Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Announces Signing of Three Future Wildcats
11/8/2017 6:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown announced the signing of three members of the 2018 class Wednesday during National Signing Day.
Guards Sydney Wood (Olney, Md./St. John's College HS) and Veronica Burton (Newton, Mass./Newton South) and forward Courtney Shaw (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall) inked National Letters of Intent to join the Wildcats next year.
"We are really excited about this 2018 class," head coach Joe McKeown said. "Sydney, Veronica, and Courtney bring us great diversity at the guard and forward positions and really answer our needs as a program moving forward. Each of them comes from a great family and are committed to the student-athlete concept at Northwestern.
"The success of our program has enabled us to go into different areas of the country to recruit and continue to get better."
Wood is a four-star recruit and ranked a top-100 player by espnW HoopGurlz. She holds a scouts' grade of 92 and is ranked the 25th-best guard in the country.
Shaw is the No. 21 forward in the 2018 class and is a three-star recruit with a scouts' grade of 90. Burton also holds a 90 grade and is a three-star recruit, while ranked the No. 28 point guard in the class.
Complete bios and information for each of the signees can be found below.
Sydney Wood
5-11 * Guard
Olney, Md./St. John's College High School
High School/AAU: ESPN Top 100 recruit… Ranked in the top 25 in the nation at her position… Four-year varsity team member… Team captain… Averaged 10.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game as a junior… WCAC All-Conference Third Team… All-Met Honorable Mention… Scored 19 points against Paul VI High School, the No. 1 team in the nation… Led team to conference title in 2016-17… Two-time D.C. State Champions… 31-2 record in 2016-17… Ranked No. 2 in the country by USA Today… AAU Team (Fairfax Stars) was champion of the Boo Williams Nike Invitational.
Personal: Born Sydney Marie Wood… Parents are Kenneth and Paula Wood… Uncle, Howard, graduated high school as the all-time leading scorer in New York public school history… Went to same high school as Under Armour founder Kevin Plank… Competed with current Northwestern first year Lindsey Pulliam… Member of Honor Roll and National Honor Society… Anticipated major is broadcast journalism.
McKeown on Wood: "Sydney plays in one of the top high school programs and arguably one of the best conferences in the country. To have one of the best players from that area come to Northwestern is great. She is first-class and an outstanding student-athlete. She can play multiple positions and can defend."
Veronica Burton
5-9 * Guard
Newton, Mass./Newton South
High School/AAU: Four-year varsity team member… Two-year team captain… Over 1,200 career points through her junior year… Averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.6 steals per game last season… Named First-Team All-State by USA Today… Boston Globe Player of the Year… Boston Herald Dream Team honoree… Dual County League MVP as freshman, sophomore, and junior… 18-5 team record and advanced to D1 state semi-finals junior year… Scored a career high 41 points against Cambridge Rindge and Latin… Played six years for AAU team Bay State Jaguars… Champions of National Showcase in Orlando… Two-time Nike Nationals finalists in Washington, D.C…. Semi-finalists at Boo Williams Nike Invitational.
Personal: Born Veronica Grace Burton… Parents are Steve and Ginni Burton… Father played quarterback at Northwestern… Mother was an All-American and Big Ten Champion in swimming for the Wildcats… Grandfather, Ron Burton, also played football at Northwestern and is an NCAA and NU Hall of Fame member… Brother, Austin, is currently a quarterback at UCLA… Three uncles also all played football at NU… Uncle, Paul Burton, was teammate of Pat Fitzgerald… Sister, Kendall, played basketball for Villanova… Sister, Kayla, was a member of the basketball team at Lehigh… Member of Honor Roll in high school… Anticipated major at Northwestern is undecided.
McKeown on Burton: "Veronica is one of the top guards in the country and can play multiple positions, is an outstanding student-athlete, and has incredible leadership potential. Her family has a great legacy at Northwestern, and we are excited for her to write her own story here."
Courtney Shaw
6-0 * Forward
Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall
High School/AAU: ESPN scouts grade of 90… Ranked in the top 25 in the nation at her position… Four-year varsity team member… Two-year team captain… Three-year varsity volleyball team member… Averaged 19 points per game with a field-goal shooting percentage of .410 as a junior… First Team All-County, Team MVP for both basketball and volleyball… Played four years of AAU basketball… AAU Team (Fairfax Stars) was champion of the Boo Williams Nike Invitational… Was teammates with fellow signee Sydney Wood.
Personal: Born Courtney Aleiah Shaw… Parents are Stephanie and Jay Saw… Uncle, Stafford Gaston, was a defensive tackle for Northwestern… Father Jay Shaw was in the US Marine Corps… Cousin, James McCallister, was a super-welterweight boxer… Finished in top five percent of her class at Perry Hall… National Honor Society Member… French Honor Society Member… Anticipated major at Northwestern is bioengineering.
McKeown on Shaw: "Courtney has incredible athletic ability and plays at the rim. She changes the dynamic of a game because of her speed and ability to run the floor. Her potential and her future are really bright."
