Joseph McKeown (/məˈkjən/ mə-KEW-ən; born May 12, 1956)[1] is an American basketball coach and former player who currently serves the head women's basketball coach at Northwestern University. McKeown previously served as head coach at New Mexico State and George Washington University[2] until joining Northwestern in 2008. He is the father of former Northwestern women's basketball player and current commentator Meghan McKeown.[3]

Joe McKeown
McKeown in 2024
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamNorthwestern
ConferenceBig Ten
Record261–246 (.515)
Biographical details
Born (1956-05-12) May 12, 1956 (age 68)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Playing career
1974–1976Mercer CC
1976–1978Kent State
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1979–1983Kent State (asst.)
1983–1986Oklahoma (asst.)
1986–1989New Mexico State
1989–2008George Washington
2008–presentNorthwestern
Head coaching record
Overall768–414 (.650)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • 4x A-10 Tournament champion (1992, 1995, 1996, 2003)
  • 10x A-10 regular season champion (1994–1998, 2002, 2003, 2006–2008)
  • 8x A-10 West Division champion (1996–1998, 2000, 2002–2005)
  • Big Ten regular season champion (2020)
Awards
Medal record
Head Coach for  United States
World University Games
Gold medal – first place 2015 South Korea Team Competition

Playing career

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McKeown attended Mercer County Community College and then was a star basketball player at Kent State, and was named co-captain during his senior season. After graduating, McKeown became an assistant at Kent State and then Oklahoma.[4]

Coaching career

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He has over 750 wins as of March 5, 2024.[4] He won the Atlantic 10 Conference's coach of the year award a record 5 times during his tenure at George Washington, and has also received the same honor in the Big Ten Conference.[5] McKeown remains George Washington's all-time leading coach in terms of wins and winning percentage. His teams have reached the postseason 19 times, with a 20th postseason trip all but certain in 2020.

New Mexico State

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In 1986, he was named head women's basketball coach at New Mexico State. He posted a 68–20 record.[4]

George Washington University

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In the 1991–92 season, he led the Colonials to a national ranking of 6th, which is the program's highest ranking ever. From 1991 to 1998, the team posted eight consecutive 20 win seasons including 5 Atlantic 10 titles. In 2007, he led the team to a 28–4 record, breaking school records for wins and winning percentage. He previously served as an assistant coach at Kent State, and Oklahoma. McKeown left George Washington after the 2007–08 season.[6]

Northwestern University

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McKeown and his family moved to Chicago to find better healthcare and services for his son with autism.[6] Since 2008, he has been the head women's basketball coach at Northwestern University. McKeown was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2020 when the Wildcats, who had not been picked to finish in the league's top five in the preseason by league coaches and media and had been tapped by an ESPN panel to finish anywhere from 7th to 12th in the 14-team league, shared the Big Ten regular-season title with Maryland.[7][8][5]

USA Basketball

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McKeown was selected to be the head coach of the USA representative to the World University Games held in Seoul, South Korea July 5–13, 2015. The team won all six games, including the championship game against Canada. The first three quarters the game were quite close with four ties and four lead changes. In the fourth quarter the USA exploded for 34 points to pull out to a large lead, and won the gold-medal with a score of 82–63.[9]

Head coaching record

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
New Mexico State Aggies (High Country Athletic Conference) (1986–1989)
1986–87 New Mexico State 23–7 10–2
1987–88 New Mexico State 26–3 10–0
1988–89 New Mexico State 19–10 8–2
New Mexico State: 68–20 (.773) 28–4 (.875)
George Washington Colonials (Atlantic 10 Conference) (1989–2008)
1989–90 George Washington 14–14 8–10 6th
1990–91 George Washington 23–7 15–3 T–2nd NCAA second round
1991–92 George Washington 25–7 11–5 T–2nd NCAA second round
1992–93 George Washington 20–11 11–3 2nd NWIT Consolation
1993–94 George Washington 23–8 13–3 T–1st NCAA second round
1994–95 George Washington 26–6 14–2 1st NCAA Sweet 16
1995–96 George Washington 26–7 14–2 1st (West) NCAA second round
1996–97 George Washington 28–6 16–0 1st (West) NCAA Elite Eight
1997–98 George Washington 20–10 12–4 1st (West) NCAA second round
1998–99 George Washington 19–9 12–4 3rd
1999–00 George Washington 26–6 14–2 1st (West) NCAA second round
2000–01 George Washington 22–10 14–2 2nd NCAA first round
2001–02 George Washington 21–9 15–1 1st (West) WNIT Second round
2002–03 George Washington 25–7 15–1 1st (West) NCAA second round
2003–04 George Washington 22–8 14–2 1st (West) NCAA first round
2004–05 George Washington 23–9 13–3 T–1st (West) NCAA second round
2005–06 George Washington 23–9 13–3 T–1st NCAA second round
2006–07 George Washington 28–4 14–0 1st NCAA Sweet 16
2007–08 George Washington 27–7 12–2 T–1st NCAA Sweet 16
George Washington: 441–154 (.741) 250–52 (.828)
Northwestern Wildcats (Big Ten Conference) (2008–present)
2008–09 Northwestern 7–23 3–15 10th
2009–10 Northwestern 18–15 7–11 T–8th WNIT Third round
2010–11 Northwestern 18–14 6–10 8th WNIT Second round
2011–12 Northwestern 14–16 4–12 11th
2012–13 Northwestern 13–17 5–11 10th
2013–14 Northwestern 17–16 5–11 T–8th WNIT Third round
2014–15 Northwestern 23–9 12–6 T–4th NCAA first round
2015–16 Northwestern 18–17 4–14 12th WNIT First round
2016–17 Northwestern 20–11 8–8 T–8th
2017–18 Northwestern 12–20 4–12 12th
2018–19 Northwestern 21–15 9–9 6th WNIT Runner-up
2019–20 Northwestern 26–4 16–2 T–1st NCAA Tournament cancelled (COVID-19)
2020–21 Northwestern 16–9 11–7 5th NCAA second round
2021–22 Northwestern 17–12 8–8 7th
2022–23 Northwestern 9–21 2–16 14th
2023–24 Northwestern 9–21 4–14 13th
Northwestern: 261–246 (.515) 108–166 (.394)
Total: 768–414 (.650)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

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  1. ^ "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved 23 Sep 2015.
  2. ^ Wang, Gene (February 28, 2015). "At Northwestern, Joe McKeown balances family and winning". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "FATHER FIGURE". Northwestern Magazine. June 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Joe McKeown Coaching Record". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  5. ^ a b "2019–20 Big Ten Women's Basketball Honors Announced On BTN" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 2, 2020. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Assimakopoulos, Lia (2019-12-01). "The McKeown Family's Journey". Inside NU. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  7. ^ "Maryland Tops Big Ten Women's Basketball Preseason Rankings" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 2, 2020. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  8. ^ "Women's basketball 2019–20 Power 5 predictions". ESPN.com. October 29, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  9. ^ "WUGs Gold medal Game: USA 82, Canada 63". Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
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