Northwestern Women's Basketball Secures Commitment From Local 2026 Guard

The 'Cats are still adding talent despite their coach's imminent retirement.

Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown reacts during a NCAA Big Ten Conference women's basketball game against Iowa, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. 230111 Northwestern Iowa Wbb 036 Jpg | Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Northwestern Women's Basketball head coach Joe McKeown may be entering his final season at the helm of the program, but the 'Cats are still hitting the recruiting cycle. Yesterday, 2026 Chicago guard Xyanna Walton committed to NU. She announced her decision on X.

Go Cats! 💜🤍 #committed @Joe_McKeown750 @tgotnext @_maggielyon @Coach_BrittanyJ @nuwbball @MarkJackson_NU pic.twitter.com/ZSKafiqCc9

— Xyanna Walton (@XyXyMoney) June 22, 2025

If that name sounds familiar, it's because Walton's older sister, Xamiya, is already a member of the program and is heading into her second season. The elder Walton saw the floor in 27 games as a freshman but only averaged 1.4 points per game in 8.5 minutes.

Xyanna will now join her sister in purple and look to contribute as a freshman as well. She's a good prospect, earning a four-star ranking according to On3's Industry Rankings. The site also says that she chose the Wildcats over Houston and Manhattan.

In her final season of high school ball, Walton finished averaging 19.9 points and a whopping 13.7 rebounds per contest playing for Butler College Prep. Those are certainly numbers that jump off the page.

According to On3, one of the main reasons Walton chose to follow her sister to Northwestern was the school's highly ranked education. It's one thing that will remain steady despite the uncertain scenario Walton is willingly getting herself into.

McKeown is set to retire at the end of this season, and it's probably coming at a good time for Northwestern's program. It's time to move on and find a new leader to transition the program into this new era of college sports. But McKeown has done a lot for the university and deserves a good send off.

It speaks volumes that the bench boss isn't coasting through this recruiting cycle. It might be hard to convince players to come play for him without knowing what the future holds, but Walton is proof that he's trying.