Northwestern women’s basketball player review: Xamiya Walton

When sophomore guard Xamiya Walton first arrived on campus, she had already put together a well-decorated high school career. At Butler College Prep in Chicago, she became the state’s top-ranked player of the 2024 class, had been named an AP All-State honoree three times and holds the IHSA record for three-pointers made in a game with 15 (!!). But when she got to Evanston, those credentials mostly stayed hidden. In 27 appearances in the 2024-25 season, she averaged just 1.7 points in 8.6 minutes and was never able to enter the starting lineup.

Walton’s sophomore season was something else entirely. In 29 games, she started 18 times and jumped all the way up to 29 minutes per game while also leading the Wildcats in both three-pointers made and efficiency, hitting 43 shots from beyond the arc at a 38.7% clip. That shotmaking was a necessity, as the Wildcats this past season struggled to generate much of any offense, especially from three-point range, where they shot just 30.6% as a team, the second-worst mark in the Big Ten. And in that void, it didn’t take long for her to step up.

The Emergence

Entering the season, Walton was ready to set the tone early and establish her role on the team. In the season opener where Northwestern was up against the ropes by IU Indy, Walton knocked down a key triple late in the 67-64 victory that topped off a 17-point outing on an efficient 6-for-12 shooting. Despite it coming against a team that the Wildcats were heavily favored over (ESPN gave Northwestern a 95.3% chance of winning the game at tipoff), it was a sign of a player who was ready and able to take on a larger role, despite it being another month before McKeown gave her the first start of her collegiate career.

But when that opportunity did arrive, Walton showed what she was capable of with real minutes. In her increased role, Walton was able to jump up to an average of 7.1 points, 1.8 assists and 1.6 rebounds and hit multiple three-pointers in 15 games. Behind that increase in production was the aforementioned 38.7% three-point rate that wasn’t only a team best, but an impactful mark that commanded respect from opponents.

The Highlight

If there was one night that showed what kind of player Walton could be, that came on Jan. 18 in Champaign, Illinois. Facing the No. 25-ranked Illini, the ‘Cats quickly fell into a 15-point deficit in the third quarter and looked like they were on their way to another disappointing finish.