The ‘Cats have multiple depth pieces with chances to contribute.
The women’s college basketball season is less than a month away, and the Northwestern Wildcats are gearing up for opening tipoff on November 3rd in a home matchup against Parkside. The ‘Cats, coming off back-to-back 9-21 seasons, will seek to improve in head coach Joe McKeown’s 17th season at the helm. Here’s a look at the prospects for Wildcat reserves this season.
F Rachel Mutombo
Mutombo, a sophomore from Good Counsel, was a key contributor in high school, averaging eight points per game in the tough Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. The Maryland native only appeared in Northwestern’s road matchup against Maryland last year, collecting her first college rebound in limited action. As the niece of late NBA Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, she stands at 6-foot-3 and should receive more playing time this season, especially after former starting forward Paige Mott transferred to George Washington. Mott averaged over 26 minutes per game last year, and Mutombo should be one of several depth pieces with a chance to fill that void.
G Xamiya Walton
A 5-foot-7 freshman and local Chicago native, Walton was the No. 52 recruit in the Class of 2024 according to espnW. Now, she’ll have a prime opportunity to make an immediate impact at Northwestern. Walton averaged a whopping 23.3 points per game at Butler College Prep, winning a state title and knocking down 15 threes (an all-time conference record) in a January 2023 matchup against Comer. Better yet, she will have the chance to learn and develop behind Caroline Lau, Northwestern’s junior starting point guard who led the team in minutes last year. Lau was productive in all major statistical categories in 2023-24, most notably averaging nearly six assists per game. Lau’s presence will help Walton develop even further as a passer, allowing Walton’s game to flourish while coming off the bench during her freshman year.
G Claire Keswick
Keswick, another freshman guard, was a dual-sport athlete in high school, also playing varsity volleyball for Tabor Academy in Massachusetts. She was a sharpshooter who also received offers from Davidson, VCU, and Yale (among other schools), and will seek to add a spark to a Wildcat squad that shot 41.2% from the field last season — good for second-lowest in the Big Ten. While her role may be limited this year, Keswick may already be one of the team’s best free throw shooters (she shot 82% from the line in 2022-23), making her an invaluable asset down the stretch in close games.
G/F Kat Righeimer
Righeimer is a California native and 6-foot-1 freshman who, like Keswick and Walton, is a high-level shooter. At Sage Hill High School, Righeimer was a double-digit scorer in all four of her varsity seasons, also averaging at least five rebounds per game in each of those years. She previously trained at Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy and holds unique positional flexibility, with experience at forward as well as both guard positions. This versatility will be a key asset for the ‘Cats, so fans should expect Righeimer to contribute at some point in the future.
F Tayla Thomas
The final member of Northwestern’s first-year class, Thomas hails from the renowned IMG Academy in Florida. Ranked No. 57 in the country, she joins Walton as the other top 100 freshman recruit for the ‘Cats. Thomas is a proven inside scorer who also plays with toughness in the paint, demonstrated by her 2022 season in which she averaged a stellar 18 points and 16 rebounds per game. Mott’s departure creates a golden opportunity for Thomasa to contribute right away. As such, there’s well-deserved optimism that she can immediately deliver for the Wildcats.
F Lauren Trumpy
Trumpy, a 6-foot-5 junior forward, is still seeking her first game appearance for the ‘Cats. The additions of Thomas and Righeimer may make consistent playing time hard to come by, but she does hold at least one edge — she’s the tallest player on the roster currently. Trumpy was a productive player in high school, receiving both all-state and all-conference honors. In addition, she was a two-sport athlete, earning those same honors along with a state title in volleyball. Trumpy is from a sports-centric family, as both of her parents, brother, and second cousin (former Northwestern running back Mike Trumpy) all played sports in college (not to mention grandfather Bob Trumpy, a former NFL player and famed NBC announcer who called four Super Bowls in his broadcasting career). The extent of Trumpy’s role this year remains to be seen, but it appears she’ll end up serving as a depth piece in the paint.
F Crystal Wang
Wang saw occasional playing time during her freshman season, putting up nine points in a Dec. 17 game against Bradley. Like many of the Wildcat reserves this season, she has some shooting chops, and she showed her ability to distribute the ball with three assists in a Jan. 28 matchup at Indiana. Wang was born in Beijing and attended Sierra Canyon High School in California, averaging double-digit points and five rebounds per game during a solid four-season career. As previously mentioned, there’s some opportunity for NU reserve forwards to get more involved this year, and Wang’s game experience may help her get on the inside track to do so.