After losing in a defensive battle against West Virginia in the first round of March Madness last year, women’s basketball head coach Carla Berube didn’t waste much time processing the loss, turning immediately to the coming season.
“It served us to turn that page and look towards the future,” Berube told The Daily Princetonian.
The Tigers, who are five-time Ivy League defending champions, will begin their newest title defense shortly with a game this Monday evening at Duquesne. The ‘Prince’ sat down with Berube to discuss changes on this year’s team, the key moments in the schedule, and the new class of captains as the season gets underway Monday night.
This Princeton team will look distinctly different from last year’s squad, losing three key pieces but gaining multiple new talents to hopefully offset those exits.
Departing the Tigers are former captains Kaitlyn Chen, Ellie Mitchell, and Chet Nweke. Chen, a former Ivy League Player of the Year now using her final year of eligibility at Connecticut, and Mitchell, a former Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, inked their names atop Princeton career leaderboards in points, rebounds, and assists, while Nweke departed after an impactful senior campaign.
“They understood our program and the values that we live by,” Berube said. “They were good ambassadors of our program, and our team and played the game the way we want to play it.”
With Chen leaving behind the lead offensive role of floor general, junior captain and guard Madison St. Rose is likely to take the helm. St. Rose was the second-leading scorer — and leading three-point shooter — on last year’s team. She serves as captain this year alongside senior guard Amelia Osgood and senior forward Katie Thiers, who will seek to lead the younger team to victory.
“Our captains have been doing a fantastic job so far,” Berube said. “They are definitely leading the younger players, leading by example.”
The captains will be leading a new-look starting five for the Tigers. While St. Rose and sophomore guard Skye Belker will return as starters, the other three spots are up for grabs.
“We’ve got a handful of new players that are going to be stepping into big roles,” Berube said. “There’s definitely going to be a lot of new faces with bigger roles.”
The most significant absence will be the physical presence of Ellie Mitchell, who terrorized opposing teams on the glass for years. Berube hinted that senior Parker Hill and junior Tabitha Amanze, both of whom are 6’4” forwards, will be stepping up to play a bigger role on the squad. Berube also mentioned a “handful” of other players to keep an eye on overall, from “Fadima Tall to Olivia Hutcherson to Ashley Chea and Mari Bickley and a couple of our freshmen.”
Among first years, look out for the trio of forward Emily Eadie, guard Cristina Parrella, and guard Toby Nweke. The three have the daunting task ahead of them of learning the intricacies of Princeton’s vaunted stifling defense.
“It’s certainly a lot as a freshman to step in and learn our whole defensive scheme … and they’ve really grasped [that] and are doing great,” Berube said. “It’s still October, and so we’re going to see where they fit into the team … all three of them are going to have wonderful careers here.”
The Tigers begin their 2024–25 campaign on the road — a common theme across most of the non-conference schedule. Aside from one home game against Villanova on Nov. 13, Princeton will not play another game at Jadwin until Dec. 13.
“Of course, we love playing in Jadwin and are excited for that Villanova game, but it is exciting to get on the road,” Berube said. “Being together helps out with bonding, with team chemistry, and just getting on the same page together.”
Berube also suggested the frequent road trips will prepare the team for difficult environments.
“To be a successful team, you need to be great outside of the friendly confines of your own gym and go to more difficult arenas and still be able to lock in and play Princeton basketball,” Berube added.
On the non-conference schedule, highlights for the Tigers include an early home game against Villanova, road games against local Power 5 opponents Seton Hall and Rutgers, and an early December West Coast trip to Portland and Utah. Berube views each game as important, dividing the season into multiple chunks.
“We take it in segments,” Berube said. “There’s quite a few games before Thanksgiving, and then we have a couple days off, and then we start the next segment from Portland through Le Moyne at the end of December … and then right into the Ivy League.”
While the schedule does not feature as many early Top 25 opponents as last year, it is still one laced with challenges that will test the team’s early chemistry and hopefully prepare an impressive resume for March.
“That’s why we set our schedule like this,” Berube said. “We want to see what we’re made of and what we need to work on to be successful for the Ivy League.”
Led by St. Rose, Osgood, and Thiers, the Tigers start their campaign Monday at 5 p.m. against Duquesne before heading west to face DePaul in Chicago on Saturday.
“We’re slowly but surely developing the chemistry needed to be successful, and the team’s working really hard,” Berube said.
Max Hines is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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