last shot this weekend at nationals, the Ravens surely like their chances.