After a difficult season that culminated in a first-round conference tournament loss to Rutgers, Northwestern will look to make significant strides in the second season of the post-Veronica Burton era.
While the Wildcats struggled to find their footing in a grueling Big Ten slate, several players emerged as potential pieces for coach Joe McKeown to build around in hopes of flipping the program’s fortunes.
Junior forward Caileigh Walsh displayed elite post presence at times, and will look to emulate her success at a more efficient clip this season. Walsh’s ability to stretch the floor makes her an irreplaceable component of McKeown’s system.
Alongside Walsh, senior forward Paige Mott emerged as a mid-season scoring stalwart for NU, piling on a flurry of double-digit outputs for the Cats. With Mott and Walsh both firing on offense, McKeown’s squad becomes difficult to slow down.
With last year’s starting point guard Kaylah Rainey transferring to Tulane, sophomore guard Caroline Lau now holds the keys to NU’s offense. Lau showed flashes of brilliance during her inaugural season in Welsh-Ryan Arena, and McKeown described the guard as a “gym rat,” constantly striving to improve.
The Cats’ identity rests in their tenacious defense, and junior guard Hailey Weaver embodies the team’s mantra of defense-first basketball, thriving in opposing passing lanes. Expect Weaver to provide crucial minutes — either in the starting five or off the bench.
Although a bevy of returners hand McKeown plenty of options to craft his rotation, NU must vastly improve on last season’s display to compete in a stacked conference schedule.
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