Earlier this week, Northwestern Women's Basketball hired a new head coach to lead the program after Joe McKeown wrapped up his final season in Evanston.
That new leader of the program is former Princeton head coach Carla Berube, who became Northwestern's seventh coach in program history. She'll take on the task of revitalizing NU's women's basketball program, which reached new heights under McKeown but struggled mightily in his last few seasons.
This weekend, we learned that Berube will have to do so without a promising young guard who impressed in limited action this past season. Angelina Hodgens, who appeared in 16 games for the 'Cats, has elected to enter the transfer portal.
Hodgens was a bright spot on a bad Wildcat team this year. Her numbers don't jump off the page -- she only averaged 1.7 points per game -- but she made a clear impact when she was on the floor (for six minutes per contest). Those numbers will likely improve wherever she goes assuming she gets more playing time.
It's impossible to know why a player chooses to transfer, but this one seems like a pretty typical story. When a new head coach comes to town, rosters inevitably get shaken up.
Berube will probably bring in a large transfer class herself. Players will follow her from Princeton, and that could impact Hodgens' playing time and position on the roster. It's also possible that Hodgens came to play for McKeown, and now he's no longer the head coach. It could be that simple.
Whatever the case, this is the reality of bringing in a new head coach. It introduces a new philosophy and a new regime, one where players from the old regime might not fit. That's nobody's fault; it's just the way the game goes.
In a lot of ways, this is why the transfer portal is a thing. In an era where folks like to lament the portal, this is what it was intended to be for. A player shouldn't have to stay at a school if he or she feels like the program has gone in a new direction, which Northwestern absolutely has.
As the offseason progresses, it will be interesting to see how Berube addresses the guard spot. Hodgens was seemingly in line for more playing time next season, so the 'Cats will certainly need to sure up the position before the season tips off in November.
But there's a lot of time and, again, Berube was already likely to bring in new players anyway.