With the women getting their season underway later tonight, here's a preview on what the team will look like this year. This is more of a guess than usual, now that they're replacing the best player in school history, but I'll give it my best shot.
Key Players:
Hallie Thome - Michigan's one All-American candidate. A throwback back-to-the-basket center who will always be one of the tops in the country when it comes to field goal percentage. Has steadily improved as a defender and rebounder throughout her career.
Nicole Munger - One of the best 3 pt. shooters in the Big Ten, and brings all the scrappy. Limited athletically, but has some good size for a perimeter player. Along with Thome, Munger represents the 2 seniors in the starting lineup.
Hallie Brown - A prototype stretch 4. Good size with a smooth 3 pt. shot. Last year as a frosh, she was great from outside, but looked overmatched in other aspects of the game. Hopefully a year in the weight room will lead to her being physically and mentally tougher. Her development could be a real x-factor for this year's team.
Amy Dilk - Hooray, Michigan has a true point guard on their roster again. This highly recruited frosh will start from the get go. In the exhibition game she showed great vision and passing ability. Above average size for a PG as well. Doesn't appear to have top end athleticism. If she can hit the ground running, it will help the offense immensely.
Akinreh Johnson - She exploded onto the scene after Brown's injury late last season, and was a key figure in helping Michigan secure a tourney birth. One of the team's most athletic players and best finishers at the basket. If she improves her outside shot and defensive awareness, she has all-Big Ten potential. Currently battling a hand injury. Not sure if she'll play tonight.
Team Strengths:
Size and length - No longer is Michigan trotting out a variety of tiny players. Thanks in large part to the highly ranked incoming freshman class, this team is tall and long. Thome can look down on almost anyone, and there is nowhere where they will be undersized. Look for this team to be the most disruptive defensively of the KBA era.
Experience - With the exception of PG, there is experience everywhere. Along with Munger and Thome, you have a junior Kayla Robbins with tons of playing time under her belt. Deja Church, Brown and Johnson all got lots of minutes last year as well.
Depth - As many know, one of my biggest criticisms of KBA is her inability to develop a bench year in and year out. With the 5 member freshman class coming in this year, there is no reason for this team to not go 9-10 deep and really attempt to wear down opponents. No one should be playing 38 minutes a game this year.
Possible Weaknesses:
Shooting - Like the men's team, this is an anomaly. With Flaherty and others over the last few years, Michigan was always a great 3 pt. shooting team. Outside of Munger though, there are a lot of question marks on the outside shooting front this year. While there are several players who could step up in that regard, it's not a sure thing. This will be especially important to keep teams from just doubling Thome every time she gets a post touch.
Who's the star (besides Thome) - Right now, Thome is the only player getting any preseason accolades. Michigan will need 1-2 more players to have breakthrough years and become starts if they really want to make serious noise this year. On a related note, who's getting the ball for those key possessions late in the game? Do they run it through Thome, or does someone on the perimeter become the go to player.
Overall Outlook:
I expect this to be a fun team to watch. They should get up and down the floor a lot, and play with a lot of energy on defense. If Dilk can handle the load at PG, and everyone can figure out their role by Big Ten season, they could be very dangerous. A lot of the top players from last year's Big Ten teams are gone and outside of MD, there aren't a lot of sure things in the conference. I would expect Michigan to have a top 5 finish and return to the tournament again. It's all about finding enough offensive options to keep teams from completely keying on Thome. If they can do that, this will be a very good team.
Key Players:
Hallie Thome - Michigan's one All-American candidate. A throwback back-to-the-basket center who will always be one of the tops in the country when it comes to field goal percentage. Has steadily improved as a defender and rebounder throughout her career.
Nicole Munger - One of the best 3 pt. shooters in the Big Ten, and brings all the scrappy. Limited athletically, but has some good size for a perimeter player. Along with Thome, Munger represents the 2 seniors in the starting lineup.
Hallie Brown - A prototype stretch 4. Good size with a smooth 3 pt. shot. Last year as a frosh, she was great from outside, but looked overmatched in other aspects of the game. Hopefully a year in the weight room will lead to her being physically and mentally tougher. Her development could be a real x-factor for this year's team.
Amy Dilk - Hooray, Michigan has a true point guard on their roster again. This highly recruited frosh will start from the get go. In the exhibition game she showed great vision and passing ability. Above average size for a PG as well. Doesn't appear to have top end athleticism. If she can hit the ground running, it will help the offense immensely.
Akinreh Johnson - She exploded onto the scene after Brown's injury late last season, and was a key figure in helping Michigan secure a tourney birth. One of the team's most athletic players and best finishers at the basket. If she improves her outside shot and defensive awareness, she has all-Big Ten potential. Currently battling a hand injury. Not sure if she'll play tonight.
Team Strengths:
Size and length - No longer is Michigan trotting out a variety of tiny players. Thanks in large part to the highly ranked incoming freshman class, this team is tall and long. Thome can look down on almost anyone, and there is nowhere where they will be undersized. Look for this team to be the most disruptive defensively of the KBA era.
Experience - With the exception of PG, there is experience everywhere. Along with Munger and Thome, you have a junior Kayla Robbins with tons of playing time under her belt. Deja Church, Brown and Johnson all got lots of minutes last year as well.
Depth - As many know, one of my biggest criticisms of KBA is her inability to develop a bench year in and year out. With the 5 member freshman class coming in this year, there is no reason for this team to not go 9-10 deep and really attempt to wear down opponents. No one should be playing 38 minutes a game this year.
Possible Weaknesses:
Shooting - Like the men's team, this is an anomaly. With Flaherty and others over the last few years, Michigan was always a great 3 pt. shooting team. Outside of Munger though, there are a lot of question marks on the outside shooting front this year. While there are several players who could step up in that regard, it's not a sure thing. This will be especially important to keep teams from just doubling Thome every time she gets a post touch.
Who's the star (besides Thome) - Right now, Thome is the only player getting any preseason accolades. Michigan will need 1-2 more players to have breakthrough years and become starts if they really want to make serious noise this year. On a related note, who's getting the ball for those key possessions late in the game? Do they run it through Thome, or does someone on the perimeter become the go to player.
Overall Outlook:
I expect this to be a fun team to watch. They should get up and down the floor a lot, and play with a lot of energy on defense. If Dilk can handle the load at PG, and everyone can figure out their role by Big Ten season, they could be very dangerous. A lot of the top players from last year's Big Ten teams are gone and outside of MD, there aren't a lot of sure things in the conference. I would expect Michigan to have a top 5 finish and return to the tournament again. It's all about finding enough offensive options to keep teams from completely keying on Thome. If they can do that, this will be a very good team.
