Eye Of The Tiger

She’s won three straight Ivy League Poy Awards and drawn comparisons to former WNBA MVPS Elena Delle Donne and Breanna Stewart. Princeton senior Bella Alarie is as real as it gets.

- Howard Megdal

On paper, the potential of Princeton senior Bella Alarie is obvious.

The 6-5 Alarie is just as capable of bringing the ball up the floor and facilitating as she is dominating in the post. Her fundamentals around the basket are as sound as her shot from the perimeter. There's a reason she's won three straight Ivy League Player of the Year awards, and why most consider her the odds-on favourite to win a fourth.

Even so, for her new head coach Carla Berube, there's understanding Alarie from afar, seeing her within the USA Basketball system, and then there's the reality of experiencing her every day, up close.

“She's been awesome in practice,” Berube said, following a recent Princeton game at Seton Hall. “There are days where she can just take over and nobody can guard her, and those are always fun to watch. I'm just excited to watch her this year and be able to coach her and help her achieve all the goals that she set for herself.”

Those goals are ambitious ones, befitting a ceiling that has been revised dramatically since Alarie was a 5-9 guard her freshman year of high school. The growth spurt, combined with weight training and relentless dedication to the craft, has turned her into one of the few players in the world with her combination of size and skills.