NU hires McKeown

Northwestern wasn't looking for just an ordinary Joe to coach its women's basketball team.

So the Wildcats brought in Joe McKeown.

To resurrect a program that had slid from a consistent NCAA qualifier in the early to mid-1990s to a consistent Big Ten cellar dweller in recent years, the Wildcats needed a veteran, a proven winner and a big name.

They got it all in McKeown, who comes to Northwestern after coaching 19 years at George Washington, where he never had a losing season.

McKeown, who was named head coach Monday, replacing Beth Combs, has also had plenty of postseason success.

In 1997, he guided the Colonials to the Elite Eight. They also advanced to the Sweet Sixteen three times, including the last two seasons.

George Washington has been ranked consistently in the national polls in recent years and has won 14 regular-season or postseason Atlantic 10 crowns under McKeown.

"We needed a great teacher, academically and athletically, we needed a national recruiter, someone with successful head-coaching experience and someone who would be an institutional fit," said Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips, who received 1,200 resumes when the job opened May 8.

The list of finalists was cut to 42 and then 10.

"It was hard for anyone to beat him on those four criteria," Phillips said. "And every phone call I made (about McKeown) literally was so positive. But it was also 'You'll never get him to leave George Washington.' "

McKeown says he wasn't looking to uproot his life after nearly two decades of success, but he was sold by the enthusiastic Phillips and the potential gold mine at Northwestern.

"Sometimes when you've been coaching a long time, you get a little bit pigeon-holed at one school and you feel like there are other things out there," McKeown said. "I felt like this was a great opportunity. And it was Jim's attitude and energy. His enthusiasm of 'Joe, we really want you here. We want to get this thing going.' I bought into that more than anything else."