Feb. 17, 2012
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Northwestern head women's basketball coach Joe McKeown, one of the most respected names in women's basketball, will be inducted into the George Washington Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend (Feb. 18). For more information on the event, please click here.
McKeown is widely recognized as one of the top women's college basketball coaches in the game. A record five-time winner of the Atlantic 10's Coach of the Year Award (1991, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2007) and two-time National Coach of the Year nominee (1995, 1997), McKeown is George Washington's all-time winningest coach in terms of wins (441) and winning percentage (.741), as his teams averaged over 23 wins in his 19 seasons from 1989 to 2008. In 1991-92, he led the Colonials to a national ranking of 6th, the highest ranking for any women's program in the history of GW athletics. From 1991 to 1998, the team posted eight consecutive 20-win seasons, including five A-10 titles. His 1996-97 team, which advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, won 22 consecutive games during the season and finished the Atlantic 10 portion of its schedule with a perfect 16-0 record. In 2007, he led the team to a 28-4 record, with a perfect 14-0 conference mark, and broke the school record with an .875 winning percentage.
McKeown took the helm in Evanston in 2008 and already has transformed the culture of Northwestern women's basketball. The Wildcats entered the 2011-12 campaign following the best back-to-back seasons in nearly 15 years. Combined, the 2009-10 and 2010-11 campaigns yielded 37 victories, two postseason appearances and milestone wins over nationally-renown Ohio State, LSU and DePaul.
On the individual level, 2010-11 marked the first time a Wildcat was selected in the WNBA draft as Amy Jaeschke was selected as the 27th pick overall by the Chicago Sky. Jaeschke turned in not only one of the best seasons in Wildcat annals, but also one of the most storied careers. In the Northwestern record books, she finished her career ranked first in blocks and second in scoring and in rebounding. Jaeschke also was tabbed an Associated Press honorable mention All-American, marking the first time since 1998 that a Wildcat appeared on the prestigious list.
Northwestern's improvement from 2008-09 (7-23) to 2009-10 (18-15) was tied for the 10th best turnaround in the nation and ranked fourth among BCS schools. In winning percentage comparison, the Wildcats' above-.500 mark (.545) was a 31.2 percent improvement from last season. The success yielded NU's first postseason appearance in 13 years and a ticket to the WNIT, which led to two victories and a trip to the event's round of 16.
Entering the 2011-12 campaign, McKeown's .710 winning percentage (553-226) ranked 23rd all-time among active coaches (minimum five years) and his 553 career victories is tied for 36th among active coaches (minimun five years). He also is tied for 19th in the 20-plus win seasons category (minimum 10 years as head coach).
This season has seen continued success on the court under McKeown. With its 79-49 victory over UNLV on Dec. 18, Northwestern improved to 9-1 on the year; its best record through 10 games in his tenure. In the two previous seasons, the Wildcats were 8-2 through the opening 10 games. The last time NU went 9-1 to open the season was in the 1995-96 season. The Wildcats' most recent success came in the dismantling of No. 16 Nebraska Thursday in Lincoln. McKeown owns 567 career wins.
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