The Northwestern Wildcats have plenty of new faces this season, including new head coach Carla Berube. But only three of them are new to college basketball.
The Wildcats are bringing in three first-year students this season: Xyanna Walton, Brooke Golden and Romana Jelenc. Both Walton and Golden were Joe McKeown's final recruits after his 18-year stint in Evanston, while Jelenc is Berube's first recruit. It's unlikely any of the three will get much run with the program's veteran-heavy roster, but they offer an early look at what the next era of Northwestern women's basketball could become.
Here's a closer look at the three.
If this name looks familiar, don't overthink it. It's exactly what it sounds like. Her older sister, Xamiya, is entering her third year at Northwestern as one of the team's leading guards. The two played together at Butler College Prep in Chicago, where their father, Xaver, coached them. Now, they've reunited up the North Shore in Evanston.
Xyanna arrives with plenty of credentials. She was a consensus top-100 prospect, ranked as high as No. 78 by On3. She played on the varsity team all four years at Butler and served as a two-year captain after her sister left for Northwestern. Xyanna finished her high school career with over 1,000 career points, averaging 16 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists. She also recorded 19 rebounds in the 2023 state championship game, an IHSA record.
Walton is no stranger to success either, something Berube was adamant about chasing in her Big Ten Media Day debut. She helped lead Butler to Noble League titles in both 2023 and 2024, a Chicago Public League crown in 2025 and a Run for the Roses title with her AAU team, Mac Irvin Lady Fire, that same summer.
While her sister has made her name as a shooter since joining Northwestern, Xyanna has done a little of everything. Despite playing guard, her most impressive skill is rebounding. It's rare to find a guard able to finish possessions on the glass in the Big Ten, and it gives her a strong way to contribute while the rest of her game adjusts to college ball.
Golden arrives in Evanston from Tilton School, one of New England's best prep programs. With Golden at center, the Rams won three straight national prep championships.
Her defining moment came in the 2025 NEPSAC Class AAA championship game. With just a single second left, Golden banked a hook shot to put Nobles up 68-66, giving Titlon its first title in prep's highest classification. In the AAU circuit, Golden won the Platinum National Championship with MCW Starz.
Golden is another all-around athlete. She was a varsity player in four sports, competing in volleyball, soccer and track. But basketball runs in the Golden family veins, with two cousins, Bryce and Grant Golden, playing at Loyola Chicago and Richmond, respectively, before turning pro.
Although she was known as a center in her prep days, Northwestern lists her as a forward, suggesting the staff recognizes her versatility. Her frame and touch around the rim give Berube and her staff a solid foundation to build on, and she's known to rise in the big moments.
Joining the team in June, Jelenc is Berube's first recruit at Northwestern. Despite joining the team much later than the previous two recruits, she could be the most experienced first-year.
Instead of playing high school ball, Jelenc spent two seasons with ŽKK Cinkarna Celje, one of Slovenia's most dominant clubs, racking up 20 championships. She joined the club at 16 and quickly succeeded, winning two Slovenian League titles, a Slovenian Cup, U18 and U20 league championships, and two runner-up finishes in the WABA League, a regional competition for top clubs across southeastern Europe.
Her older sister, Mojca, is a 6-foot-7 center who joined Oklahoma State this offseason after playing for Slovenia herself in the 2025 Eurobasket.
Jelenc comes to Evanston with something few first-years in the country — let alone at Northwestern — can compete with: experience in a senior professional league. How that experience translates at the Big Ten level is one of the most interesting questions of Berubue's tenure. Whether that becomes a recruiting pattern worth watching is one of this season's most interesting questions.
