Victoria Rivera, a senior guard on the Georgetown University women’s basketball team, is set to be a key offensive leader this season.

Rivera said a single question encapsulates her style of play.

“Why shoot a two when you can make a three?” Rivera told The Hoya. 

Rivera, the Hoyas’ highest ranked scorer remaining from last season, is poised to step into a pivotal role this season as an offensive leader. In the team’s changing rosters across the past two seasons, Rivera has remained one of the few constants. 

Throughout her time on the team, Rivera has grown tremendously in every aspect of her game. In her first collegiate season, Rivera played in 19 of the Hoyas’ 31 games and did not start in a single one. She averaged 7.6 minutes per game, made 12 field goals — 7 of which were 3-pointers — and shot .300 percent from the floor and .269 percent from 3-point range.

Rivera was ranked tenth on the team in field goals made and eleventh on the team in overall shooting percentage out of 14 players her first season. In both stats, she was ranked third out of the four first-years — not yet reaching the level she sought to be at. 

In her sophomore season, Rivera quintupled her playing time, played in all 35 of the team’s games, starting in 33, averaged 22.4 minutes per game and made 80 field goals. She improved her field goal percentage to .319 overall and .291 from 3-point range — and her free throw percentage improved from 0 of 2 attempts to 12 of 19. 

Last season, Rivera racked up the second-most playing minutes on the team, starting in 27 of the team’s 31 contests and playing in 30 of them. She averaged 33.1 minutes per game, made 114 field goals and shot .353 percent overall, .335 from beyond the arc and .806 from the charity stripe. 

Georgetown women’s basketball head coach Darnell Haney said Rivera plays an essential and specific role on the team. 

“She’s the sniper. She knocks down shots,” Haney told The Hoya. “She brings leadership with her voice; she brings leadership with her actions. She just takes care of business on the floor by hitting shots for herself. I’m excited about her and her growth.”

Rivera’s journey to Georgetown was, in some ways, untraditional. Rivera said she did not pick up a basketball for the first time until she was around ten years old, later than would be expected for a Division 1 player. She did not start playing competitively until she was in middle school — before that point, basketball was just a hobby for her.

In other ways, Rivera’s path to the Hilltop was quite typical; at Dobie High School in Pasadena, Texas, Rivera was a four-year starter, two-year captain, a district MVP and a Houston-area media group VYPE player of the year. She had the success to back up her recruitment.

Rivera said family was the deciding factor when she chose Georgetown.

“So I’m from Houston, it’s a really long way from home,” Rivera said. “Even though it’s a four-hour flight, 20-hour drive, it felt like home away from home.”

“I liked the coaches, the girls,” Rivera added. “I come from four brothers, I don’t have any sisters. So definitely having that sister bond I wish I always had, I get them through that.”

Rivera’s track to her current role on the team as the designated sharpshooter was also atypical; Rivera said she did not come into the role until college.

“I was not always a 3-point shooter,” Rivera said. “I think I started when I got here. In high school, I did a little bit of everything, but in college, they gave me that confidence just being able to shoot.”

Rivera was named a preseason all-Big East honorable mention Oct. 21 — her second career nod to the honor roll. This award recognizes preseason performance and underscores the league’s valuation of Rivera heading into the 2025-26 season. Rivera said she appreciated the honor, but her work is not done.

 “I’ve been very patient, every year I’ve been wanting to improve,” Rivera said. “And that’s one thing that I still want to continue to do. Continue to be a better, not just a shooter, but a better player overall, and because of my — I like to call them sisters — they trust me enough to just do everything right.”

Haney said he also has high hopes for Rivera this season.

“This is preseason; this is on paper,” Haney said. “You have to keep working to continue to progress and make sure everybody knows you’re the best shooter in the Big East.”

Rivera has her own goals for the season, which she said are to soak in her last few months playing as a Hoya.

“Enjoying every game,” Rivera said. “Every game, every practice, every time that I get to step on the court knowing that this is my last season.”

As for her goals for the team, Rivera said along with winning, she wants her teammates to commit to the process.

“Just accepting the process,” Rivera told a group of reporters at Big East Media Day. “Not everything’s going to go your way, but if you stay consistent, you stay in the gym, that’s one thing that you can control and that’s the amount of hard work you put into it.”

Hard work and consistent improvement have become Rivera’s trademarks — along with her beyond the arc buckets. Entering her final season as a Hoya, Rivera said she and the team will look to make a mark on the Big East.

“We love to win,” Rivera said.