Northwestern women’s basketball coach Joe McKeown sat down with panelists Tuesday night in the Firehouse Grill to discuss the upcoming season in WNUR’s annual “Fired Up with Joe McKeown” event.
McKeown was interviewed by WNUR sports directors Andrew Neville and Brea Lassek. Senior forward Paige Mott and sophomore guard Caroline Lau joined him.
McKeown, entering his 16th season with the Wildcats, said NU is looking ahead, past its disappointing 2022-23 campaign.
“(We’re) focusing on getting better and not really worrying about what happened six months ago,” McKeown said.
Here are four takeaways from McKeown’s remarks Tuesday:
1. ‘Cats have a chip on their shoulder
No players on the NU roster were named on any of the preseason Big Ten honors lists. McKeown said the ‘Cats are embracing the “underdog mentality.”
“Our players have really looked at the way we’re being overlooked,” McKeown said. “Maybe that’s a good thing right now, maybe that inspires them. We’ve got a lot to show.”
Last year, NU finished dead last in the Big Ten with a 2-16 conference record, winning just nine total games. McKeown said the ‘Cats have changed up their game and the coaching staff is “fired up” for the season.
Lau, who was named a captain this year, echoed those sentiments. The Westport, Connecticut, native and the team’s best returning shooter from beyond the arc, said the squad is carrying a different vibe this year.
“We’re coming into this season with a chip on our shoulder because of how last season went,” Lau said. “It’s a different kind of feel than last year and we’re all just really excited to start playing games.”
2. McKeown excited for first-year production
The team is welcoming three new recruits this season: forward Rachel Mutombo, forward Crystal Fuqu Wang and guard Casey Harter.
The 6-foot-3 Mutombo hails from Maryland. McKeown said she suffered from injuries in high school and did not participate in the team’s Spain exhibition games. But, she is getting healthier.
“We felt like it was a steal to get her here,” McKeown said. “We want to see (Mutombo) be a terror on the glass.”
Mutombo averaged eight points and eight rebounds as a four-year varsity player at Good Counsel High School. She will likely come off the bench for junior forward Caileigh Walsh and Mott this season.
Wang comes from Beijing, China by way of California’s Sierra Canyon High School, MaxPreps’ fourth-ranked high school women’s basketball team in the nation last year. She played on the Chinese Junior National team this summer, according to McKeown.
“She’s multi-faceted and has played a lot of positions,” McKeown said. “She just knows how to play smart and tough, so (I’m) really excited about Crystal.”
Harter rounds out NU’s recruiting class this year. The 6-foot-1 guard is from just north of Philadelphia and averaged 15.1 points per game for Souderton High School.
“Casey is a multi-dimensional guard — she can play point guard, shooting guard and small forward,” McKeown said. “She did some really great things for us in Spain.”
3. Homegrown players emphasized over the transfer portal
NU added graduate student guard Maggie Pina from Boston University through the transfer portal this offseason, its only addition after losing Jillian Brown to Virginia and Anna Morris to Ohio State’s volleyball program. When asked about the transfer portal, McKeown said he preferred to recruit from the ground up.
“We’re not a school that is built by the portal,” McKeown said. “It’s important that we keep developing players and they learn how to play together for over a three- or four-year period.”
McKeown noted that Pina is a graduate transfer, which makes it a “little different situation coming in.”
While at Boston, Pina averaged 8.6 points per game and during the 2022 season made 37.5% of her 3-point shots.
“She’s done a great job for us,” McKeown said. “We’re really excited about her.”
4. Watch out for 3-point weapon Mott
Mott said Tuesday she has been working on her outside game this season.
“I’m starting to shoot some threes,” she said. “You’re going to see some surprises.”
Mott has attempted just six 3-pointers in her career. If the forward can start unloading from long range, that adds a new wrinkle to NU’s offense.
The ‘Cats tip off in an exhibition game against Lewis on Nov. 2 and open the season against University of Illinois Chicago on Nov. 9.
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Twitter: @HenryFrieman
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