On Tuesday morning, Mark Jackson stepped to the podium set in front of an audience full of Northwestern head coaches, athletes and students to utter the words “its a great day to be a Wildcat.”
Why?
Because when he rolled out of bed that morning to check the calendar, it read March 31, 2026.
A date that marked the start of the Carla Berube era in Northwestern women’s hoops.
A date that he had circled on his calendar for months.
A date that put a smile on his face.
On that day, Berube was set to address
the Northwestern world in her official introduction to the purple and white, projecting her vision of how she sees herself leading the ‘Cats back to the mountaintop of the Big Ten as a national powerhouse program.
But before that, Jackson had a couple words to open the event — words that touted the former Ivy League coach.
The Combe Family Vice President of Athletics noted that in his search for the new leader of the women’s basketball program, he enlisted the help of three national championship winning coaches: Tracey Fuchs, Kelly Amonte Hiller and Emily Fletcher. All three coaches have been to national title tilts in their respective sports in the last calendar year, and two of the three came away with the hardware.
Jackson later quoted Fuchs as saying “if I had three thumbs up, I’d give them to Carla” as Northwestern was evaluating the five-time Ivy League champion.
The criteria for Jackson and the Northwestern administration in its selection for the next leader of the program was clear.
“Aa proven winner with established NCAA Tournament success, [who can] bring us back to where we belong: competing for a Big Ten Championship,” Jackson said.
They, above all else, searched for a coach who presented “a willingness to embrace the challenges.”
On paper, it was clear to Jackson that Berube was the person for the role, especially when he came across her 21-6 all-time record in the month of March.
The clutch gene that she presented was one of the deciding factors for NU in the process. Berube passed the test with flying colors. All that was left for her was the eye test, and she nailed that too.
Jackson was sold on Berube’s “willingness to to be a part of something bigger than just women’s basketball at Northwestern,” going on to say “I found a person that wants to be here for the long term.”
He closed by emphasizing that Evanston isn’t a “transactional place.” He applauded his student athletes and coaches for staying committed to Northwestern in a world of athletics he describes as “topsy turvy.”
And with a hug, a grin and a ceremonial jersey exchange, Berube was officially handed the keys to NU’s women’s basketball program as the seventh coach in its 50 year history.
Upon inheriting the stage, Berube opened by giving thanks to the entire search committee for “doing things the right way” in choosing the next coach of the program. In her gratitude was a specific message to the aforementioned NU coaches who were a part of the process, whom Berube expressed a desire to build connections with in the near future.
“(You all) showed me that this was a community I wanted to be a part of, and I’ll be knocking down your doors for the blueprint on how to be successful here.”
Berube next recognized her predecessor in the legendary Joe McKeown, who “built a program with integrity, competitiveness and a culture that has left a lasting impact on the university, the players and the community.” She made it clear that her intent in the near future is to build upon the McKeown standard of Wildcat basketball.
Putting the end to the “incredible, incredible ride” Berube was on at Princeton was a difficult choice for her to make, but the dealbreaker for her was NU’s balance between world-class education and elite Big Ten athletics.
“At Northwestern, you’re not choosing between competing at the highest level and getting a world class education. You’re expected to do both,” said Berube. “And that challenge and that standard, that balance, that’s exactly what I believe in. I want to coach players who are driven in every part of their lives, who want to be pushed, who want to grow, and who care about something bigger than themselves.”
As for the team’s identity, Berube’s vision closely parallels Chris Collins’ signature phrase “pound the rock”: a squad that turns games into scrappy, defensive dogfights.
“Wildcat basketball will be the team that values every possession, that forces you to guard for a full shot clock, and then comes down and makes just as hard on you on the other end,” Berube said. “We’re going to be physical and we’re going to be relentless.”
After concluding her opening statement to the Northwestern community, Berube took 15 minutes to answer some questions from the media.
Berube further expanded upon her vision for the program in answering the first question, saying “I’m looking forward to helping these young women get better every single day, collectively and individually, and putting [out] a brand of basketball that the fans of Welsh-Ryan Arena will be excited to cheer for.”
When asked if she’d be diving into the portal, Berube responded with certainty.
“We’ve got to bring in some talented student-athletes from the portal to supplement the great student-athletes that we have here,” Berube said. “We are diving right in, and can’t wait to to meet those student-athletes across the country that want (to be at) Northwestern.”
When scoping out the Big Ten, especially in the past two years, its easy to see how these two points intertwine with one another. Teams like Washington and Minnesota utilized the program after underperforming in the 2024-25 season and made leaps to the upper half of the conference this past season, earning bids to the NCAA Tournament.
When asked to explain this phenomenon, Berube emphasized the appeal of coaches.
“It’s about getting really talented players that that buy into what the coaching staff is teaching them and what [they’re] valuing,” Berube said.
She believes NU can follow in the footsteps of the Huskies and the Gophers by following the same format.
“I think we have the resources and the commitment to get there. I think it’s going to take just a standard of excellence on the court with our players,” Berube said. “It’s going to be hard-nosed toughness, grittiness, just competing every single possession to win that possession on both ends of the floor…we’re going to have that championship winning standard every day.”
The heart, passion, dedication and ambitiousness that made Berube an esteemed coach at Princeton will follow her to Northwestern. The only things that won’t be coming with her to the midwest are her custom black and orange Nike dunks.
But like Michael Jordan proved to Spike Lee, his success was rooted in something deeper than his shoes back in the early ‘90s, Berube will seek to do the same as she begins her tenure at the helm of Northwestern women’s basketball.
