By Jacob Brown

Northwestern didn’t lose a lot this season in terms of pure numbers, only having two players move on. However, the graduation of Lindsey Pulliam and Jordan Hamilton’s transfer to Stanford not only marks the loss of one of the most prolific scorers in school history but also of 24.4 of the team’s 67.4 points-per-game from the year prior. 

Joe McKeown and staff need to fill two starts in the starting lineup to replace the departures, and they need to do so with scorers. Jasmine McWilliams and Laya Hartman each saw limited time last year provided flashes of aggression in their time. Sharpshooter Jess Sancataldo has returned to the team after missing last season due to Covid-19 regulations and battling injuries in the first two years of her collegiate career. First-year Jillian Brown is also in the mix to earn minutes, fighting for the chance to start alongside fellow wing Sydney Wood.

Here’s a quick rundown on each player and what type of role they might play this year:

0 Jess Sancataldo 

Senior

6’0 Guard

Sydney, Australia

2021 Facts and Stats:

• Sancataldo spent 2021 in Australia due to international Covid-19 regulations

Description

Jess Sancataldo spent the first two years of her career battling injuries in her lower body. Just when it finally looked like she was ready to return to action and contribute, Covid-19 regulations prevented her from traveling to and from Australia. The last time Sancataldo played, Northwestern had their sharpshooter in the form of Abi Scheid. The current roster not only lacks the former star but is short on shooting in general. In her first year, Sancataldo connected on seven of her 17 attempts from beyond the arc. With her size, if the Aussie can shoot at a similar rate she will almost certainly find herself in Northwestern’s starting lineup at some point in this season. The questions for her are: can she stay consistent from deep, and more importantly, can she stay healthy?

3 Sydney Wood

Senior

5’11 Guard/Forward

Olney, Maryland

2021 Facts and Stats:

• 34.4 Minutes Per Game
• 10.8 Points Per Game
• 50% Shooting 
• 65% FT
• 2.6 Steals Per Game
• 5.6 Rebounds Per Game
• Received All-Big Ten honorable mention

Description

Wood burst onto the scene offensively in 2021, attempting 211 shots and 85 free throws last year after taking just 231 shots and 95 free throws her first two years combined. She more than doubled her points-per-game total, as she tallied just 5.1 points-per-game in her sophomore campaign, despite only increasing her minutes-per-game by five from 29.3 to 34.4. With that said, she still has plenty of room for improvement, especially in terms of pure shooting, as she hit two of her eight shots from behind the line, and lacked consistency from the line. Her shooting form has improved year over year, and if she can’t smoothen it out and find her shot from deep, her defensive prowess could allow her to serve as an elite 3-and-D player. 

Another area that she can build on is her passing. Her assists-per-game decreased from 3.2 in 2020 to 2.9 in 2021, despite her overall offensive ability improving greatly. A quick change she can make that will lead to immense success is keeping her head up while she drives. Wood would often find herself with a lane to the hoop, which she would capitalize on and drive, but instead of reading the defense as it collapsed on her, she would often force up a contested shot at the rim (which she was actually fairly successful at converting.) If Wood can read the defense as it collapses and hit her open teammates in the corner, she will not only help the team as a whole but will force the defense to respect the kick-out, making it for her to get clean shots at the rim. 

4 Jillian Brown

First Year

5’10 Guard

Grand Rapids, Michigan

2021 Facts and Stats:

• Michigan AP D1 2021 Co-Player of the Year
• #50 recruit in the nation
• Chose Northwestern over Rutgers, Michigan, Penn State, and others
• Over 1,000 career points in High School

Description

• Joe McKeown described Brown as “one of the most versatile players in her class that can play almost any position on the court.” Coach Kate Popovec added Brown is as a “chameleon” with game that “reminds you of Veronica.” That’s high praise for a guard who averaged 22.4 points, eight rebounds and three assists-per-game in her junior season. Brown might not get a ton of minutes because of NU’s depth at guard, but Brown’s versatility and ability to do it all, combined with her defensive prowess, will very likely earn her the most minutes of any of the first-year guards.  

23 Jasmine McWilliams

Sophomore

5’11 Guard

Indianapolis, Indiana

2021 Facts and Stats:

• 5.1 Minutes Per Game
• 1.8 Points Per Game
• 35% Shooting 
• 25% 3 Point

Description

Similar to Kaylah Rainey, Jazz found her minutes limited by the talent above her. With that said, she provided aggression that the offense desperately needed. Williams’ shoot first, think later mentality is exactly what Northwestern needed, and although she didn’t always convert on her attempts, it was incredibly refreshing to watch her shoot the ball. Williams will be competing for minutes again this year, but if she can improve her shooting percentage, her aggression could very well earn her a significant role in NU’s rotation.  

33 Laya Hartman

Junior

5’11 Guard

Okemos, Michigan

2021 Facts and Stats:

• Hartman tallied 54 minutes in nine games before missing the remainder of the season with a lower-body injury.
• Made eight of her 15 shots in the 54 minutes she tallied, including draining two of her four shots from deep.

Description

For the second year in a row, the promising young guard missed significant time due to injury. Hartman was a highly touted recruit out of high school, and when healthy provides a lethal combination of length, athleticism and shooting ability that fits naturally into Joe McKeown’s system. If she can stay healthy, Hartman is a strong candidate to win one of the two spots in the starting lineup beside Shaw, Wood and Burton. An additional factor to watch is that despite missing significant time, Hartman is classified as a Junior, not using a medical redshirt in either of her first two seasons. With the extra year of Covid-19 eligibility, a breakout season for Hartman could have long-term implications for the roster.