Israeli guard Gal Raviv making impact on UM women’s basketball team
Gal Raviv’s journey to the University of Miami women’s basketball team has not been easy.
It began four years ago, when she left Israel at age 15, without her parents, and headed 7,500 miles to a prep school in Arizona to chase her dream.
“I was debating it a lot because I was 15, to move to the United States by myself was hard,” Raviv said. “My parents were against it. They thought I was very young and not ready yet. But I was like, `I’m not going to have another opportunity like that.’ So, I took it.”
From prep school the talented point guard landed at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, where she had a sensational freshman season, leading the Bobcats to a 28-5 record, starting all 33 games, while leading the team in points (17.9 PPG), rebounds (5.5 RPG), and assists (4.3 APG).
She became the first player in Mid-American Athletic Conference history to be named Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year in the same season.
When she decided to transfer for her sophomore season, UM coach Tricia Cullop and her staff recruited her hard. Raviv scored 25 points against the Hurricanes when the teams played last December. She also had five rebounds and four assists. The UM coaches remembered her well.
She bonded with the Hurricanes’ coaches as soon as they called and said she was particularly impressed with a drill assistant coaches Fitzroy Anthony and Jessie Ivey were running during her campus visit.
“I felt like I would improve with these coaches; also, I heard there are a lot of Jewish people in Miami and South Beach is similar to Tel Aviv, so it was a place I could feel comfortable and happy,” Raviv said Tuesday during the team’s Media Day. That has proven to be true, she said. Motek, a local Israeli restaurant, has become her favorite dining spot.
Feeling welcome was especially important while the Gaza war raged back home following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. Over the summer, while playing for the Israeli U19 and U20 national teams, Raviv and her teammates encountered boos from fans during the Israeli national anthem.
“Being so far away from home, nobody understands what you’re going through,” Raviv said. “But it just gives me more motivation.”
On a roster with 12 new players, Raviv’s court vision, passing skills and maturity stand out, Cullop said.
“Gal Raviv’s got an incredibly high IQ,” Cullop said. “We had a scrimmage on Saturday, and she was driving down the left lane, threw a bullet pass from the outside left lane to the back to the weak-side corner, and the referee in front of me said, `Dang!’ She was surprised. Her IQ, skill level and ability to score at all three levels, her passing… She’s got a really high ceiling and she’s going to make everyone around her better.”
She proved that over the summer, making history with the Israeli national team, becoming the most prolific scorer ever at the FIBA U19 World Cup with 26.3 points per game at the tournament in the Czech Republic. A few weeks later, she scored a game-high 32 points as Israel upset reigning champion France in the U20 Euro Basket Round of 16 in Portugal.
Hurricanes guard Ahnay Adams, one of just two returning players from last season, is eager to play alongside Raviv.
“She’s really good, and I think once we continue to grow our chemistry, we’ll be really hard to guard,” Adams said.
The UM women’s team tips off the 2025-26 season on Monday at home against Hofstra at 5 p.m. and the men’s team opener follows at 8 p.m. against Jacksonville University. The arena will not be cleared, so fans can stay for both games.
Women’s ticket holders may sit in Sections 117/118 for the Men’s game or show their ticket at the box office for a $5 Men’s ticket if they leave and re-enter.
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 4:09 PM.