Women's watch: Wildcats seniors most talented in school's history

Expectations were high in early November, when one of the most talented classes in Northwestern women's basketball history opened up its senior season.

"There was a lot of ambition and hope coming in," senior point guard Ashley Deary said. "But after everything that happened ..."

Deary, fellow seniors Nia Coffey, Christen Inman, Lauren Douglas and Allie Tuttle and the rest of the Wildcats have had a much greater challenge to face this season than any opponent on the schedule. In early January, they were shaken to the core by the death of sophomore guard Jordan Hankins, who committed suicide in her dorm room.

"I'm just proud of the resiliency of this team," Deary said. "The way we've stayed strong for each other, we've taken the cards we've been dealt and we've dealt with them. It hasn't always been easy, but we've tried our best to have fun with the game, and no matter what, we're a family."

Behind the seniors, who celebrated Senior Day last weekend with a win over Illinois at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Northwestern has somehow put together a 19-9 season and is certainly a dangerous wildcard in the upcoming Big Ten tournament next week in Indianapolis.

"Obviously, everything that happened (with Hankins) affected our entire team," Coffey said. "But I think we've been able to get through it pretty well because our chemistry was so strong to begin with and we got even closer."

The seniors were already as close as can be. Deary and Coffey have been roommates for the last three years and Inman and Tuttle are also roommates and live in the same building. The five seniors have spent a lot of time together on the court, too, getting major minutes as freshmen and sophomores.

"I don't think any of us felt pressure when we were freshmen," Coffey said. "I think we all did a pretty good job of just being ourselves, and it all panned out."

Coffey, a strong, physical forward, will graduate as one of the best players in Northwestern history.

She is currently the Wildcats' No. 2 all-time leading scorer and she is the all-time leading rebounder as well.

Meanwhile, Deary, a heady leader, has been a warrior, and has started a school-record 128 straight games.

Douglas has been a versatile swing player who has been tough to defend inside and out. Tuttle is a strong post player and Inman is known as a sharp-shooter.

"I think the great thing about our class and why it's been a good class is that we are really well-rounded," Coffey said. "We've got someone good at every position and we all do different things well. We were also able to make an immediate impact."

The seniors have supported each other over the last four years, but have also pushed each other.

"I think we definitely challenged each other, on and off the court," Deary said. "In practice we pushed each other but we also had some tough conversations with each other. But it was all about making each other better players.

"I'm hoping that's the legacy our class leaves: that we made each other better, which made the program better. Hopefully, we established a winning program and other good players will want to come here and keep that going."

pbabcock@dailyherald.com

Follow Patricia on Twitter: @babcockmcgraw