Associate Coach Lauren Dillon Reveals Carla Berube's Plan for Northwestern Basketball

Can Carla Berube return the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament next spring?

Dec 8, 2022; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; Princeton Tigers head coach Carla Berube watches from the sideline as they take on the UConn Huskies at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Fresh from Princeton, new Northwestern University Wildcats women's basketball head coach Carla Berube is looking to revive the program after a rough final season under retiring coach Joe McKeown.

Berube's former player-turned-associate coach Lauren Dillon recently chopped it up with Yoni Zacks of The Daily Northwestern about her relationship with Berube.

"We’ve known each other now for 12 years. We’ve gone through different versions of our relationship, but I’ll never forget the first time that I actually spoke with her in person. I was on my official visit at Tufts, and I was sitting across the desk from her. I was sitting between my parents on the couch, and I was so nervous," Dillon said. "I (was) very outgoing, actually, but I remember just kind of being tongue-tied and not knowing what to say and being completely blown away by her. The way that she recruits, the way that she shows care and love for her program, and how much she’s committed to continuing to build, no matter what. 

"I loved playing for her. I think she put a lot of her trust in me as a player, so I was able to put a lot of my trust in her off the court. So we always had a relationship where I was able to come to her and talk to her, and vice versa, and then the jump from player to coach was interesting, especially at my alma mater, but right away, it felt like by the time that I actually became an assistant coach, I was so ready for it because of the leadership work and the conversations and the trust and communication that we had built over those four years that it honestly didn’t feel like a jump at all. It felt just like the shoe that fit, like I was ready for it."

So how can this Northwestern program climb in 2026-27? The Wildcats have brought aboard Syracuse transfers Camdyn Nelson and Jasmyn Cooper, and former Kentucky guard Lexi Blue, among others, to pair with incumbent holdovers Casey Harter, Xamiya Walton, Claire Keswick and Kat Righeimer.

Dillon shared what she expects the program to become within the next two-to-three seasons under Berube's leadership.

"I see our culture being incredibly strong. I see it being a sisterhood that once you leave here, you feel connected to for life. I see us vying for Big Ten championships. I see us in the NCAA Tournament," Dillon said. "Coach Berube has not missed an NCAA tournament since 2011, so that is her standard. That is what we are used to, and that is what we know. I have no doubt that through bringing in our staff, and getting to know this, this current team and bringing in the players that we are, that we’re going to be able to have a lot of success here. "

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