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.