The Michigan Daily - michiganclaily.com

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 -- 7

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, January14, 2014 - 7

Without Kim Barnes Arico, Michigan would

f

It's time to award credit
where credit is due.
In one and a half seasons,
Kim Barnes Arico has turned
the Michigan women's basket-
ball team into a competitor.
This season in particular, the
Wolverines are over-performing
because of their second-year
coach.
Last year,
Barnes Arico
led Michigan
to its best
season ever,
but it's easy
to dismiss
it from her
ALEXA resume
DE XA because of
DETTELBACH the strong
batch of
seniors she
inherited. But whether or not
you appreciate what the coach
did last season, it's hard to argue
with her early results in 2013-14.
She returned only one starter
and 16 percent of her offense
from last year, setting the stage
for a slow transition year. But
her squad has come out shooting
on all cylinders.

4RME 1

struggle
program history, ranked No.18
by Prospects Nation. It includes
four players in the top 20,
according to ESPN's HoopGurlz.
The future Wolverines's
commitment to their coach says
a lot about Barnes Arico, but her
game time demeanor also proves
illuminating.
She's very emotional and it
shows from the opening tip.
She starts most games seated
on the bench next to her team,
one hand in a fist with the other
wrapped around it. When she's
satisfied, her hands relax. She
almost always starts with a
sweater on, but it's usually on
the back of her chair by the first
timeout.
Barnes Arico stands when
she's frustrated or trying to get
someone's attention. She also
stands when Michigan makes a
good play on defense. Offensive
plays don't get the same
excitement, but that's probably
because she expects them.
The second-year coach is a
talker, and she jaws on the side-
lines to her team and assistant
coaches. And while Barnes Arico
has a naturally soft voice that
easily grows hoarse, her yells
during the game can be heard
from the upper level. She's pas-
sionate and confident, and that
spreads to her team.
After a loss, she's more
deflated than angry. But when
the Wolverines win, she's the
happiest person in the room,
and there's always a bounce in
her step.
Michigan has come a long way
in the short time since Barnes
Arico took over, and in that time,
the maize and blue has become
just as important to her.
It's hard to know where
this Michigan team would be
without Barnes Arico, but it
wouldn't be here.
Dettelbach can be reached
at adettel@umich.edu and
on Twitter @asdettel

ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
Michigan women's basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico has brought the program back to national prominence and narrowed a long-standing gap with the Spartans.

Avery undersized Michigan
team currently sits first in the
Big Ten at rebounding margin,
at plus-9.7 per game.
Oh, and the team is 11-5.
It's a testament to Barnes
Arico's coaching job that her
team has overcome its size
disadvantage. From day one, the
Wolverines have embraced her
coaching style and her vision.
Since taking over in Ann Arbor,
Barnes Arico has posted a 33-16
record, including a 22-win
season lastyear, which tied the
program best.
Her moniker for the squad
is, "hardest working team
in America," and it's hard to
argue with that considering its
ability to play smart, aggressive
basketball. And that starts with
Barnes Arico.
Despite the Wolverines
falling to Michigan State on
Sunday, Barnes Arico's team
outrebounded the Spartans for
the first time since 2002. And

last season, her squad snagged
a win over Michigan State,
something her predecessors
hadn't done in 12 tries.
But more than just wins and
losses is her impact on individu-
al production. Last season, then-
senior forward Kate Thompson

in a coach. She's passionate,
prepared and even refers to Ohio
State as "Ohio" - and she wins.
She gets the best from her
players and that's been apparent
this season. Junior forward
Cyesha Goree lost weight,
improved her physicality
and, under

exploded onto
the scene with
her 3-point
shot and
often credited
Barnes Arico
for her looks.
The coach also
helped guide
Jenny Ryan as
the starting
point guard
and developed

her coach's
" e p guidance, has
"She's helping developed
into one of the
me become a team's most
better plarye playersible
1, Last season,
and person" Goree played
less than 15
minutes all
season. Her

