Northwestern Lands First Transfer of 2025 in Furman Guard

The Wildcats have their first portal addition.

Dec 10, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Lady Vols guard Rae Burrell (12) moves the ball against Furman Lady Paladins guard Tate Walters (4) and guard Jarya Outten (2) during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown is gearing up for his last run as the head of the Wildcats, and in order to get NU out of the Big Ten's basement, he's going to have to hit the transfer portal hard.

McKeown welcomed in Northwestern's first transfer on Tuesday afternoon, a graduate who he expects to contribute immediately for the Wildcats. Furman's Tate Walters brings experience and much-needed scoring to Evanston.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tate Walters to Northwestern for her final season of college basketball following a decorated career at Furman," McKeown said in a press release. "She brings toughness, skill, and a high basketball IQ that will pay immediate dividends for our program. I'm excited to see what Tate will accomplish both on and off the court as a Wildcat!"

The 5-foot-9 guard from Buford, Georgia, spent five years at Furman, including one missed junior season due to an Achilles tear. Walters compiled 1,268 points with the Paladins, as well as 453 assists. Last season, Walters led Furman with 12.5 points, 3.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game while also averaging four rebounds.

Over her four seasons played, Walters appeared in 111 games for Furman and started 106 of them. She was named to the All-SoCon Second Team in both 2024-25 and 2021-22, as well as the SoCon All-Freshman Team in 2020-21.

Walters will look to fortify a Northwestern backcourt alongside Caroline Lau and Casey Harter as the Wildcats attempt to improve upon their third consecutive nine-win season.