‘We’re a lot more connected’

Raia Guinto is described as a silent leader.

The Winnipeg Wesmen’s fifth-year guard prefers to let her play galvanize her teammates, and she’s done just that since becoming a full-time starter four seasons ago.

Last year, however, Guinto went silent altogether.

For the first time in her hoops career, Guinto couldn’t give all of herself to the team and the sport that’s given her so much.

Her mental health worsened as the challenges of being a student-athlete and the leader of the women’s basketball program wore on her. And although Guinto’s counting stats improved in 2025-26, she admits everything beyond the box score took a sharp decline.

“I guess the biggest thing for me last year was just my mental (health). Not just basketball, but life,” Guinto told the Free Press.

“(I kept thinking) ‘I’m a fourth year now. I only have one more year next year,’ and maybe that’s my fault for looking ahead and not being present, but I think I was really stressed out that this is where I should be peaking when I wasn’t. And then school starts.”

Guinto wondered: Who was she to demand a standard from her teammates that she couldn’t meet herself?

“It was definitely my mental health. I was too stressed out. Maybe I didn’t talk to as many people as I should have and lean on because I felt like I’ve been the leader of the team for so long. I didn’t feel like I was at a place where I could lead,” she added.

“I didn’t believe in myself.”

Guinto said those times are behind her. She is ready to lead again.

The Wesmen’s success starts with Guinto, and it’s a responsibility the 22-year-old doesn’t take lightly.

“I wouldn’t be here (if I wasn’t in a better place),” she said. “I think I just focus on how I can be a better teammate and friend this year, because I can’t play good basketball if I’m not happy, especially if I’m not happy with myself.

“I think I’m just trying to celebrate smaller wins and not look at the big picture,” Guinto added. “Like, I’m going to have a good practice today. I’m going to be a good teammate. We’re going to win this drill. Instead of thinking about next week, we have our first season game; we have to win that game. Just keep it chill.”

For the first time since Guinto was a rookie, the Wesmen have several veteran pieces who can impact a game. It’s created legitimate optimism among players and coaches after some trying years.

The Wesmen have just 17 wins over the last three years, but with a cast that includes fourth-year forwards Jazmin Birch and Jennifer Kallon, and second-year guard Jennifer Edwards, the program feels primed to take a big step this season.

“Definitely frustrating at some points, but I think it kind of lights a fire underneath you,” said Edwards, who didn’t experience many losses in her varsity days at Vincent Massey. “Just keep working and keep getting better, and kind of get back to working toward that.”

Edwards may only be entering her second university campaign, but she amassed some valuable experience as a first-year, starting 19 games and living through the ups and downs of a U Sports schedule.

“It was exciting, being able to play that much my first year. I think definitely a learning experience, for sure. It’s not like high school anymore, and that really hit me in the face pretty quickly, I guess, you could say,” Edwards said.

“I’m really grateful I had the opportunity to play so much my first year. It gave me a lot of experience, especially going into this year and then further years, as well. I’m more prepared.”

Wesmen interim head coach Robyn Boulanger was a fifth-year player the last time the Wesmen were legitimate contenders for a conference and national championship in 2022-23.

While it’s difficult to compare this group to the one that won 16 conference games and reached the Canada West quarterfinal, Boulanger is beginning to see the kind of cohesion that made her team so successful.

“People like to call it kind of like a rebuild year, and a rebuild takes time for sure. So now the ones that did come in after I graduated are now in their peak veteranism, which is going to be key for us this year. Our fourth- and third-years and our fifth-years now have that experience, so it’s definitely promising to see,” said Boulanger.

“Our vets definitely have grown in confidence every single year. Some big kids like Jaz (Birch) and Jen Kallon are stepping up huge. They started basketball pretty late in the high school years. They have really shone, and we’re hopeful for them. But just everybody as a whole, because we’re such a veteran team, we’re a lot more connected.”

That connectivity is echoed by Guinto when she speaks about what the Wesmen could be capable of this season.

“I think a lot of it is just we’ve been through a lot together. We’ve been through a lot of comeback games where we won. We’ve been through a lot of comeback games where we didn’t win. Blowouts both ways,” she said.

“So we’ve gone through a lot, and this year, I think all of us are kind of just wanting to do it for each other. I know that’s my ‘why.’ Like, I love this team. I’ve been here for five years. They’re my family basically. I wake up to go home, basically.”

The Wesmen begin their 2026-27 campaign in Brandon on Oct. 23.

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