Northwestern University Athletics
Carla Berube Named Northwestern Head Women’s Basketball Coach
3/25/2026 4:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Veteran head coach has guided Princeton to five NCAA Tournament appearances
EVANSTON, Ill. (March 25, 2026) – Northwestern has named Carla Berube as its head women's basketball coach, Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Mark Jackson announced on Wednesday. Berube spent the past seven years at Princeton University, where she built one of the nation's most consistent programs, leading the Tigers to 147 wins, five Ivy League championships and five NCAA Tournament appearances.
A 26-year coaching veteran and the seventh head coach in program history, Berube has compiled a .835 winning percentage at Princeton while establishing a model of sustained success in both conference and national competition. As a student-athlete, she won an NCAA National Championship at the University of Connecticut under Naismith Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma.
"When we launched a national search months ago with our outstanding search committee, we set forth with three goals in mind," Jackson said. "First, we needed to find someone who was aligned with our culture at Northwestern. Second, a proven winner with NCAA Tournament experience. And lastly, someone who could navigate an elite academic environment in the most competitive athletic conference in the country. Carla Berube delivers on all fronts. Equally as important, we found a leader with a rare combination of fierce competitiveness, humility and the ability to develop players and people with compassion and dedication. We are thrilled to welcome Carla and her family to Northwestern."
"I'm incredibly honored to join the women's basketball program at Northwestern University," Berube commented. "This is a place where academic and athletic excellence go hand in hand, and I'm excited to build a championship culture that reflects that standard. Competing in the Big Ten Conference requires toughness, discipline, and a relentless commitment to growth. We are going to embrace that challenge and build a team that competes with pride and goes to battle for one another every night. Thank you to Mark Jackson, President Henry Bienen and the entire search committee for their belief in me. My family and I are truly excited to join the Northwestern Wildcats family!"
Berube led Princeton to a 26-4 finish this past season, a mark that included a 12-2 ledger in conference play as the Tigers finished atop the Ivy League standings before capturing the fourth Ivy League Tournament title of her tenure. She was recognized as part of the Ivy League's Coaching Staff of the Year, capping off an impressive postseason haul that saw five Tigers collect All-Ivy League honors. Princeton entered the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 23 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
Named to the Naismith Women's College Basketball Coach of the Year Watch List, Berube, who is also a finalist for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award, closed her Princeton career with a sparkling 147-29 (.835) record. Her teams were dominant in Ivy League play, going 77-7 (.917) against conference foes with a pair of 14-0 finishes during the regular season. Across Berube's last five years in the Garden State, Princeton has consistently ranked inside the top 50 in the NCAA NET Rankings, a stretch highlighted by closing the 2021-22 campaign at No. 20.
Over the course of six playing seasons under Berube, 21 Tigers were named All-Ivy League selections. Included in that group are two All-Americans (Abby Meyers in 2022 and Kaitlyn Chen in 2024), three Ivy League Players of the Year (Bella Alarie in 2020, Meyers in 2022, and Chen in 2023), three Ivy League Defensive Players of the Year (Ellie Mitchell in 2022-24), and an Ivy League Rookie of the Year (Madison St. Rose in 2023).
Berube mentored three of Princeton's four WNBA Draft selections, including the highest pick in program history. In 2020, Bella Alarie was selected fifth overall by the Dallas Wings, followed by Abby Meyers as the 11th overall pick in 2023. Most recently, Kaitlyn Chen was selected in the third round (30th overall) by the Golden State Valkyries in 2025.
Prior to arriving at Princeton, Berube enjoyed a decorated stay as head coach at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. During 17 seasons in charge, Berube, the program's all-time leader in wins, finished with a 384-96 (.800) overall record.
The 2015 recipient of the Pat Summitt Trophy, awarded annually to the Division III National Coach of the Year, Berube, a three-time Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Regional Coach of the Year honoree, led the Jumbos to berths in the NCAA Division III National Championship game in both 2016 and 2017. Across 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, Berube's teams advanced to nine Sweet Sixteens, seven Elite Eights, and four Final Fours.
In addition to her success at Tufts, Berube has spent three separate stints on the international level with USA Basketball. After serving as a court coach for the 2016 U.S. Women's U17 World Championship Team Trials, she piloted the Stars & Stripes to gold medals at both the 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup. Following the latter event, Berube was named as a co-recipient of the 2018 USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year Award.
A member of both the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, Berube got her start in the collegiate coaching ranks at Providence College, serving as an assistant coach with the Friars for the 2000-01 and 2001-02 campaigns.
Berube, a 1997 Connecticut graduate, scored 1,381 points during her collegiate career, a four-year run that saw the Huskies finish 132-8 (.942).
