Kornacki: Michigan Off to Hot Start with Balanced Attack
12/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 4, 2014
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Where there's a will, there's a way. And Michigan women's basketball guard Shannon Smith exemplified that on Wednesday night (Dec. 3) by controlling the boards.
There wasn't a shorter player on the basketball court than Smith. She's 5-foot-7 and lanky and was going up against a Wake Forest team that had a definite size advantage over the Wolverines. But Smith ended up the game's leading rebounder with a career-high 10.
"We have to rebound," said Smith. "That's how you win games. My teammates box out so I try to go get the ball...they help me with that."
She used quickness and anticipation in grabbing those caroms.
"I try to do both because I know I'm small," Smith said. "It's hard to out-muscle someone. So, I definitely try to use my quickness."
She also was the leading scorer with 26 points in Michigan's 83-69 win in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge game at Crisler Center. And as if that weren't enough, Smith also had a game-high six assists and three steals -- falling one short of teammate Cyesha Goree's game-high four.
"Shannon Smith was just unbelievable in transition and rebounded and made the extra pass," said Michigan head coach Kim Barnes Arico. "I think Shannon has just made a commitment to being a rebounder for us, and we were super concerned as a staff that if you have three little guards -- and we have three little guards -- how are we going to rebound the ball?
"One of our guards is really going to have to commit to rebounding, and Shannon has done that. She's just played great for us, and I think that her total development has been incredible because she's not just scoring. She's passing the ball -- she's great in the open floor -- and she's rebounding. She was incredible tonight; she's helping the team in so many ways."
Smith is second with a 13.9 scoring average and third with 6.3 rebounds. And her shooting percentage is up from .385 last season to .468, while her rebound average has doubled.
"My coaches have been on me since the off-season to have an overall presence on the court," said Smith.
The senior and former North Carolina Miss Basketball's development into an all-around player is one of the biggest reasons the Wolverines are 6-1 and off to the best start in Barnes Arico's three seasons here. They've won four straight games by 12 points or more.
The other reason Michigan is playing so well is freshman guard Katelynn Flaherty, the No. 19-rated high school senior in the country last year who is supplying instant offense off the bench.
Flaherty hit her first three shots and turned an eight-point lead into a 20-point margin in her first stint on the floor. She's leading the team with 14.9 points with only three starts.
"I think Katelynn is doing a fabulous job," said Barnes Arico. "We started her early on, and the pressure kind of was overwhelming. And I think our kids started running everything (play-wise) for her as well. She shoots the ball so well, and in practice it's incredible. She hardly ever misses. So, our focus just went to Katelynn. And I feel she was feeling a lot of pressure, and her team was feeling a lot of pressure to get her the ball.
"And since we changed that, our team has become a lot more balanced. And the pressure is off Katelynn a little bit. I think she's accepted that. She came in in the first half and boom, boom, boom, scored some quick baskets for us. So, she's an incredible player. But anyone who's a freshman at this level has to adjust to the speed of the game, and that's what she's doing."
Smith and 6-3 forward Cyesha Goree, the team's leading rebounder with 10.4 per game and a 12.4-point-per-game scorer, agreed that Flaherty takes the pressure off them and others.
"It's really nice seeing Katelynn have that type of confidence to come in and shoot," said Goree. "We kind of focus on not putting too much pressure on her because she's a freshman. But she fits right in and knows when to take great shots and when to pass it. It helps us out a lot."
Flaherty scored eight points in a span of 1:02 right after checking into the game. How can she get so hot so quickly after coming in cold off the bench?
"I just make sure I'm checked in and focused to what coach is saying even though I know I'm not starting," said Flaherty. "I know I'm going in and know I have to go in and be prepared."
She also picked up an assist on a hard-working play. Flaherty moved from one side of the court to the other and then up and down the court before finally breaking free. She got the pass and then found Goree open underneath for two points.
Is that a part of her game fans can expect to see more often?
"Yeah," said Flaherty, "especially once I get adjusted and more comfortable. That's a part of the game I like a lot, and I think people don't know that because they see me shooting. But once I get acclimated to the game, that's definitely a part you'll see more."
But for now, she will focus on scoring. And defenses coming out on her will allow for higher-percentage shots for teammates.
"If I can knock down open shots," Flaherty said, "the defenders have to worry about me rather than just them -- which gives them more ability to drive and to shoot."
Smith took 98 three-point shots last year but had a low .286 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. But she didn't attempt a trey against Wake Forest and got baskets in transition and on short pull-up jumpers.
She can play her game now rather than forcing the shots Flaherty knocks down. The freshman from New Jersey leads the Wolverines with 43 treys attempted and a .442 percentage.
They are examples of how players complement one another and how teams come together.
• Smith Notches Double-Double; Wolverines Thump Wake Forest
