Longtime Northwestern coach Joe McKeown plans to retire after the 2025-26 season

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Longtime Northwestern coach Joe McKeown plans to retire after the 2025-26 season

2025-03-25 06:31 Last Updated At：06:41

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Northwestern coach Joe McKeown, who has won nearly 800 games over four decades spent mostly leading the Wildcats and George Washington, plans to retire after the 2025-26 season, the school announced on Monday.

McKeown has a 777-432 record with 17 NCAA Tournament appearances in 39 years at Northwestern, George Washington and New Mexico State.

McKeown credited ESPN commentator Michael Wilbon, a Northwestern alum and trustee, for convincing him to take the job in 2008.

“Seventeen years ago on a golf course in Washington, D.C., Wildcat legend Michael Wilbon said I should look at Northwestern,” he said in a statement. “I did, and we never looked back! I am excited to coach the Wildcats this upcoming 2025-26 season. It has been an honor to be in Evanston for the past 17 years. We brought Northwestern its first Big Ten championship in 30 years, went to multiple NCAA Tournaments, and put plenty of Wildcats in the WNBA and other pro leagues.”

McKeown is the winningest coach at Northwestern and tops among active Big Ten women's coaches with a 268-258 mark in 17 seasons. The Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament in 2015 and 2021, when they advanced for the first time in 28 years.

Northwestern would have made it during the 2019-20 season had the tournament not been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wildcats set a program record for wins at 26-4 and finished first in the Big Ten at 16-2. But they've won nine games each of the past three years, including a 9-18 mark this season.

McKeown helped former stars Nia Coffey (fifth overall in 2017) and Veronica Burton (seventh in 2022) develop into first-round picks in the WNBA draft.

He established himself as one of the nation's top coaches at George Washington from 1989 to 2008. His teams posted a 441-154 record and made the NCAA tourney in 15 of his 19 seasons, with four trips to the Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight appearance in 1997.

McKeown led New Mexico State to a 68-20 mark and two NCAA appearances in three seasons from 1986 to 1989.

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Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.