Friday, November 8, 2019 // TIPOFF 2019
6B 

Roster breakdown

The 
Michigan 
women’s 
basketball team is coming off 
its 
second 
consecutive 
NCAA 
Tournament appearance, and for 
the second consecutive season, 
the Wolverines have undergone 
a significant amount of roster 
turnover. 
With 
Hallie 
Thome 
and Nicole Munger graduating 
and Deja Church transferring, 
Michigan has three starting spots 
to fill and 30.6 points per game to 
replace.
Despite that, the expectations 
for the Wolverines are as high 
as they have been in coach Kim 
Barnes Arico’s eight years with 
the team, largely due to strong 
recruiting classes over the past two 
years. The 2018 class was the most 
highly-touted of Barnes Arico’s 
tenure, consisting of three top-100 
recruits, two of whom — Amy Dilk 
and Naz Hillmon — had significant 
roles as freshmen. This year, 
Michigan brings in three talented 
players who have all shown the 
ability to make an impact as 
freshmen. 
But 
with 
roster 
turnover 
comes 
questions 
about 
depth. 
The Wolverines only have five 
returning players who averaged 
over five points per game last year 
— all of whom project as starters 
— and will look to inexperienced 
players to fill important roles 
coming off the bench. Additionally, 
one of Michigan’s main focuses 
in the offseason was to improve 
defensively to alleviate the loss of 
three of its four leading scorers. 
The Daily breaks down what 
to expect from the Wolverines’ 
starters and who can step up and 
produce in addition to those five.
Guards
Sophomore Amy Dilk is one of 
Michigan’s two returning starters, 
and the Wolverines will look to her 
to be one of the team’s top scorers 
this season. Dilk came in last 
season and immediately earned 
the starting point guard spot. But 
with many proven scorers on the 
roster, she was asked to focus more 
on distributing than scoring the 
basketball. 
While her freshman season had 
some ups and downs, Dilk showed 
the ability to be a proficient floor 
general, averaging 4.4 assists per 

game with excellent court vision, 
but turned the ball over 3.4 times 
per game. Dilk’s ability to score 
more consistently and improve 
upon her 7.2 points per game, along 
with cutting down on turnovers, 
will be key to Michigan’s success 
this season.
As a result of losing three 
starters, senior Akienreh Johnson 
will consistently start for the 
Wolverines for the first time in her 
college career. Johnson’s career has 
been derailed by injuries a bit — a 
torn ACL caused her to miss a large 
portion of her freshman year, and 
she missed the first three games 
last season due to a broken hand 
— but as a senior she will have the 
opportunity to step up as a leader 
for Michigan. While not the most 
prolific scorer on the team, she 
showed that she can set the tone 
for the Wolverines offensively in an 
exhibition against Northwood last 
Wednesday, scoring seven first-
quarter points. Johnson is also one 
of Michigan’s best defenders, and 
leads by example on the defensive 
end.
Behind Johnson and Dilk, it is 
unclear which of the Wolverines’ 
four reserve guards will step up 
and contribute off the bench, and 
it seems like all four will have the 
opportunity to earn minutes. 
Michigan added two freshman 
guards to the roster this season, 
Maddie Nolan and Michelle Sidor, 
both of whom can contribute 
immediately. Nolan is coming 
off a serious knee injury that 
she suffered during her senior 
year of high school, but against 
Northwood, it didn’t seem to affect 
her play. She could earn minutes 
due to her aggressiveness, which 
was on display on Wednesday as 
she dove on the floor for loose balls 
and hustled for offensive rebounds. 
Sidor scored over 3,000 points in 
high school and can play both the 
‘1’ and the ‘2.’ Her tendency to push 
the pace when running the point 
could provide Michigan with a 
change of pace off the bench. 
Michigan’s 
two 
more 
experienced reserve guards — 
sophomore Danielle Rauch and 
junior Priscilla Smeenge — both 
played very limited minutes last 
season. With no clear backup point 
guard, Rauch made her case for the 
job after logging six assists in just 
16 minutes against Northwood. 

Barnes Arico identified both Rauch 
and Smeenge as potential sparks 
off the bench due to their high-
energy style of play. 
Forwards
Coming off the bench in her 
freshman 
season, 
sophomore 
Naz Hillmon led the Wolverines 
in scoring, rebounding and field 
goal percentage en route to being 
named the Big Ten Freshman of 
the Year, Big Ten Sixth Player of the 
Year and being named to the All-
Big Ten First Team. This season, 
Hillmon will be asked to play more 
minutes and potentially guard 
opposing centers, a challenge that 
will require her to improve as a 
defender. 
Due to the departure of many of 
Michigan’s top scorers, Hillmon 
will also be the primary option for 
the Wolverines on offense. She is 
dominant in the paint, but in order 
to diversify her game and combat 
increased 
defensive 
attention, 
Hillmon has worked to improve her 
perimeter scoring ability. Hillmon 
is 
Michigan’s 
most 
important 
player, and whether or not she can 
improve upon her freshman season 
will be the an important factor for 
the Wolverines if they are going to 

finish at the top of the Big Ten. 
Entering her third season as a 
starter, junior Hailey Brown has 
the most starting experience of any 
player on the team. Her ability to 
score both in the post and on the 
perimeter makes her a versatile 
secondary option for Michigan.
The Wolverines’ other senior, 
Kayla Robbins, will also have the 
opportunity to start for the first 
time this season. Her length and 
strong defense gives her the ability 
to guard multiple positions and 
switch, which has allowed Barnes 
Arico to move her to the wing this 
season after playing predominantly 
the ‘4’ throughout her career. Along 
with Johnson, Robbins will anchor 
Michigan’s defense.
Depth is a concern, though, as 
sophomore Emily Kiser will start 
the season as the Wolverines’ only 
forward off the bench. 
Center
The lone center on Michigan’s 
roster is freshman Izabel Varejão, 
whose size can be an important 
factor for the Wolverines. None of 
the five starters are true centers, 
and if they struggle to defend 
opposing bigs, Varejão will be 
called on to play an important 

role. She has also proven that she 
can provide a scoring punch off 
the bench due to her effectiveness 
in the paint and ability to shoot 
the three, both of which were 
on display as Michigan’s leading 
scorer against Northwood. Foul 
trouble could be an issue for 
Varejão, but if she can stay on the 
floor, look for her to potentially 
play a role similar to Hillmon’s last 
season.
Outlook
This 
year’s 
Wolverines 
are 
relatively young and inexperienced, 
but a strong starting five and lots 
of talent up and down the roster 
provides the team with optimism 
that they can replicate last season’s 
success. If Sidor and Varejão can 
live up to their billing as scoring 
threats and acclimate well to 
the college game while the older 
bench players continue to improve, 
Michigan has the potential to 
finish in the top three of the Big 
Ten and make a third-straight trip 
to the NCAA Tournament. But if 
the Wolverines can’t find reliable 
bench contributors, there may 
be too much weight on the backs 
of the starters to reach their full 
potential. 

JACK KINGSLEY
Daily Sports Writer

Michigan has just five returning players who averaged more than five points last season

KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily
The Michigan women’s basketball team will need to rely heavily on its sophomore class to take an increased role.

