EVANSTON, Ill.- In her first public appearance at the helm of the Northwestern University women’s basketball program, head coach Carla Berube outlined her vision to bring the program back to the top of the Big Ten.
“I know it’s not — it can’t be — overnight success, winning a Big Ten championship,” Berube said at a press conference Tuesday. “It’s going to take some time and some growth. But I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Academics and athletics
The move to Northwestern from Princeton brings Berube from a mid-major conference into a competitive high-major, creating leverage for how she wants to shape her roster. At Princeton, Berube never had a transfer; according to the most recent available data, the school annually accepts fewer than 40 transfer students.
Now she has eyes on the transfer portal, with an emphasis on academics.
“We’re diving right in, and can’t wait to meet those student athletes across the country that want Northwestern,” Berube said. “I think that’s really, really important, [that] they want to be here for this degree.”
She repeatedly emphasized the importance of Northwestern as an academic institution when discussing building the team. The entirety of Berube’s head coaching career has been at private research institutions — first at Tufts, from 2002 to 2019, and then at Princeton.
“I’ve been coaching these really amazing, driven women that care about the balance of their student experience and athletic experience. And now, now it’s like at a world-class level, on both fronts,” she continued.
Berube, who went 21-6 in March during her tenure as Princeton head coach, said that her goal is the postseason. Northwestern won a Big Ten title in 2020 and last made the NCAA Tournament in 2021. But they’ve struggled in recent years, with losing records in each of the past four seasons, including 8-21 in 2025-26.
Berube said that there was space on the current roster “to get a couple different positions,” adding that her current team would vet prospects. She didn’t get into the specifics of what types of players she’ll be looking for, beyond emphasizing the importance of a “great, great work ethic.”
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Defense, defense, defense
She’ll likely put that work ethic to the test on the defensive end of the court. Berube is known for her emphasis on defense, which she attributed on Tuesday to Geno Auriemma, her coach when she played at UConn.
“He told me during my freshman year I couldn’t guard a chair,” she said. “So that really inspired me to get better and really embrace that side of the basketball. And now I love it.”
She’ll bring that system with her to Northwestern, along with two longtime staff members from Princeton: Lauren Dillon, now in the associate head coach role, and Lilly Paro, continuing in her role as director of basketball operations.
“I loved my experience at Princeton,” Berube said Tuesday. She said that she loved coaching the student athletes there and believed that the program could keep winning championships. But she didn’t want to leave Princeton for a place she “didn’t believe in.” Northwestern — and the greater Evanston community — is aligned with her values, she said.
“From everything we’ve seen and heard, it’s a welcoming, vibrant place with so much energy, and we can’t wait to get to know our neighbors, support local initiatives and be part of the life here beyond the basketball court,” she said.
Berube continued to echo the mission she’s pushed for her entire coaching career — wanting her student athletes to play great basketball, get a great education, and enjoy their time in college.
“Because years from now, when they leave this program, I don’t just want them to just say they won games,” she said. “I want them to say that this experience changed them, prepared them and gave them confidence in who they are.”