Northwestern University Athletics
McKeown Adds McCombs To 2010-11 Coaching Staff
7/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
July 8, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Caroline McCombs has been named assistant coach for Northwestern's women's basketball program, head coach Joe McKeown announced today (July 8). McCombs, who is in her 12th season in the women's basketball coaching ranks, comes to Evanston from Pittsburgh, where she served as an assistant for five seasons.
"We are extremely excited for Caroline to join our staff," McKeown said. "She brings great coaching experience to our program, having been at Valparaiso and most recently at Pittsburgh, where she helped elevate them to the national scene. She will be an invaluable resource recruiting and developing our players to make Northwestern one of the top programs in the nation. We had a very strong field of candidates for this position and we are very fortunate that Caroline decided to join the Wildcat family."
McCombs echoed McKeown's enthusiasm for becoming a Wildcat. "I'm very excited for the opportunity to work with Coach McKeown and his staff at Northwestern," McCombs said. "Coach McKeown is one of the most well-respected coaches in the country and it is truly a chance of a lifetime to work with him. It is also a tremendous honor to coach at an institution like Northwestern where we attract dynamic student-athletes who want to compete at the highest level. It is my belief that under Coach McKeown's leadership, it is only a matter of time before we are competing for not only a Big Ten Championship but for a national title as well."
McCombs is familiar with postseason success, having led Pittsburgh to its NCAA Tournament debut in 2006-07 and back-to-back NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances in the following two seasons. In total, the Panthers reached postseason play in all five seasons McCombs was on staff.
While at Pittsburgh, McCombs spearheaded the Panthers recruiting efforts. She was also responsible for the development of Pitt's perimeter players, including former Panther and three-time All-Big East First Team member and third-team All-America, Shavonte Zellous, as well as All-Freshman team members Jania Sims and Taneisha Harrison. McCombs assisted with scouting opponents and was responsible for scheduling Pitt's nonconference games.
McCombs, a native of Medina, Ohio, began her career at Valparaiso University, coaching there from 1999-2005. Prior to the 2004-05 season, McCombs was promoted to associate head coach and maintained that position until joining the Panthers.
During her career at Valparaiso, McCombs assisted the Crusaders in many team accomplishments. In 2001-02, the Crusaders won a school-record 26 games and advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals, were Mid-Continent Conference regular-season champions and tournament finalists and posted the top turnaround of any Division I school. That success was repeated in the 2003-04 season as the Crusaders were the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament champions. McCombs also coached Valpo to two NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament appearances during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In addition to their work on the court, Valparaiso earned a spot among the WBCA Academic Top 25 teams from 1999-2004.
McCombs graduated from Youngstown State in 1998 with a degree in dietics. While attending Youngstown State, McCombs compiled an impressive list of accomplishments for the Penguins' basketball team, including places on the Mid-Continent Conference Second Team in 1996 and 1998, and on the Mid-Continent All-Tournament Team three consecutive years from 1996-98.
She also left her mark in the record books at Youngstown State. At guard she started 112 of 115 career games and scored 1,577 career points, finishing her career as the school's sixth leading scorer. McCombs is also among the school leaders with 146 career three-pointers, 493 assists, and 236 steals.
After McCombs graduated from Youngstown State, she played European professional women's basketball, competing in the Czech Basketball Federation and European Cup in 1998. She continued her education, receiving her master's degree from Valparaiso in 2001. That year, she was also inducted into the Medina County Sports Hall of Fame in Ohio. McCombs was inducted into the Youngstown State Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2008.
