2015-16 Season Preview: Women's Basketball
10/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 28, 2015
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2015-16 OUTLOOK
Michigan's roster features just four scholarship upperclassmen, with nine freshmen and sophomores on this year's team. The Wolverines welcome back their leading scorer from last season in Flaherty (14.3 ppg) along with a pair of starters in juniors Siera Thompson (10.9 ppg) and Danielle Williams (39 steals, 2.4 rpg).
The strength of the Wolverines lies in the backcourt, where the Maize and Blue features a blend of experience and scoring between Flaherty, Thompson, Williams and senior Madison Ristovski. Ristovski has played in every game since fourth-year head coach Kim Barnes Arico arrived on campus, scoring 5.0 points per game last season in a supporting role.
With Michigan losing its entire starting frontcourt from a year ago, the Maize and Blue now looks to underclassmen and senior Kelsey Mitchell to help fill the void. Mitchell appeared in 22 games last season but has been beset by injuries through her collegiate career. If she can stay healthy, she has the potential to provide a big boost on the boards. A quartet of sophomores adds depth and size to the front line, including sophomore Jillian Dunston (1.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg), Terra Stapleton (0.8 ppg, 0.2 rpg), Emoni Jackson (1.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and Maria Backman (0.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg), who has made the transition to the forward position to give U-M more height and depth.
Joining the Wolverines is a consensus top-20 recruiting class, highlighted by Parade All-Americans Hallie Thome and Boogie Brozoski. Thome will give the Maize and Blue height down low at 6-5, while Brozoski is a change-of-pace point guard with great skills. Nicole Munger, a 5-11 do-everything guard, and Sam Trammel, a 6-1 energetic forward, round out the class that looks to make major contributions this season.
Barnes Arico, who is coming off a second straight summer with USA Basketball, enters her fourth year in Ann Arbor. The only coach to record three-straight 20-win seasons, Barnes Arico already ranks fifth all-time at U-M in wins (62) and first in winning percentage (.608). Her staff remains intact from a season ago, with Melanie Moore and Joy McCorvey each entering their fourth year alongside Barnes Arico and Megan Duffy beginning her second season at U-M.
STUDENT-ATHLETES TO WATCH
Sophomore Guard Katelynn Flaherty -- Michigan's leading scorer from a season ago, Flaherty returns for her sophomore season after spending the summer expanding her game. Flaherty was invited to the USA Basketball U19 trials, where she learned what it takes to play with the best in the country. Through the first few weeks of practice, Flaherty has shown the ability to defend and rebound better than a season ago. She will be counted on to not only score this season but get her teammate involved and be more of voice on the court. Last season, Flaherty hit a freshman-record 78 three-pointers en route to 499 points. She had six games with at least five triples and will pair with Thompson to form a high-powered backcourt.
Junior Guard Siera Thompson -- Thompson begins her junior season as Michigan's most experienced player in terms of minutes played the last two seasons. She has played in all 69 games since she came to Ann Arbor, averaging 33.8 minutes per game. Thompson needs just 168 points to become the 25th 1,000-point scorer in program history. The Gardena, California, native has been Michigan's quiet and steady leader the past two seasons, directing the offense from the point guard position and taking on the other team's best perimeter player on defense. Thompson already ranks fifth all-time at Michigan with 148 three-pointers and has a chance to become the program leader this season with equal production of her first two seasons. Thompson and Flaherty will give Michigan much-needed experience in the backcourt as the entire starting frontcourt from a season ago is gone.
Freshman Center Hallie Thome -- Checking in a 6-foot-5, Thome is the tallest player to put on a Michigan jersey since the 2009-10 season. The lefty from Chagrin Falls, Ohio, comes to Ann Arbor as a Parade All-American and Ohio's Ms. Basketball. She has shown the ability to rebound effectively around the basket and run the floor well as the Wolverines look to continue to play up-tempo this season. Thome can finish around the basket or step out to knock down a jumper. Her presence down low will help free up the perimeter for Michigan's experienced guards.
Left: Siera Thompson // Middle: Katelynn Flaherty // Right: Danielle Williams
KEY COMPETITION
Sunday, Dec. 13, vs. UCLA, 2 p.m.
UCLA returns to Crisler Center for a rematch of last year's WNIT semifinals where the Bruins escaped with a 69-65 win en route to winning the WNIT championship. It is the first game in a two-year home-and-home series with UCLA. The Bruins return the majority of their team from last season and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network as the highlight of Michigan's non-conference home schedule.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico
On coaching a team this young ... "I think the best thing about coaching younger teams is that they are super fun to coach because there is no pressure for them. They just come out and play, and they play hard. They expect to win. This freshman group, they have only won. That's exciting for me, and that's exciting for my staff. The energy and enthusiasm that is at practice has been amazing. I know that it is going to be challenging, and I know there will be games throughout the season that are going to be challenging. Sometimes the good thing about young kids is that they don't know any better. They are going to go in and expect to win."
Junior Guard Siera Thompson
On what she wants to do this season ... "I want to be more of a leader this year. From a leadership standpoint, I want to make sure that I am helping the younger players out in any way I can. I want to see the same things that Coach Arico sees on the court when I am out there. I just want to make everything easier for everyone else this season on the court."
Junior Guard Danielle Williams
On what is like playing for head coach Kim Barnes Arico ... "She is extremely passionate and has a presence about her wherever she goes. You can feel it when she walks in the gym. She brings such energy with her. She is such an extraordinary person to be around and be coached by. She expects the best from you, but she also gives her best as an example."
2014-15 RECAP
The Wolverines rode the senior trio of Cyesha Goree (13.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg), Nicole Elmblad (7.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Shannon Smith (13.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg) to a 20-15 record and WNIT semifinal appearance last season. Michigan swept the regular-season series from Michigan State for the first time since the 1999-2000 season and also split with Ohio State, knocking off the Buckeyes at home in a 100-92 overtime contest. Michigan recorded its fourth straight 20-win season and won a program-record 14 home games. Katelynn Flaherty became the first Wolverine in school history to be named the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year and was Michigan's first Big Ten All-Freshman Team representative since 2010 after averaging a team-best 14.3 points per game.
