3 girls basketball stars sign to play at Northwestern

Northwestern women's basketball coach coach Joe McKeown announced the signing of three players to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday.

The recruiting class includes Ohio native Mylan Woods (Strongsville, Ohio/Hathaway Brown) and two local standouts - La'Terria Taylor (Von Steuben) and Meghan McKeown (Loyola Academy), the coach's daughter.

"I think the class we brought in shows the ground work my staff has put in the day we took this job, and it has paid dividends," McKeown said. "To get the players of that caliber away from all the schools that recruited them shows the potential of Northwestern. We answered our needs in becoming quicker and deeper and a better shooting team as well as a better transition team. And, the most important aspect of this class is that all these ladies are tremendous student-athletes who will be great additions to Northwestern University."

Taylor, a 5-foot-10 forward, is ranked 21st in the country at her position by ESPN's HoopGurlz. She was a four-year letterwinner in both basketball and volleyball and a team captain in basketball at Von Stuben. Taylor was an all-state honorable mention and all-conference selection and led the Panthers to regional and conference championships.

The Chicago native was also a five-year member of the Chicago Hoops Express Club Team, spearheading the team's efforts toward regional, super regional and state championships.

"La'Terria is one of the top guards in the country coming out of this class and I think will strengthen our program immensely," McKeown said. "Anytime a student-athlete has offers from all over the country and decides to stay close to home says a lot for Northwestern. La'Terria exemplifies the whole student-athlete concept and brings a great work ethic and sense of humility to our program."

Woods is a four-year letterwinner who averaged 15.1 ppg, 6.5 rpg and three assists during her career at Hathaway Brown in Ohio. The 5-10 guard led the Blazers to three-straight state finals, including the 2008-09 Division II state championship. She was a two-time all-state performer and the Ohio Division II Player of the Year as a junior.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer All-Star also was the team's MVP three years in a row.

"I feel like she is one of the top players in high school basketball and throughout the country," McKeown said. "She brings a tremendous amount of energy to the floor. As we continue to recruit nation-wide, it's really exciting for me to have the opportunity to coach and build our program around high-energy student-athletes."

McKeown, a 5-9 guard from Glencoe, is a four-time letterwinner and starter over her high school career at both Flint Hill (Va.) and at Loyola Academy. After helping the Ramblers to a 29-3 season and a trip to the regional semi-finals her junior season, she was named a team captain her senior year.

Her experience in the AAU circuit has been extensive, playing for the Maryland Flames, Fairfax Stars and Illinois Hustle and leading the Hustle to the Illinois state championship in 2009. McKeown also played in the AAU National Championship in Orlando and participated in the Nike National Championship in Augusta, Ga.

"Meghan is one of the top shooting guards in the Chicago area and one of the top student-athletes," McKeown said. "She decided to come to Northwestern in what was a very comprehensive family decision. She has lived in the gym since she was two-weeks-old and I think has the toughest skin in the family and can handle playing for her father. She has deep range and outstanding basketball IQ and has a wonderful mother whose patience will be sorely tested over the next four years. Meghan has always been able to earn things herself and I think that will be the case at Northwestern."