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A better Big Ten

Posted by: Tony Bleill

Monday, June 16, 2008 4:16 PM

From appearances, Jim Phillips and Northwestern are serious about their women's basketball program. And that's not a good thing for 10 other conference programs.

Phillips, a 1990 UI graduate who was hired as NU's athletic director in February, managed to lure former George Washington coach Joe McKeown to Evanston. McKeown, with more than 500 career wins to his credit, provides immediate and significant credibility to a program starving for it. The Wildcats have been the league's doormat for nearly a decade, and McKeown's presence should eliminate that status.

Make no mistake: McKeown is an excellent coach, as his record suggests. He has found success in recruiting, and his game management is solid. GW has been a force in the Atlantic 10 for years, and McKeown even got the Colonials into the Elite Eight once.

From McKeown's standpoint, it is an interesting move. He said he wanted a challenge, and he'll get it at Northwestern, which needs a major upgrade in talent just to compete effectively in the Big Ten. Personally, McKeown has an autistic son, and the coach felt Chicago would be an appropriate place for his son to find good care and facilities.

McKeown's hiring seems to send a signal that Phillips will support his program. NU hasn't done that in recent years, but perhaps Phillips can do what previous ADs were unwilling or unable to do. McKeown reportedly was making the range of $400,000 a year at GW, a figure that no doubt would have dwarfed any salary given to an NU coach in the last decade -- at least. As a private school, NU has no responsibility to provide salary figures, but it's hard to believe McKeown took a major pay cut just to join the Big Ten. Keep in mind, Jolette Law makes 300k a year. Does NU, suddenly, value its women's basketball program more than UI administrators?

In any event, it's hard to imagine McKeown not making Northwestern respectable again. It might take a couple years, but McKeown has shown he has the skills to be one of the top two or three coaches in the league -- if he isn't already.