Friday, November 9, 2018 // TIP OFF 2018
8B
where she helped her high school
to a 22-2 record and the first
Final Four appearance in school
history. Rauch, while small at
5-foot-8, showed tenacity on
the glass during her high school
career at Bishop Ludden in
Syracuse, N.Y. Rauch averaged
7.1 boards per game and should
be a force on the defensive side
of the ball as well, evidenced by
her 4.5 steals per game average
last season.
Forwards:
While the guard spot features
an influx of youth, many of the
Wolverines’
veteran
leaders
can be found patrolling the
frontcourt. Starting at forward is
senior co-captain Nicole Munger.
After shooting 40.4 percent from
deep last season, Munger returns
as Michigan’s top threat from
deep and should be one of the
team’s top offensive options. Last
season, she averaged 9.1 points
per game, and she emerged as a
leader on the defensive side of
the ball, averaging 1.1 steals per
contest.
Joining
Munger
in
the
frontcourt
will
be
sophomore
Hailey
Brown.
Hailing
from
Ontario, Canada,
Brown
was
a
key
contributor
last
season
as
a
freshman
and
should
return
strong
after
having
her
campaign
cut short by a
lower leg injury. Before she
was sidelined, Brown was one
of Michigan’s key contributors,
averaging 9.0 points and 5.2
rebounds per game and shooting
46 percent from the field.
Junior Kayla Robbins also
figures to be a fixture despite
coming off the bench, bringing
impressive hustle and tenacity
on the defensive side of the
ball. While Robbins only played
11.8 minutes per game in her
sophomore
season, she should
see more playing
time this year.
Michigan will
also
see
two
freshmen slot in
at forward, with
Emily Kiser and
Naz
Hillmon
likely in line to
earn
minutes
early.
Kiser
averaged 21 points
and 13.4 rebounds as a senior,
while Hillmon won a gold medal
with the U18 USA basketball
team at the FIBA Americas
Championship, where she shot
67 percent from the field.
Rounding out the forwards
are senior Samantha Trammell
and graduate transfer Taylor
Rooks, who previously played
at
Stanford
and
Harvard.
Trammell should provide a solid
veteran presence as a senior, and
Rooks’ successful
stint
with
the
Crimson,
which
saw her earn All-
Ivy
honors
in
her senior year
with averages of
12.5 points and
7.3 rebounds per
game, should be
a solid addition to
the
Wolverines’
front line.
Center:
Michigan only has one center
on its roster, but she’s arguably
the team’s most important player.
Senior Hallie Thome will hold
down the middle after coming
off a season where she averaged
17.4 points and 7.0 rebounds
per game and earned All-Big
Ten first team honors. Thome
will likely be the focal point
of the offense, and she should
be a consistent scoring threat
after scoring over 20 points
in 13 games last
season, reaching
double
figures
in all but three
contests.
She’s
also an incredibly
efficient shooter,
converting
61.6
percent
of
her
field goals and
77.5
percent
of
her free throws
last
season.
Thome
will
also be taking on more of a
leadership role this season, and
will serve as the Wolverines’
captain along with fellow senior
Nicole Munger.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
From Page 7B
RYAN MCLOUGHLIN/Daily
Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico has a deeper team than she has had in the past, with a talented group of freshmen from the last recruiting class and a bevy of returning talent in the frontcourt.
Munger returns
as Michigan’s
top threat from
deep.
Thome will
likely be the
focal point of
the offense.