The Ravens women’s basketball team has two new players seeing major minutes at the point guard position: Alexandra Trivieri and Madison Reid.
Jenjen Abella, the starter the past two seasons, reached her five years of eligibility.
Trivieri and Reid are both “in the mix” for playing time, according to Ravens head coach Taffe Charles.
Reid took over after Trivieri was injured against the Acadia University Axewomen on Oct. 21. Trivieri has since returned to the lineup alongside her teammate.
Reid has led the team in scoring numerous times this season,including against the McMaster University Marauders on Nov. 24 where she won 20 points for the Ravens.
Trivieri scored her season-high 14 points against the Western University Mustangs on Nov. 9 while Reid had 19 points, including six three-pointers that game.
“We love it when Taffe puts us on together,” Reid said. “I like playing the [shooting guard] but we have a good connection on the court together.”
“For flow wise, for offence wise, it’s good to get Alex back in the mix and…we can get Madison some time off the basketball, which is what she really likes to do is create from the wing,” Charles added.
Both have come a long way from where they began. Trivieri is from Port Dalhousie, which she said is a smaller part of St. Catharines.
She played at Holy Cross Secondary School before coming to Carleton as a bench player in 2015, seeing 11 minutes of playing time per game in her first two seasons.
Last year, Trivieri played in the Ontario University Athletics All-Star game for the first time after some Carleton players were unable to attend.
“It was definitely fun,” she recalled. “It was a learning experience too, being around all the all- stars. I learned a lot from the experience even though I didn’t necessarily earn it.”
The fourth-year law major said her greatest adversity this season is balancing school and basketball since she plans to attend law school next year. “Trying to split my focus level,” she calls it. She also won an OUA academic award in the past two seasons.
Trivieri said taking on a leadership role this year has also been a big challenge. “I’m trying to put out the performance I want the rookies to see,” she said. She called it “bittersweet” to be nearing the end of her Carleton career.
Reid said she’s grown and learned a lot – especially from Abella – since arriving at Carleton in 2017 from Ottawa Elite and Carleton Place Secondary School.
Reid said she struggled with the intensity at Carleton at first.
She acknowledged she had constant wake-up calls in her first year. Charles attributed her growth to better fitness and confidence. Reid echoed that sentiment.
“The coach will give you as much confidence as they can but you’re only going to score if it comes from yourself,” said Reid. “As long as it’s a mindset thing: ‘Oh, I can score the ball. I should score the ball.’”
Learning about “catching in dynamic”–being prepared to shoot off the pass—also provides confidence, according to her.
The two teammates often face off in practice, but praised each other’s efforts.
“Alex works hard, as hard as anyone else on the team,” Reid said.
Trivieri called Reid’s shooting “incredible.”
“What’s good about being the same position is that we know what each other needs to do so I think we’re each other’s biggest critic and biggest motivators,” Trivieri added.
Going head-to-head in practice benefits them both, according to guard Cynthia Dupont.
“What’s nice to see in practice is Alex will take it and beat Maddie and then you can just tell that Maddie gets mad and then it’s her turn and then she’ll shoot . . . and it goes in,” Dupont said. “They just really get at each other and that’s what we need because it just makes them better.”
—With files from Tim Austen