Guards Sydney Wood (Olney, Md./St. John's College HS) and Veronica Burton (Newton, Mass./Newton South) and forward Courtney Shaw (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall) inked National Letters of Intent to join the Wildcats next year.
"We are really excited about this 2018 class," head coach Joe McKeown said. "Sydney, Veronica, and Courtney bring us great diversity at the guard and forward positions and really answer our needs as a program moving forward. Each of them comes from a great family and are committed to the student-athlete concept at Northwestern.
"The success of our program has enabled us to go into different areas of the country to recruit and continue to get better."
Wood is a four-star recruit and ranked a top-100 player by espnW HoopGurlz. She holds a scouts' grade of 92 and is ranked the 25th-best guard in the country.
Shaw is the No. 21 forward in the 2018 class and is a three-star recruit with a scouts' grade of 90. Burton also holds a 90 grade and is a three-star recruit, while ranked the No. 28 point guard in the class.
Complete bios and information for each of the signees can be found below.
Sydney Wood
5-11 * Guard
Olney, Md./St. John's College High School
High School/AAU: ESPN Top 100 recruit… Ranked in the top 25 in the nation at her position… Four-year varsity team member… Team captain… Averaged 10.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game as a junior… WCAC All-Conference Third Team… All-Met Honorable Mention… Scored 19 points against Paul VI High School, the No. 1 team in the nation… Led team to conference title in 2016-17… Two-time D.C. State Champions… 31-2 record in 2016-17… Ranked No. 2 in the country by USA Today… AAU Team (Fairfax Stars) was champion of the Boo Williams Nike Invitational.
Personal: Born Sydney Marie Wood… Parents are Kenneth and Paula Wood… Uncle, Howard, graduated high school as the all-time leading scorer in New York public school history… Went to same high school as Under Armour founder Kevin Plank… Competed with current Northwestern first year Lindsey Pulliam… Member of Honor Roll and National Honor Society… Anticipated major is broadcast journalism.
McKeown on Wood: "Sydney plays in one of the top high school programs and arguably one of the best conferences in the country. To have one of the best players from that area come to Northwestern is great. She is first-class and an outstanding student-athlete. She can play multiple positions and can defend."
Veronica Burton
5-9 * Guard
Newton, Mass./Newton South
High School/AAU: Four-year varsity team member… Two-year team captain… Over 1,200 career points through her junior year… Averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 3.6 steals per game last season… Named First-Team All-State by USA Today… Boston Globe Player of the Year… Boston Herald Dream Team honoree… Dual County League MVP as freshman, sophomore, and junior… 18-5 team record and advanced to D1 state semi-finals junior year… Scored a career high 41 points against Cambridge Rindge and Latin… Played six years for AAU team Bay State Jaguars… Champions of National Showcase in Orlando… Two-time Nike Nationals finalists in Washington, D.C…. Semi-finalists at Boo Williams Nike Invitational.
Personal: Born Veronica Grace Burton… Parents are Steve and Ginni Burton… Father played quarterback at Northwestern… Mother was an All-American and Big Ten Champion in swimming for the Wildcats… Grandfather, Ron Burton, also played football at Northwestern and is an NCAA and NU Hall of Fame member… Brother, Austin, is currently a quarterback at UCLA… Three uncles also all played football at NU… Uncle, Paul Burton, was teammate of Pat Fitzgerald… Sister, Kendall, played basketball for Villanova… Sister, Kayla, was a member of the basketball team at Lehigh… Member of Honor Roll in high school… Anticipated major at Northwestern is undecided.
McKeown on Burton: "Veronica is one of the top guards in the country and can play multiple positions, is an outstanding student-athlete, and has incredible leadership potential. Her family has a great legacy at Northwestern, and we are excited for her to write her own story here."
Courtney Shaw
6-0 * Forward
Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall
High School/AAU: ESPN scouts grade of 90… Ranked in the top 25 in the nation at her position… Four-year varsity team member… Two-year team captain… Three-year varsity volleyball team member… Averaged 19 points per game with a field-goal shooting percentage of .410 as a junior… First Team All-County, Team MVP for both basketball and volleyball… Played four years of AAU basketball… AAU Team (Fairfax Stars) was champion of the Boo Williams Nike Invitational… Was teammates with fellow signee Sydney Wood.
Personal: Born Courtney Aleiah Shaw… Parents are Stephanie and Jay Saw… Uncle, Stafford Gaston, was a defensive tackle for Northwestern… Father Jay Shaw was in the US Marine Corps… Cousin, James McCallister, was a super-welterweight boxer… Finished in top five percent of her class at Perry Hall… National Honor Society Member… French Honor Society Member… Anticipated major at Northwestern is bioengineering.
McKeown on Shaw: "Courtney has incredible athletic ability and plays at the rim. She changes the dynamic of a game because of her speed and ability to run the floor. Her potential and her future are really bright."
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