Carla Berube's First Move at Northwestern Should Be Clear

Northwestern hasn't won double-digit games in a season since 2022, and new head coach Carla Berube will be tasked with rebuilding a roster that has annually ranked among the worst in the Big Ten.

According to a report from USA Today's Mitchell Nordham, the university is expected to arm Berube with roughly $1 million in revenue-sharing resources. Berube was unable to utilize the transfer portal at Princeton because of the Ivy League's strict rules, but at the Big Ten level, reloading through the portal is a must.

And Berube should already have her top target in mind.

Guard Madison St. Rose started 83 games during her four-year career at Princeton. The New Jersey native led the Tigers in scoring with 15.8 points per game this season on the way to First Team All-Ivy League honors. As a junior in 2024-25, St. Rose averaged 17.0 points and 7.3 rebounds before going down with a season-ending ACL injury after just four games.

The Ivy League doesn't grant redshirts — even for medical reasons — so St. Rose can not return to Princeton for a graduate year. She can, however, utilize a medical redshirt by transferring elsewhere, and on Mar. 2, On3's Talia Goodman reported that the star Tiger intends to enter the portal and use her final season of eligibility.

St. Rose was also a two-time team captain at Princeton. Berube spoke highly of St. Rose as both an athlete and a person during a pre-NCAA Tournament interview with The Trentonian.

"She has been a great ambassador for our program with the way she leads, the way she plays and the teammate that she is," Berube said. "I’ve been really lucky to have her for four years."

For Berube, who is looking to establish her culture early at Northwestern, there may not be a better fit than her former guard.

Following the news that freshman Angelina Hodgens was entering the transfer portal, the Wildcats are expected to have six open roster spots for the 2026-27 season. Four-star guard Xyanna Walton (younger sister of NU sophomore Xamiya Walton) and 6-foot-3 forward Brooke Golden will give the 'Cats 11 of their 15 players for next winter, pending further departures, and Berube could certainly look to fill her team with more of her former Princeton Tigers.

Beyond St. Rose, Berube could even dip into her old recruiting class. Top-100 2026 guard Ava Yoon originally committed to the Tigers in December, but may be a foundational future piece if Berube decides to bring her from the northeast to Northwestern.

Many decisions will need to be made. More Wildcats will likely enter the transfer portal. But the possibilities are endless for what the next era of Northwestern women's basketball could look like, and adding a transfer like St. Rose would be a great start.