As a sophomore, Berube was part of UConn's first national championship team, as the Huskies stormed to a perfect 35-0 record, ultimately defeating Tennessee to secure college basketball's top prize. During her playing career, she appeared in two NCAA Final Fours and won four BIG EAST Conference titles.
Berube and her wife, Meghan, are proud parents to two sons, Parker and Caden, and a daughter, Brogan.
A 26-year coaching veteran and the seventh head coach in program history, Berube has compiled a .835 winning percentage at Princeton while establishing a model of sustained success in both conference and national competition. As a student-athlete, she won an NCAA National Championship at the University of Connecticut under Naismith Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma.
"When we launched a national search months ago with our outstanding search committee, we set forth with three goals in mind," Jackson said. "First, we needed to find someone who was aligned with our culture at Northwestern. Second, a proven winner with NCAA Tournament experience. And lastly, someone who could navigate an elite academic environment in the most competitive athletic conference in the country. Carla Berube delivers on all fronts. Equally as important, we found a leader with a rare combination of fierce competitiveness, humility and the ability to develop players and people with compassion and dedication. We are thrilled to welcome Carla and her family to Northwestern."
"I'm incredibly honored to join the women's basketball program at Northwestern University," Berube commented. "This is a place where academic and athletic excellence go hand in hand, and I'm excited to build a championship culture that reflects that standard. Competing in the Big Ten Conference requires toughness, discipline, and a relentless commitment to growth. We are going to embrace that challenge and build a team that competes with pride and goes to battle for one another every night. Thank you to Mark Jackson, President Henry Bienen and the entire search committee for their belief in me. My family and I are truly excited to join the Northwestern Wildcats family!"
Berube led Princeton to a 26-4 finish this past season, a mark that included a 12-2 ledger in conference play as the Tigers finished atop the Ivy League standings before capturing the fourth Ivy League Tournament title of her tenure. She was recognized as part of the Ivy League's Coaching Staff of the Year, capping off an impressive postseason haul that saw five Tigers collect All-Ivy League honors. Princeton entered the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 23 in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
Named to the Naismith Women's College Basketball Coach of the Year Watch List, Berube, who is also a finalist for the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award, closed her Princeton career with a sparkling 147-29 (.835) record. Her teams were dominant in Ivy League play, going 77-7 (.917) against conference foes with a pair of 14-0 finishes during the regular season. Across Berube's last five years in the Garden State, Princeton has consistently ranked inside the top 50 in the NCAA NET Rankings, a stretch highlighted by closing the 2021-22 campaign at No. 20.
Over the course of six playing seasons under Berube, 21 Tigers were named All-Ivy League selections. Included in that group are two All-Americans (Abby Meyers in 2022 and Kaitlyn Chen in 2024), three Ivy League Players of the Year (Bella Alarie in 2020, Meyers in 2022, and Chen in 2023), three Ivy League Defensive Players of the Year (Ellie Mitchell in 2022-24), and an Ivy League Rookie of the Year (Madison St. Rose in 2023).
Berube mentored three of Princeton's four WNBA Draft selections, including the highest pick in program history. In 2020, Bella Alarie was selected fifth overall by the Dallas Wings, followed by Abby Meyers as the 11th overall pick in 2023. Most recently, Kaitlyn Chen was selected in the third round (30th overall) by the Golden State Valkyries in 2025.
Prior to arriving at Princeton, Berube enjoyed a decorated stay as head coach at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. During 17 seasons in charge, Berube, the program's all-time leader in wins, finished with a 384-96 (.800) overall record.
The 2015 recipient of the Pat Summitt Trophy, awarded annually to the Division III National Coach of the Year, Berube, a three-time Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Regional Coach of the Year honoree, led the Jumbos to berths in the NCAA Division III National Championship game in both 2016 and 2017. Across 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, Berube's teams advanced to nine Sweet Sixteens, seven Elite Eights, and four Final Fours.
In addition to her success at Tufts, Berube has spent three separate stints on the international level with USA Basketball. After serving as a court coach for the 2016 U.S. Women's U17 World Championship Team Trials, she piloted the Stars & Stripes to gold medals at both the 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup. Following the latter event, Berube was named as a co-recipient of the 2018 USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year Award.
A member of both the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, Berube got her start in the collegiate coaching ranks at Providence College, serving as an assistant coach with the Friars for the 2000-01 and 2001-02 campaigns.
Berube, a 1997 Connecticut graduate, scored 1,381 points during her collegiate career, a four-year run that saw the Huskies finish 132-8 (.942).
As a sophomore, Berube was part of UConn's first national championship team, as the Huskies stormed to a perfect 35-0 record, ultimately defeating Tennessee to secure college basketball's top prize. During her playing career, she appeared in two NCAA Final Fours and won four BIG EAST Conference titles.
Berube and her wife, Meghan, are proud parents to two sons, Parker and Caden, and a daughter, Brogan.
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