The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 63 2017-18 BASKETBALL PREVIEW liams, a 21-game starter, from last year 's team to graduation. Barnes Arico said Williams was the leader of the team in creating a culture and setting team standards, and she will be joining the team as a graduate as- sistant coach this season. Barnes Arico said the positive lead- ership she's already seen this year is a great sign of things to come. "Our upperclassmen are tremen- dous, led by Jillian Dunston and Katelynn Flaherty," Barnes Arico said. "They are two of the hardest workers, most passionate, driven kids that I've ever been surrounded by. "They bleed the maize and blue, believe in tradition and pride and what this block M stands for." Michigan will get to see where it stacks up against several other top teams in non-conference play. It faces powerhouse Notre Dame in the Big Ten-ACC challenge and will partici- pate in the preseason WNIT. "I think we have a high ceiling," Flaherty said. "I think we've done everything that we can to prepare for the season." ❏ 2017-18 Michigan Women's Basketball Roster No. Name Pos. Ht. Cl. 2 Priscilla Smeenge G 6-0 Fr. As a senior in high school, she averaged 21.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Her father, Joel, played football under coach Jack Harbaugh at Western Michigan and played 11 seasons in the NFL. 3 Katelynn Flaherty G 5-7 Sr. Has led the team in scoring the last three seasons. One of the most dangerous shooters in the country, she will draw the opponent's best defender. She is 58 points away from becoming Michigan's all-time leading scorer. 5 Kayla Robbins F 6-1 So. Averaged 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest off the bench last season while playing in 34 games. 10 Nicole Munger G 5-11 Jr. Appeared in 35 games off the bench last season, and averaged 5.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per contest. 11 Jillian Dunston F 5-11 Sr. One of the best defenders and rebounders on the team. She started all 37 contests last season and averaged 7.7 rebounds per game. The veteran is also one of the team's leaders. 14 Akienreh Johnson G 6-0 So. Averaged 3.2 points in 10 games before getting injured and missing the remainder of last season. 15 Hailey Brown F 6-1 Fr. Listed as a five-star prospect and the No. 47 overall player in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz. Will be in the rotation this season. 20 Deja Church G 5-10 Fr. Was a finalist for Michigan Miss Basketball after averaging 24.0 points, 10.0 re- bounds, 4.2 assists and 3.1 steals per game as a senior at Southfield (Mich.) A&T. Expected to see major minutes at point guard. 21 Sam Trammel F 6-1 Jr. Played in 20 games off the bench as a freshman, but didn't see any playing time last season. 22 KeAsja Peace F 6-3 So. Will likely see more playing time this season. Averaged 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 16 games last season. 30 Hallie Thome C 6-5 Jr. Forms one of the best inside-out scoring duos in the country with Flaherty. She became the second freshmen in school history to notch more than 500 points (some- thing even Flaherty didn't do, finishing with 499) and has continued to get better. The All-Big Ten first-team choice has started all 72 games in her Michigan career and tallied at least 10 points in 35 of 37 contests last year. — Andrew Vailliencourt After being named an All-Big Ten honor- able mention and making the league's All- Freshman team, junior center Hallie Thome averaged 16.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game en route to first-team all- conference honors last season. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN Senior guard Katelynn Flaherty "I still think about [being left out of the NCAA Tournament] every day, and I think we do as a team. … We definitely think about it and it's the reason why we work so hard every day. Coach still talks about it all the time."