Last season for Quinnipiac women’s basketball could be described as underwhelming at best. Most of that disappointment can be attributed to elements out of the team’s control, such as injuries.
It was clear Quinnipiac needed to regroup and recruit — and recruit it did.
The Bobcats landed the services of freshman point guard Gal Raviv, who spent the summer representing her home country of Israel in Fiba’s U18 Tournament. During the tournament, Raviv averaged 17.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, guiding Israel to a fourth-place finish.
It was always going to be an adjustment going from playing professional basketball in another country to competing at the collegiate level under the bright lights of the U.S. But Raviv seems to have acclimated just fine.
“There’s a lot of differences,” Raviv said. “In the beginning it was a little hard to adjust, but once I adjusted it got easier.”
The opportunity to compete in America has been second to none for the Kadima, Israel native, as she’s already carved out a vital role on a team with big aspirations.
“It’s amazing,” Raviv said. “It’s a great opportunity for me, I came here to get better and I came to an amazing team.”
While the season is young, Raviv and the Bobcats have impressed through the first couple of games. Quinnipiac is currently 3-0 and Raviv is averaging 34.6 minutes per game with 17.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists — not to mention the attributes that aren’t shown on the stat sheet such as defensive versatility.
Raviv credits the trust she’s built over the offseason to how well the first few games have played out.
“Having the trust from the coaches is amazing and I’m doing what the team needs me to do and I’ll keep doing it,” Raviv said.
The MAAC Rookie of the Week has played 104 of a possible 120 minutes of game time in the first three matchups, making it clear that she can lead the team on the court. The point guard has quickly become an integral part of the Bobcats game plan on both sides of the floor despite being a freshman.
Head coach Tricia Fabbri hasn’t had much to complain about since Raviv’s start to the season either.
“She’s an unbelievably skilled player,” Fabbri said. “She has such a drive and a desire to become so great. Her skillset, acumen with the ball, IQ, toughness and running the team, she’s really the total package.”
So how did Quinnipiac land a total package? According to Fabbri, it was by chance.
“It’s great recruiting, a lot of these times you find someone when you’re out looking for someone else and that was the case with Gal,” Fabbri said. “She’s really a talent and we’re lucky to have her.”
The bar is set high, but it seems Raviv is up for the task. She’s a “workhorse” on and off the court, according to Fabbri, who has integrated Raviv into a three-guard rotation.
“With Gal, (graduate student guard) Jackie (Grisdale) and (sophomore guard) Karson (Martin), I think we could have those three be the best guards to play here in a rotation and that’s really saying something considering who we have,” Fabbri said.
For a team vying for a MAAC championship and a spot in the NCAA tournament, adding a high-caliber player like Raviv not only increases the odds, but expectations as well.
