Ever since the days of Veronica Burton, Northwestern women’s basketball has lacked the presence of a bona fide superstar.
As of this year, the drought is officially over.
The ‘Cats have certainly had some
bumps in the road en route to a 6-3 record, but 6-foot-4 forward Grace Sullivan has — so far — performed above and beyond what Wildcat fans could have dreamed of entering the season. Sullivan is averaging a whopping 24.3 points per game, ranking sixth in the country and second among forwards behind Mia Nicastro, who sits at 24.4. Add in her 9.1 rebounds per game and 58.7% field goal percentage, and it’s clear NU has a stud on its hands.
But somehow, the numbers get even more impressive with a deeper look into Sullivan’s progression.
So far, the Wildcats have played four power conference opponents, finishing 1-3 in those games with a win over DePaul and losses to Missouri, Kansas and Ohio State. Questions abounded prior to those games about whether Sullivan could continue her early-season dominance against tough competition, and she promptly put those questions to bed. Sullivan shot a combined 56-of-90 (62%) from the field in those contests, averaging 29.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while only turning the ball over seven times in 144 minutes.
Those are simply video game numbers. If it were possible to extrapolate Sullivan’s power conference points average to a full season, the country would easily have its new scoring leader.
“She doesn’t force anything, she works really hard, she is the focal point of our offense,” McKeown said after Sullivan’s incredible 37-point performance against Ohio State. “I feel like she’s evolving into one of the best players in college basketball.”
Tough losses have overshadowed Sullivan’s impact at times this year, but regardless, it’s more than fair to say the senior has officially arrived on the national scene — with a path to a spot in the NU record books as well. 24.3 points per game would rank second all-time among any Wildcat for scoring average in a single season, and a 58.7% field goal percentage would tie for eighth in the Wildcats’ all-time honors. After averaging 10.1 points per game a season ago, Sullivan’s impact has turned from steady to otherworldly.
One doesn’t need to look at the stats alone to know it. When watching Sullivan dominate in the paint, her quickness, rebounding fundamentals and layup package all stand out. She plays unselfishly while still knocking down tough shots, consistently finding ways to drive past defenders or connect on off-kilter layups.
And, of course, her midrange game can’t be forgotten. A year after midrange Melannie Daley lit up scoreboards for NU, Sullivan has been arguably more prolific from those spots on the floor. Put her on the elbow, and it feels almost guaranteed that the senior will have perfect touch.
“I love the midrange,” Sullivan said after her 20-point performance in the Wildcats’ win over Cleveland State. “Once it started falling, I just kept taking it.”
It’s hard to find any major critiques of Sullivan’s game this year. She hasn’t developed a three-point shot as of yet, but otherwise, she’s as complete of a player as the ‘Cats have seen in a very long time. Her unselfishness could also give her a lane to climb WNBA Draft boards following the conclusion of this season.
Through it all, Sullivan has continued to play with confidence. Following the departures of Taylor Williams and Caileigh Walsh, the senior was left as easily the most notable returning post player for Northwestern. The ‘Cats knew they would need to rely on a big leap from Sullivan, and boy, did they get it.
Still, Sullivan recognizes there’s plenty of work that needs to be done, especially after a loss to Ohio State in the team’s Big Ten opener.
“I think it’s super cool, but looking at the result, we wanted to win coming out and thought we had them for sure,” Sullivan said of her performance after the 79-70 defeat. “It’s not all that special when we didn’t get the win.”
It’d be easy for Sullivan to rest on her laurels following her performances, but she clearly knows as well as anyone that work must be done. With the OSU loss, the ‘Cats now sit at a combined 8-47 in Big Ten games over their past four seasons.
Conference wins have been hard to come by the Wildcats. Fortunately for them, it appears as though they’ve found their leader who may be able to guide them back into Big Ten contention.