me in my place, which I really
like," Goree said. "She keeps
pushing me, because there are
a lot of things I need to work
on. overall, she's helping me
become a better player and
person inside and out."
Barnes Arico has helped ease
the transition for junior-transfer
guard Shannon Smith and has
guided Smith to a career season,
including a 32-point perfor-
mance against Detroit Mercy.
And once the team got its
sea legs, Barnes Arico tinkered
with the lineup, moving players
around to find the best starting
five and developing freshman
point guard Siera Thompson and
senior center Val Driscoll into
starters. Thompson in particular
has grown significantly under
Barnes Arico's coaching.
In addition to coaching,
Barnes Arico has strengthened
the Michigan brand on the
recruiting trail. Last month, she
signed arguably the best class in

a strong bond with the rest
of the 2012-13 seniors as they
helped her get acclimated to the
University and the Michigan
culture.
Barnes Arico has become
everythingthe University wants

previous career high was four
points, but Barnes Arico helped
Goree put in the work to spur an
unbelievable change.
"She keeps me motivated,
stays on me and never lets me
get too high or too low, keeping

Pregaming with Pat

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Sophomore forward Glenn Robinson Il has scored at least 17 points in three of Michigan's last five games.
Swecomes Penn State

By DANIEL WASSERMAN
Daily Sports Editor
Penn State men's basketball
coach Pat Chambers has seen it
all. He's had a successful career
as a businessman, made a Final
Four as an
assistant, BEH
revived a
stagnant LNLMY
Boston LNES
University
program
and even
survived a near-fatal stabbing.
But perhaps no obstacle he
has encountered can match the
challenge he currently faces in
Happy Valley. Currently in his
third season, his team is a com-
bined 6-34 in Big Ten play. Yet
the biggest win of his tenure
came over then-No. 4 Michigan
last February - one of the sea-
son's two conference wins.
A spirited Chambers sat down
with the Daily at October's Big
Ten Media Day.
The Michigan Daily: Your
win over Michigan last year was
a big deal for your program. Can
a win like that help push the
program forward?
Pat Chambers: First of all, I
think we helped Michigan. By
beating them, I think we helped
them. They came together and
they went on a run of runs - it

was just amazing and (Michigan
coach) John Beilein's a good
friend. He and I talk all the
time, so I've got great respect
for Michigan. It can help our
program, yes, but we can't put
ourselves in that position every
year, or I'm not going to be
around much longer, you know?
We need to start winning games
consistently and competing at
a higher level and bringing in
the right talent that can put
ourselves in position to make
some postseason play.
TMD: Last year, you nearly
beat the Wolverines twice. What
about Michigan is it with you?
Do you have things figured out,
maybe even going back to facing
Beilein in the Big East when you
were an assistant at Villanova?
PC: I have nothing figured
out. (Laughter.) Sometimes we
get too much credit as coaches.
... To go on the road at Penn
State, and we're 0-14, maybe
they weren't as up for the game.
Human nature sets in. I don't
know if we have them figured
out, but we did play them well. I
feel like we've played them well
the last couple of years and I
can't tell you why.
TMD: It wasn't long ag'o that
Michigan was finishing at the
bottom of the conference. To see
them rise so quickly, is that pro-

gram something you look at as a
model for building Penn State?
PC: I do. I look at Michigan;
I look at Wisconsin when they
were a little down before Bo
(Ryan) got into the league. It
can be done. People say, 'How
are you going to do it? How are
you going to do it? The league is
brutal.' It can be done. Coaches
have done it. John Beilein has
done it; Bo Ryan has done it. I'm
sure I'm missing some of these
other coaches that have done it.
TMD: Last year, you talked
abouthowhavingagood football
program can complement a
basketball program and help
it out in a lot of different ways.
How much can that boost your
program's recruiting?
PC: It definitely helps because
I'm bringing recruits to the
game and they can see the pride
and passion that Penn State
and Penn Staters have for their
athletics. If you were at the
white out against Michigan, or
watched it on TV, it was the most
electric, loud, amazing event -
I'm 42 - that I've ever been to
in my entire life. That's how loud
it was. I don't know if you guys
can say it because you have the
Big House, but it definitely rivals
Michigan - it's just incredible.
That type of atmosphere, that
type of event can only help you
in recruiting.

