EVANSTON, Ill. (May 7, 2025) – Northwestern University head women's basketball coach Joe McKeown announced the addition of DaiJa Turner (Fayetteville, N.C./Village Christian Academy/TCU) to his roster on Wednesday. A 6-foot-3 forward, Turner spent the last four seasons at TCU.
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"I'm very excited to have DaiJa Turner join our Northwestern family," McKeown said. "She brings a tremendous will to succeed and plays with an unmatched level of tenacity on both ends of the floor that I believe will resonate with our fans. We can't wait for her to arrive in Evanston!"
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Turner saw action in 34 contests during her time with the Horned Frogs, highlighted by a career-best 18 appearances as a redshirt sophomore in 2023-24. In her first career start, Turner ripped down a career-high 14 rebounds in an 85-41 rout of Prairie View A&M on December 10, 2023. This past season, the Fayetteville, N.C. native was part of a TCU team that won a school-record 34 games and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
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Prior to arriving in the Lone Star State, Turner was a dominant force at Village Christian Academy, averaging 17.8 points and 11.8 blocks. As a senior, she led the nation in both rebounds (22.6 rpg) and blocks (9.8 bpg), in addition to contributing 16.4 points per game. She piled up 19 double-doubles and scored 20-plus points on seven occasions.
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During her decorated career with the Knights, Turner was named the Sandhills Athletic Conference (SAC) Player of the Year, Best of 910 Preps Player of the Year, and a North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) All-State selection. She set a new North Carolina single-season state record for blocks, recording 260 rejections, en route to being tabbed the Eddie White Defensive Player of the Year.
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"I'm very excited to have DaiJa Turner join our Northwestern family," McKeown said. "She brings a tremendous will to succeed and plays with an unmatched level of tenacity on both ends of the floor that I believe will resonate with our fans. We can't wait for her to arrive in Evanston!"
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Turner saw action in 34 contests during her time with the Horned Frogs, highlighted by a career-best 18 appearances as a redshirt sophomore in 2023-24. In her first career start, Turner ripped down a career-high 14 rebounds in an 85-41 rout of Prairie View A&M on December 10, 2023. This past season, the Fayetteville, N.C. native was part of a TCU team that won a school-record 34 games and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
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Prior to arriving in the Lone Star State, Turner was a dominant force at Village Christian Academy, averaging 17.8 points and 11.8 blocks. As a senior, she led the nation in both rebounds (22.6 rpg) and blocks (9.8 bpg), in addition to contributing 16.4 points per game. She piled up 19 double-doubles and scored 20-plus points on seven occasions.
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During her decorated career with the Knights, Turner was named the Sandhills Athletic Conference (SAC) Player of the Year, Best of 910 Preps Player of the Year, and a North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) All-State selection. She set a new North Carolina single-season state record for blocks, recording 260 rejections, en route to being tabbed the Eddie White Defensive Player of the Year.