Tuesday, November 7, 2017 // TIP OFF 2017
6B
Roster breakdown: Flaherty, Thome
once again crucial to Michigan’s success
The
Michigan
women’s
basketball team is relying on
its upperclassmen heading into
the 2017-18 season.
Though they lost two senior
guards,
Siera
Thompson
and
Danielle
Williams,
the
Wolverines
have
a
lot
of
returners that make up the core
of the team. That being said,
there is a lot of young talent
eager to get started.
Michigan
finished
last
year with a 21-14 record and a
WNIT Championship, but have
their sights set on the NCAA
Tournament this season after
the heartbreak of missing out
in 2016-17.
Guards
After
losing
two
of
its
three
starting
guards
from
last
season,
it
appears
as
though Michigan will almost
completely have to re-work
its starting lineup. The only
returning
player
from
the
backcourt is senior Katelynn
Flaherty, who has twice been
named to the All-Big Ten First
Team.
Flaherty
has
led
the
Wolverines since her freshman
year. She averaged a team best
20.2 points per game. Flaherty
was the 2017 WNIT MVP and
holds the school record for
points in a game with 38. All
eyes will be on her as she starts
the season in a new position as
point guard.
Joining
Flaherty
in
the
starting
lineup
is
Nicole
Munger. As a junior, the team
is hoping her experience at the
collegiate level will serve her
well. She appeared in 35 games
last
season,
averaging
15.4
minutes per game. Munger’s
highlight of the season was a
12-point performance in the
WNIT
championship
game,
including seven in the third
overtime period.
Akienreh
Johnson
is
the
only other returning guard
for the Wolverines. She begins
her sophomore season after
appearing in just 10 games last
season due to a knee injury
sustained in early January.
Michigan boasts two new
additions to the backcourt in
freshmen Priscilla Smeenge and
Deja Church. Smeenge recently
moved with her entire family to
Michigan from Florida, where
she had a noteworthy high
school career. As a senior, she
averaged 21.6 points per game
and was named School District
of Osceola Female Athlete of
the Year.
Church,
a
native
of
Southfield, Mich., is expected
to lead the offense at point
guard
alongside
Flaherty.
Although she is just starting her
freshman year, Church looks
college-ready
as
a
physical
point guard. She helped her
high school win three district
championships and one regional
championship.
She
averaged
24 points per game and was a
finalist for Michigan’s Miss
Basketball award.
Forwards
Senior
Jillian
Dunston
stepped into her role as a
leader for the team last year.
She played a crucial part for
the Wolverines, averaging 7.7
rebounds per game. She started
all 37 games, a large increase
from
her
nine
starts
her
sophomore year. In addition to
tallying double-digit rebounds
in 12 games, Dunston had 286
rebounds on the year, which
placed
her
fourth
on
the
program’s single-season list.
Other
returning
forwards
include Kayla Robbins, Keasja
Peace and Samantha Trammel.
During
her
freshman
year,
Robbins appeared in 34 games
and averaged 8.8 minutes per
game.
Newcomer
Hailey
Brown
hails from Ontario, Canada,
and the Wolverines will be
hoping to put her international
experience to good use. The
freshman has played for the
Canadian national team since
2013 and has earned a gold
medal for U-17 and a silver
medal for U-16. Despite her
youth, Brown has plenty of
experience at the international
level, which Michigan hopes
can translate to the collegiate
level with a minimal learning
curve.
Center
Junior
Hallie
Thome
is
the sole returning center for
Michigan. The 6-foot-5 junior
will be returning to start her
third season after making All-
Big Ten as well as earning a spot
on the WNIT All-Tournament
team.
She
averaged
16.2
points per game, 7.1 rebounds
and two blocks on the year.
Additionally, Thome started in
all 37 games and scored in the
double figures 35 times. Last
season she became the third
sophomore in Michigan history
to reach 1,000 points.
SARAH HURST
Daily Sports Writer
The duo were both preseason All-Big Ten selections, and Michigan will need that level of production
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Junior center Hallie Thome is Michigan’s only returning center, and she will be returning having averaged 16.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and two blocks during 2016.
See ROSTER, Page 7B