A classmate recently told me, “Northwestern isn’t a sports school.” Yet, NU has produced high-caliber athletes whose careers have extended beyond collegiate campaigns.
I believe that the University’s athletics department invests in the holistic development of individual athletes, as opposed to viewing them as parts of a larger unit. While NU has had limited success in the past few years in fan-favorite sports like basketball and football, it has established a track record of excellence in these sports in preceding years. Beyond team successes in championships won, critics must also acknowledge individual accomplishments.
NU produces professional athletes who owe their success to the training they received in the Wildcats’ programs.
Wearing number 22 throughout my quiet basketball career in Guyana, I have always held a deep appreciation for players who wear this number.
Veronica Burton, perhaps the most accomplished female basketball player to wear number 22 at NU, has always been a source of inspiration for me both on and off the court. I hoped to meet her on campus, but I never thought I would be able to on my first day as a student manager for the women’s basketball team.
Burton returned to her old stomping grounds in October 2025 to pay a visit to her coach, Joe McKeown. McKeown beamed with pride at Burton, crediting her success to her tenacity and unrelenting work ethic as a Wildcat. His testimony to Burton’s countless hours in Trienens Performance Center reflected positively on her career trajectory.
The resources and support she received at NU shaped her athletic capabilities in being a fierce, high-scoring competitor for the USA women’s team and Golden State Valkyries.
A more recent product of NU women’s basketball is Grace Sullivan, affectionately nicknamed “horse” by her teammates during the 2025-2026 season. Sullivan led the Wildcats in scoring this past season, playing an instrumental role in both conference and non-conference games. Rebounding for her on Saturday mornings was a joy, and I always did my best to pass into the seams for what was likely to be a knockdown shot.
Sullivan signed a training camp contract with the WNBA’s Dallas Wings. To see her have a training opportunity with the team of my favorite WNBA player, Paige Bueckers, was an incredible moment. I am excited to see what the future holds for her, and I can only hope that NU’s pegasus will fly as high as the arc in her mid-range jumper.
Former NU lacrosse and basketball player Pat Spencer (SPS ’20) now plays for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA. Spencer has been an instrumental player in the Warriors’ defensive rotation. In his own words, “If you have a passion for something, you’ve got to pursue it.”
Spencer’s time at NU allowed him to pinpoint areas for improvement before transitioning to high-level play. Establishing a foundational base at NU, he was able to gradually improve on his offensive capabilities in the NBA G League and provide back-end support to the Warriors.
While Sullivan and Spencer only spent one year as Wildcats, these transfers influenced competitive play in their short time at NU. Burton spent all four years at NU, becoming a fan favorite for the defensive prowess she displayed in Welsh-Ryan Arena.
NU exudes excellence in academia and athletics, and with each incoming recruit, there is promise and possibility of moving from the Big Ten to the world stage as a professional athlete.
The commitment and dedication of alumni to training and competitive play over the course of their collegiate tenure allowed the pro life to lie beyond the box score.
Alisande Jaiserrisingh is a Weinberg first-year and author of “Beyond the Box Score.” She can be contacted at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
