Former Northwestern women’s basketball coach June Olkowski lost the respect of some players and might have struggled to adjust to NU’s academic environment, guard Samantha McComb and Athletic Director Mark Murphy said this week.
Players also confirmed that Colgate head coach Beth Combs recently visited NU, and that Notre Dame associate coach Carol Owens will visit later this week.
Murphy said he hopes to complete the search for a new head coach “within the next few weeks.”
He announced March 10 that Olkowski’s contract will not be renewed for a sixth season.
Olkowski’s five-year record of 31-108 was the main reason for the decision, Murphy said. The Wildcats posted a 1-16 Big Ten record this year.
McComb, a junior, said problems were brewing between Olkowski and her players.
“Somewhere along the way, lines got crossed, and people started to not trust her and to not respect her,” McComb said. “There were clear communication problems in terms of people knowing their roles and what’s expected of them. Not everybody was on the same page.”
Murphy said the program’s lack of success may have led to Olkowski losing favor with some of her players.
“When the program struggles, it’s easy to look at the coach and say that, for whatever reason, things aren’t working and it must be the coach’s fault,” Murphy said. “With the combination of the win-loss record and the fact that she hasn’t had success, I think it makes it difficult to gain the confidence of the players in her and in the system.”
Olkowski was unavailable for comment as of Wednesday night.
The Philadelphia native and former Rutgers All-American came to NU from Butler, where she coached the Bulldogs for six successful seasons.
Murphy said he had heard people say Olkowski was not used to the level of academic challenge NU student-athletes face.
“With her background — growing up in Philadelphia, playing at Rutgers, a blue-collar mentality — it may have been an adjustment for her in terms of her coaching style,” Murphy said.
Junior center Sarah Kwasinski said it was an adjustment, but one Olkowski was able to handle.
“She wasn’t used to us having to miss practices for academic purposes. That just wasn’t her experience at other schools where she coached and when she played,” Kwasinski said. “But once we explained it to her, she seemed all right with it.”
Senior forward Michelle Zylstra also said academics were not a problem under Olkowski.
“I never felt academics were slighted in any way,” Zylstra said. “People always want to point the finger. Some of my teammates are too quick to point the finger — wrongly — at Coach Olkowski.”
In examining possible replacements, Murphy said he is looking for someone who understands the importance of academics at NU.
“I think recruiting is going to be very important to the new head coach, but I think it’s also important to find somebody who understands and appreciates the quality of a Northwestern education and how to utilize that in the recruiting process,” Murphy said. “It’s also important to be able to relate to the kind of student-athletes that we have here and to motivate them.”
Murphy said he’s speaking to five to 10 candidates for the job. He wouldn’t comment on specific names, but said the list includes head coaches and assistants from Division I programs.
“I think we need somebody with an awful lot of energy, and I think we need somebody who’s an excellent recruiter,” Murphy said. “It’s going to be a challenge and it’s going to take time, but I do think this program can be turned around.”
