Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Tab Tri-Captains for 2016-17 Season
10/4/2016 3:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – With the dawn of the 2016-17 Northwestern women's basketball season around the corner, the Wildcats have selected a trio of captains to lead them into the new campaign. Senior Nia Coffey will return for a second season as team captain, while classmates Ashley Deary and Christen Inman will be first-year captains this year.
"We are really excited to have such great role models as our leaders for the 2016-2017 Wildcat season," said head coach Joe McKeown. "Nia, Ashley, and Christen have been through the Big Ten battles and have helped grow Northwestern women's basketball into an incredible program, both on and off the court. They are student-athletes who love to compete, care about the community and strive to build a first-class program. We are looking forward to a great season with strong leadership from our captains and the entire senior class."
Now a two-time captain for Chicago's Big Ten Team, Coffey poured in 19 20-plus points performances, including a season-high 31 points in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals against top-seeded Maryland last year. She has scored in double figures in 50-straight games, dating back to Jan. 22, 2015, for the third-best streak in program history and averaged a team-best 20.3 points per game. During the 2015-16 season, Coffey led the Big Ten in double-doubles with 18 to tie an NU single-season record and was the only Big Ten player to rank among the league's top five in points (20.3 ppg), rebounds (9.8 ppg) and blocks (2.0 bpg).
The Minneapolis, Minnesota, native secured a spot on the All-B1G First Team for three-straight years and was named to the Women's Basketball Association (WBCA) All-Region 4 Team for the first time in her career just last season. In addition, Coffey was named an honorable mention All-America selection by the Associated Press to become just the third in program history.
"I am blessed to be a part of this program," Coffey said. "Being named team caption is such an honor."
Deary, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, led the country in steals (4.34 spg), and broke Northwestern's all-time career steals record this season with 363 total steals. After accumulating 125 steals through 29 games this year, Deary shattered the Big Ten's single-season steals record – a league mark that has stood for 20 years. The junior guard recorded 20 double-digit scoring games during the year, and tallied five double-doubles.
"I'm honored to have been selected as a co-captain by my teammates and coaches," Deary said. "I'm excited to take on this new role and to represent the leadership of our team with Nia and Christen."
Inman finished the 2015-16 season as NU's third-leading scorer after averaging 14.5 points per game and ranked 10th in the Big Ten in steals with 55 on the year. The Katy, Texas, native joined Coffey in the 1,000-career point club, averaging double-digits in 28 games last year. Inman earned her way into the starting lineup in every game last year, and has made 96 total appearances in Purple & White.
"It really means a lot to me that my teammates would look to me to lead them," Inman said. "I'm looking forward to this experience to help me grow and to help us be successful as a team this season."
Coffey, Deary, Inman and the rest of the Wildcats hit the floor for the first time at Welsh-Ryan Arena for an exhibition game against Illinois-Springfield on Nov. 6 at noon. The regular-season opener is set for Friday, Nov. 11, when the 'Cats host Hampton at 3:30 p.m. to tip off a three-game homestand.
"We are really excited to have such great role models as our leaders for the 2016-2017 Wildcat season," said head coach Joe McKeown. "Nia, Ashley, and Christen have been through the Big Ten battles and have helped grow Northwestern women's basketball into an incredible program, both on and off the court. They are student-athletes who love to compete, care about the community and strive to build a first-class program. We are looking forward to a great season with strong leadership from our captains and the entire senior class."
Now a two-time captain for Chicago's Big Ten Team, Coffey poured in 19 20-plus points performances, including a season-high 31 points in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals against top-seeded Maryland last year. She has scored in double figures in 50-straight games, dating back to Jan. 22, 2015, for the third-best streak in program history and averaged a team-best 20.3 points per game. During the 2015-16 season, Coffey led the Big Ten in double-doubles with 18 to tie an NU single-season record and was the only Big Ten player to rank among the league's top five in points (20.3 ppg), rebounds (9.8 ppg) and blocks (2.0 bpg).
The Minneapolis, Minnesota, native secured a spot on the All-B1G First Team for three-straight years and was named to the Women's Basketball Association (WBCA) All-Region 4 Team for the first time in her career just last season. In addition, Coffey was named an honorable mention All-America selection by the Associated Press to become just the third in program history.
"I am blessed to be a part of this program," Coffey said. "Being named team caption is such an honor."
Deary, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, led the country in steals (4.34 spg), and broke Northwestern's all-time career steals record this season with 363 total steals. After accumulating 125 steals through 29 games this year, Deary shattered the Big Ten's single-season steals record – a league mark that has stood for 20 years. The junior guard recorded 20 double-digit scoring games during the year, and tallied five double-doubles.
"I'm honored to have been selected as a co-captain by my teammates and coaches," Deary said. "I'm excited to take on this new role and to represent the leadership of our team with Nia and Christen."
Inman finished the 2015-16 season as NU's third-leading scorer after averaging 14.5 points per game and ranked 10th in the Big Ten in steals with 55 on the year. The Katy, Texas, native joined Coffey in the 1,000-career point club, averaging double-digits in 28 games last year. Inman earned her way into the starting lineup in every game last year, and has made 96 total appearances in Purple & White.
"It really means a lot to me that my teammates would look to me to lead them," Inman said. "I'm looking forward to this experience to help me grow and to help us be successful as a team this season."
Coffey, Deary, Inman and the rest of the Wildcats hit the floor for the first time at Welsh-Ryan Arena for an exhibition game against Illinois-Springfield on Nov. 6 at noon. The regular-season opener is set for Friday, Nov. 11, when the 'Cats host Hampton at 3:30 p.m. to tip off a three-game homestand.
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