North by Northwestern

Now in his ninth season as the women’s basketball head coach, Joe McKeown has built a successful program from scratch. With a strong core of seniors returning to Evanston for the 2016-17 season, McKeown and Co. are looking to reach their second NCAA Tournament in four years.

On the growth of senior stars Nia Coffey, Ashley Deary and Christen Inman:

“I hope a lot better. We’ve done some things in Chicago and just taking the team to Europe this summer I think for them, to put them into leadership roles and see how they responded and, I think the basketball part, they are who they are, and that will take care of itself and they’ve had great careers. I think now being leaders, captains, it’s a new identity for them and they are doing a great job of wanting to take on that responsibility.”

On the big three taking underclassmen under their wings:

“That’s something that [the coaches] have spent a lot of time with the [seniors] about. ‘What do you want your legacy and identity to be?’ They’ve broken a lot of records here as players individually and as teams, by getting to the NCAA Tournament. You gotta give back, you’ve gotta want to give back. I think that’s really the one thing they are proud of and trying to do a real good job of.”

On where the outside shooting will come from:

[Maggie Lyon] is a big loss, not just because she could shoot, but she was a great leader, great role model for our program and just an incredible career, and she is playing in Spain,and we are really proud of her. It’s hard to replace how fearless she was as a shooter. She had amnesia, so if she missed a shot, she would come right back at you. We will miss that, but I think other people [like] Lydia Rohde right now are shooting the ball well, and we get Lauren Douglas back this year who has been one of the best threats in the B1G as a three-point shooter. I think Jordan Hankins can really shoot, so we have [some shooters.] Abi Scheid, who is a freshman, a 6’3” post player, and same with Oceana [Hamilton] shoot threes as well as they do layups. I don’t know what that says about their layups, but we will find out.

On the impact of freshman this season:

“I think it’s so early right now that we are trying to figure things out. I think when we went to France and played a little bit, [Abi and Byrdy] both played well and adapted well to our system. So now it’s just getting through the nonconference and getting opportunities. They both are really good basketball players.”

On the added depth in front court:

“I think in general having more size gives us the ability to bring people in if we are in foul trouble. We will be able to throw in a lot of bodies in the B1G. [Since the B1G] has been throwing a lot of bodies at us, since I’ve been here, we’ll start throwing them back.”

On the team’s strengths:

“We were able to score last year. We scored a lot of points and had [some good] games, but defensively we struggled at times. I think this team has addressed that they’ve got to be a better defensive team, and they take pride right now in it at practice. That’s got to be our strength this year. I feel like we can score still. We will have our ups and down, just like any team offensively, and I think right now if we can defend and rebound, and the team is buying in, that can be our identity that gets us through the tough shooting nights.”

On the importance of transition game:

“We are a very good transition team when we take care of the ball and get really good shots. I saw it last year in spurts, and the way we finished in the B1G Tournament with a great run there by playing four straight games and winning three games in a row, I thought our transition game was in high gear. We didn’t turn the ball over, and our shot selection was good. Everyone says they want to run, but then they go and take crazy shots. That’s a big area we need to improve.”

On the pressure to reach the NCAA Tournament:

“I don’t feel any pressure, you know. I think [the seniors] feel like that’s their goal. I feel like every coach this time of year wants to get back to the tournament, but I want [the team] to just play. [The seniors] don’t want their legacies to be they just played in one tournament game. There are some things you don’t have to say that they get. Last year at this time we were ranked 12th in the country, so they understand the bar and the level [of play.] The Tournament is a special thing, and you can’t take anything for granted. I learned that when I came here after being in 17 of them. You’ve got to appreciate the grind to get there and the league. The B1G is going to give us some tremendous opportunities, so it’s really up to us to take advantage.

On the team chemistry:

“I think everyone loves each other in October. That’s every team in college basketball. I think these guys are resilient, and that’s best when things don’t go well. We have seniors now who have been in crunch time and been in a lot of battles. They know what it’s like to be on the road in the B1G in February, and that’s where I think the senior leadership will really show. This team is committed to each other, and I don’t think they care who scores or who plays. Last year we just had a tough stretch, where like any team, we got beat at the buzzer a couple time. I think the way we came on at the B1G Tournament also said a lot about the character of our seniors and how proud they are in this program. I think each team is different each year.”