Preseason Favorite Princeton Women’s Basketball Is Feeling ‘Confident’

Princeton women’s basketball is back on top coming into the 2024-25 season. After its third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and sixth-consecutive Ivy League championship, the program was ranked number one in the league’s preseason poll.

That incredible run was characterized by a fast-paced offense and an aggressive defense that has been consistent year after year. So far, head coach Carla Berube said “the vibe’s been great” at preseason practice.

But the team has a lot of adjustments to make this season after starters Ellie Mitchell ’24, Chet Neweke ’24, and Kaitlyn Chen ’24 graduated.

Senior forward Parker Hill ’25 said that though it’s “still kind of in the works” the team has been working in practice to shift their style to accommodate the changes.

“The work ethic is definitely there,” Berube said.

Chen raked in 1,276 points, 313 rebounds, and 359 assists during her three seasons at Princeton, and was named the Ivy League Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player every year she competed. While she’s off to the University of Connecticut to use her remaining year of eligibility, the team has huge shoes to fill. Ashely Chea ’27 is ready to step up.

“I think overall, my coaches and, like, teammates instill so much confidence in me, they expect … big things out of me,” Chea told PAW. “And I mean, I expect the exact same from them.”

Chea said that she’s expecting her teammates to trust her as she steps into the role as point guard.

In an interview, captain Madison St. Rose ’26 praised Chea’s floor general skills. “She's learning how to control the pace, and she's doing a really good job at it,” St. Rose said, noting that the sophomore has also been asking a lot of questions about how to improve.

Last year, Chea played less than half of each game on average, in no small part because of Chen’s dominance. Last season, Chen shot 48.8 percent from the field. With Chea on the court more this season, she’s likely to be a key factor for this Princeton team.

Much of the Tigers’ strength on offense last season came through their ability to control the ball and shoot in transition, making pacing paramount to the team’s success. A lot of that success came from Chen’s willingness to pass the ball to her teammates. Chen, ranked third in assists all-time in the program, played with an “unselfish” style that Berube said Chea shares.

Brube also spoke to Chea’s ability to score, describing her as “a really, really good outside shooter.”

The Tigers also had the best defense in the Ivy League last season, in no small part because of  Mitchell, who won Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year three years in a row.

Ahead of this season, Skye Belker ’27, who racked up major minutes during her freshman year, said she’s been working hard on her defensive skills. She told PAW that she feels a “new confidence” coming into her second year on the team.

“I want to be the one that can lock up the best players on the other team and be a really, like, solid, consistent defensive player for our team,” she said.

Mitchell averaged 10.2 rebounds per game, including  4.1 offensive rebounds, in her senior year, something the Tigers will have to make up for in the aggregate in order to keep the game moving on the offensive end.

St. Rose was the number two scorer last year (after Chen), averaging 14.8 points per game. She’s not only a consistent shooter (42.3 percent from the field last season), but also a defensive threat in her own right, racking up 51 steals as a sophomore.

Berube described Belker and St. Rose as “very good off the bounce,” meaning pacing and control in transition will likely remain the key to the Tigers’ success this season, despite the roster changes.

“I am really confident in this team,” St. Rose said. “We did lose a lot of great players, but now everyone that's coming in is also being confident as well, and that's all the coaches want.”

The Tigers open on the road at Duquesne Nov. 4 and make their Jadwin Gym debut Nov. 13 against Villanova.