By DANIEL WASSERMAN
Daily Sports Editor
WitheachnewMichiganmen's
basketball season comes a famil-
iar set of red-letter games, the
type of games fans circle when
schedules are
announced. P
Ohio State.
Michigan at Michigan
State. Indiana. Matchup:
This year, Penn St. 9-8;
a new team Michigan 11-4
cracked that When:
prestigious list Tuesday 8 PM.
of basketball
blue bloods: Where: Crisler
Penn State. Center
"I've been TV:Big Ten
waiting a long Network
time for this
game," said sophomore forward
Glenn Robinson III.
Tuesday night serves the
Wolverines (3-0 Big Ten, 11-4
overall) a chance to avenge their
shocking loss at the hands of
Penn State last year. Michigan,
No. 4 in the nation at the time,
squandered a late lead to give the
Nittany Lions, previously 0-14
in the conference, their first Big
Ten win. It was the Wolverines's
fourth loss in their previous
seven games, and from the looks
of it, was bound to send Michigan
into a complete tailspin.
That's why Robinson recalls

that game in such an interesting
light.
"I definitely remember that
game," he said. "We learned a
lot as a team. I think that was a
changing point for our season,
but it was a tough one to swallow
for us."
Calling them a "very, very hun-
gry Penn State team," Beilein's
compliments were more than just
coach speak. After a rough start
to the Big Ten season that saw
blowout losses to Michigan State
and Illinois, the Nittany Lions
(0-4, 9-8) showed promise in
back-to-back three-point losses
to Minnesota and Indiana.
Their backcourt, featuring
upperclassmen DJ Newbill and
preseason All-Big Ten point
guard Tim Frazier, is "one of the
better backcourts in the nation,"
according to Beilein.
Newbill, at 17.3 points per
game, and Frazier, at 16.6 points
per game, are both top-10 scor-
ers in the conference. The well-
rounded Frazier, who missed all
of last season with a ruptured
Achilles tendon, also averages 6.5
assists and1.7 steals per game.
But the Wolverines can't divert
all of their attention to the Penn
State backcourt. Forward Ross
Travis, who averages 11.2 points
and 8.3 rebounds per game,
recorded double-doubles in each
of his three games against Michi-

gan lastyear.
While Michigan's talent has
the potential to overwhelm the
Nittany Lions, Beilein said he
continually reinforces that no Big
Ten game is ever a guaranteed
win, which is why he's confident
that the Wolverines won't
overlook anything on Tuesday.
"I don't know that we did
that last year - we just did not
execute," Beilein said. "If they
beat us, it won't be because we
looked past them."
Robinson will look to continue
a streak of strong offensive
showings that are finally living
up to the lofty expectations that
accompanied him to Ann Arbor.
The sophomore hasscored atleast
17 points in three of Michigan's
five games since sophomore
forward Mitch McGary was lost
for the season, and is shooting
an efficient 58.5 percent from the
field in that stretch.
Robinson attributes his recent
success to a conversation he had
two weeks ago with his high-
school coach, Dave Milausnic.
"He said, 'It doesn't look like
you'rehavingmuch funoutthere.
Just try to smile more and see if
that helps,' " Robinson said. "I'm
just trying to have fun out there,
and I think that's when Iplay my
best basketball.
"I have a lot of confidence
going right now."

I Buy one sandwich, get one FREE! I
Limit One offer per customer with coupon.
Cannot be combined with any other offer
Valid at Barry Bagels Ann Arbor location ONLY
BAGELS
Barry Bagels
measate Shopping Center
2515 Jackson Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48103
(734)662-2435 www.barrybagels.com
Expires: January 20, 2014
L-------- ----------- --- - - - ---

4