Both Wildcat alums are getting playing time, but usage and performance level differ
The second half of the 2025 WNBA season kicked off this weekend, and Northwestern’s two alums — Veronica Burton and Nia Coffey — have repped the purple and white admirably.
Both entered the season with both limited and unknown expectations, largely stemming from concern over their starting-caliber level and questions regarding how prominent their roles would be on each’s respective teams.
With two months of regular-season under their belt, let’s check in on how each player is performing this season and provide realistic goals for the remaining half of 2025 play.
Veronica Burton, Golden State Valkyries
Stats: 10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.1 steals, 34.5 FG%, 33.0 3PT%
Burton has navigated unchartered waters this season as a member of the Golden State Valkyries, an expansion team playing its first full season. The team was created through the expansion draft and consists of quality talent — but no real superstars — which has provided Burton a prime chance to shine. So far, she’s been delivering in what is by far the best season of her young career.
The former Northwestern star has embraced a full-time starting role as a guard and is now averaging 29 minutes a game, the previous high being 15 in her rookie campaign. The increased playing time has led to improved results across the board.
She’s averaging 10.7 points per game — a huge jump from her previous seasons where she maxed out at 3.1 a night — along with a career-high 4.3 rebounds. Her field goal percentage has slightly dipped, but much of that is caused simply taking more shots. In just the first half of the year, she’s already eclipsed her overall points total by more than double that of previous seasons.
However, her most valuable skill this season has been her playmaking and facilitation on both sides of the ball. She leads the team with 5.4 assists per game, which ranks top-10 in the league.
While Burton isn’t known as a major asset from deep, she’s always had the ability to catch fire and hasn’t been afraid to ride her hot hand. Her 21-point outing two weeks ago included a career-high five three pointers, en route to a double digit victory over Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
The Valkyries, sitting at 11-12, finds themselves just outside the playoffs, but are still very much in play. However, their chances took a huge hit on Friday when star forward Kayla Thornton was lost for the season after undergoing knee surgery. This injury blow may serve as a blessing in disguise for Burton, with her role in the backcourt becoming even more instrumental to Golden State’s playoff hopes.
Overall, in her fourth season in the pros Burton has carved out an important role and has tangible results to back it up. It should only get better from here.
Nia Coffey, Atlanta Dream
Stats: 3.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.3 steals, 34.1 FG%, 27.8 3PT%
Unlike Burton, Coffey entered the season in familiar territory during her fourth season on the Atlanta Dream and eighth season in the WNBA. The Dream boast a strong squad in 2025, sitting at second place in the Eastern Conference with a 14-10 record.
Opportunities have been limited for Coffey as Atlanta makes a push for the No. 1 seed in the east, and she so far hasn’t been able to deliver strong enough performances to warrant a starting role. She’s found a role as a front court tool off the bench, playing in roughly 11 minutes per game and averaging 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds. While these numbers are slight improvements from last season, they still remain below her 2021 campaign on the Los Angeles Sparks where she averaged 8.3 points and 3.8 rebounds.
Her minutes have fluctuated depending on the tempo and flow of the game. In blowout wins or losses, Coffey can see 10-15 minutes of action— and in those outings she’s proven her potential. Her strongest game of the year came May 25 against Connecticut, where she had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes of play. Games like these underscore Coffey has the tools to warrant a starting role. It’s simply a matter of consistency and finding her niche as a player — shots in transition, scoring from deep, defense, facilitation, rebounding, playmaking, etc.
The Eastern conference remains competitive. With The Fever lurking 1.5 games back of them in second place, The Dream will not be taking their foot off the gas and likely continue rolling with their current starters. Therefore, Coffey will have to continue finding ways to produce in her minutes off the bench and create as many eye-catching nights as possible. That should be the goal these next few months.