The New England girls 2026 class is loaded with standout post players, but none present an offensive matchup nightmare like Caterina Ravosa.
The 6-foot-2 forward can light up the 3-point arc and bully opponents inside. Ravosa (East Longmeadow, Mass.) is one of the top rising seniors in the region and has announced her college commitment, choosing Fairfield over a host of Division 1 offers, including some high-majors.
Ravosa has already eclipsed 2,000 points and helped Wilbraham & Monson win the NEPSAC Class C title in 2023-24 before making the leap to Class AA last winter. She averaged 20.9 points and 9.3 rebounds as a junior, landing on our All-Class AA First Team.
Titans head coach Durelle Brown has guided Ravosa’s development since she joined the program in seventh grade. He gave his insight into Ravosa’s talent, her maturation and her college fit at Fairfield.
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Perimeter scoring prowess
“Caterina kind of learned backwards, because even though she was this big, imposing kid, mentally (in middle school), she wasn't. Because she was so young, playing against varsity athletes, her safety was shooting 3s because most people wouldn’t guard her out there. And so now the beauty in her game is that balance. If you put a kid who is bigger to combat her inside, she can take that person outside. If you put a more fluid defender on her because she can shoot the 3, well, she can take that kid inside. And there's nothing better than being that difficult to guard.”
Developing a post game
“When she mastered her shooting, it was like, OK, now that's mastered, now we need to go to the post where you're actually going to get paid. You're going to get a Division 1 scholarship because of what you can do around the basket, not because you can shoot 3s. The 3 thing is a bonus, but you’ve got to really make your bread and butter in the post game. And she really has. We worked a ton on footwork, we worked a ton on recognizing defenses — all of these things which need to still improve, but she's improving at them a ton.
“... Her conditioning becoming better this past year was also an added benefit. She could play harder for longer, and I think she reaped the benefits of that as well.”
Seeking a dominant mindset
“When kids don't want to guard you, they're not looking forward to guarding you, and you are a boar on the inside — as good as she is, it should take three or four people to have to guard her. The other team should be rotating people in to guard her. And I told her, playing on the perimeter doesn't do that. Playing on the perimeter lets people off easy for your size and strength.
“...I told her, ‘Everything I used to talk to you about when you were 12 and it didn't make sense, you're doing now. You see it. … You're sprinting the floor. You’re watching a shot go up, and you're trying to maneuver to get the offensive rebound. You're holding post position.’ And it's the beautiful work of things coming together when you trust. If there's anything I will say about Caterina, she's a coachable kid.”
Underrated rebounding
“I think she's actually a better rebounder than I give her credit for. I will always want her to rebound better, but this year, I mean, she almost averaged a double-double, and a lot of that is honestly taking her out, and watching her minutes against teams that we had control over. If you take out some of the lower-minute games, her average was a double-double this year. I think she has become a much better rebounder.”
A great fit at Fairfield
“They are a lot like us. They play fast, they let their players be themselves, and she just fits what they do perfectly. I'll never forget at the (NEPSAC) Showcase this past June, Coach Carly (Thibault-DuDonis) walked up to me. She's like, ‘Man, Durelle, it’s so funny, you guys use her just how we would want to use her, and it's good to watch her play fluidly and confidently inside and out.’”
