Souderton grad Casey Harter is playing with confidence while having an early impact at Northwestern

At this point, there’s nothing Casey Harter can do that will surprise Lynn Carroll.

While Carroll coached Harter for four years at Souderton Area High School, she saw the point guard transform from a defensive specialist who was hesitant to shoot to a Division I prospect.

Harter eventually chose to extend her basketball career at Northwestern. Carroll knew it was only a matter of time before her former standout guard was not only getting minutes, but contributing in them.

That time has come quickly. Harter has started six of 14 games for the Wildcats and is starting to make an impact during her freshman campaign.

When the Wildcats schedule came out, all eyes were drawn to the Big Ten meeting with Iowa and Caitlin Clark and their early season matchup with nationally ranked Florida State. But it was Dec. 21 that stuck with Harter.

Northwestern was slated to take on Tempe at the Liacouras Center. It was a chance for a homecoming, and the schedule couldn’t have worked out better for Carrroll. With Souderton not having a game, the entire team and coaching staff made the trip to North Broad to watch the former all-state guard do her thing in a 72-68 Wildcats’ victory.

“She played great, she had so many people there to see her, she’s playing with so much confidence, it was awesome,” Carroll said. “It was really cool for our girls to experience that.”

Souderton (1-5) is a different team this year. They have a younger group that’s shown some expected growing pains. That’s why giving them a close look at someone, like Harter, who was once in their shoes — a little unsure of themselves then identified what they wanted — was so important for Carroll.

“We like to talk about kids who come through your program and make a lasting impact long after they’ve gone,” Carroll said. “Casey is one of those kids. Our freshmen, we have a lot of them and a lot of them [are] playing varsity, so to see her playing well at a very high level, it’s possible. You can do it, you can go out and do it if you have the work ethic and really want to make it happen.

“That’s how Casey goes about life. By going hard at all she does and reaching her potential in every way that she can.”

When she made her college commitment, Harter said, she hoped to find some playing time early.

The season started with Harter coming off the bench in the team’s first eight games with her minutes rising. She finally got the starting nod on Dec. 10 in Northwestern’s Big Ten opener against nationally-ranked Maryland.

Harter has averaged 6.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 25.4 minutes of play so far this season.

Defense, though, has always been her calling. At 5-foot-11 with a long wingspan, Harter could cover any player for Souderton or the Comets. Going from high school or travel to the college level is a dramatic leap but one area has felt like an easy transition, she said, thanks to her upbringing within the sport.

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“Defense — being able to stay in front of my girl and playing help defense,” Harter said. “We run a couple different defenses so I’m getting them down pretty well.”

Carroll added. “I’ve watched a lot of their games and she does not look like a freshman out there. She prepares herself, she has been preparing herself for years. Her body was ready to take on this kind of a role from working really hard, being in shape, and being strong.”

A four-year starter in high school, which included district playoff runs and state games, helped prep Harter for starting in college, as did playing in top-level games on the GUAA circuit over the summer with the Comets.

The Wildcats (6-8) have been up and down so far this season. With conference play starting, Northwestern’s next test will be against No. 20 Ohio State on Jan. 5 (7 p.m.)

“We’re going through some adversity where some of the games have been a little rough for us,” Harter said. “But I feel like with each game, we’re growing. We’re fixing things and I feel like each game it gets better and better. I love this team and coming here as a freshman, I didn’t know what to expect, but it’s just been awesome.”

Harter isn’t the only Philly-area player in the Wildcats’ program. Senior Paige Mott, a team captain, is an Abington Friends alum who has been at Northwestern all the way through while graduate guard Maggie Pina, a graduate of Notre Dame Academy, opted to use her fifth year in Evanston, Ill., after a stellar career at Boston University.

Before leaving Temple, Harter met with her former Souderton teammates and posed for a photo, sitting on the Liacouras Center court. Northwestern may not venture this way too many times in her career, but she said, she’ll always have a crowd supporting her back home.

Her goal for the rest of the season is simple: Keep doing what she’s been doing.

“Play hard every second I’m in,” Harter added. “I think playing hard every second, rebounding, and trying to set my teammates up so we can have the most success.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.