The Wolverine

November 2011

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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2011-12 basketball preview ���Val wants to play. Everyone around Val wants her to play. We���re trying to get her acclimated to the things we���re doing. ���She���s big. When she posts up, you can���t move her. When she sinks you down, and buries you in the post, you can���t move her. She buries you down in that lane, now it���s a matter of catching it and putting it in the basket. ���When she came in, that really wasn���t what she did a lot. She was more of a defensive player, but you���ve got to be able to score. You���re going to be the kid around the basket, and you���re the kid we want to work the ball down to every time down the court, you need to post, you need to catch, you need to score.��� To prepare for the upcoming season, Driscoll stayed at school through the spring and summer semesters, working with the strength and conditioning staff and playing pickup games three times a week. All the while, Driscoll was focusing on the offensive side. ���It���s something they stress when you get here ��� our guards should be able to post, and our post players should be able to shoot,��� Driscoll said. ���That���s something we strive for here.��� Although Borseth wants posts players who can shoot three-pointers ��� like Sheffer, who shot 62 of them last season ��� that isn���t Driscoll���s strong point. But if she can post up and score, it doesn���t have to be. ���I���m more of a back-to-the-basket player,��� Driscoll said. ���That���s what I was recruited here to do, and that���s what I really like. I like being close to the rim, and now coach is trying to get me under there, and it���s starting to go well. ���I���m definitely a lot more confident now. I know what coach is expecting. I���m more comfortable being here and understanding the offense and fitting in more.��� Her post play on offense is starting to come around, and her rebounding ��� which Borseth says is her best attribute ��� is stronger than ever. ���She���s a very good rebounder. She gets the defensive side of the court, and on the boards, she does really well,��� Borseth said. ���She doesn���t feel really comfortable stepping outside, so in some respects we adapt around her with regard to that. She���s a big kid, 6-4 and big. ���She���s a kid, for us, if it can happen it will be very positive.��� Cleaning Up The Boards The summer before her senior year of high school, Goree tore her ACL, sidelining her for the season, but not diminishing Borseth���s interest in her. The injury can sometimes take a year or more to fully heal, but Goree feels 100 percent, heading into her freshman year at Michigan. Goree has been in Ann Arbor for four months, and she has been hard at work ��� on the court, in the weight room, in the gym and away from the game, where she has already developed friendships with the young players around her. ���I came in with open eyes and open ears,��� she said. ���Anything that can help me improve my game, I���ve been open. I���m going to try my hardest in practice. If I do get in the game, I���m coaches at this level refuse to play the ���what if?��� game; it���s simply not a productive use of time. Borseth won���t hypothesize about how the 2012 Wolverines offense would shape up had point guard Dayeesha Hollins not transferred to Xavier after an impressive freshman season in 2010. Instead, he���s focusing on what he���s got, including Harris, a talented freshman guard from Marion, Ohio. And without Hollins and Veronica Hicks, who graduated last year, to generate offense, and because starting point guard Courtney Boylan ���isn���t the most fleet-footed kid,��� according to Borseth, Harris may be the freshman the Wolverines count on most. ���Brenae Harris is a kid that has the athleticism to compete at this level right now,��� Borseth said. Harris, a two-time Northwest Ohio District Player Of The Year, aver- ��� Cyesha Goree ���I came in with open eyes and open ears. Anything that can help me improve my game, I���ve been open. I���m going to try my hardest in practice. If I do get in the game, I���m going to do whatever I can to make an impact.��� going to do whatever I can to make an impact.��� The Wolverines ��� and their coaches ��� have taken notice of the time she has already put it. Borseth, in particular, is excited about the Grand Rapids, Mich., native���s potential. ���In my opinion, Cyesha Goree is going to be a great player,��� Borseth said. ���If you need a tight end or some hands to catch the ball, go to Cyesha. What a phenomenal set of hands. At this point, she needs to get in shape, running up and down the court. The kid is just a worker. She is strong, but I think she could be a year or two away from being a superstar.��� There are many skills that Goree needs to focus on and develop through her career, but her innate skills on the boards could get her on the court as a freshman. Goree averaged 13.5 rebounds per game as a senior at Wyoming Park High School last season, adding 16.9 points per game. Another Offensive Option? The vast majority ��� if not all ��� aged 21.9 points per game, and is at her best when she has the ball in her hands with a chance to make things happen. ���Brenae is a lot like Veronica Hicks,��� junior guard Jenny Ryan said. ���She���s confident, she���s quick. I think she���ll be a great asset on the defensive side of the floor because she has the feet for it.��� She has spent the last few months acclimating to the college level, playing pickup games with her teammates as much as possible. ���In high school, you might be the best player on the court, but everything is so much bigger, stronger and faster here,��� Harris said. ���But I���m starting to gain the confidence that I need, and I���m working hard to help the team any way I can.��� It���s a natural progression for a firstyear player, and Borseth is optimistic about Harris��� development. ���When you come here, your confidence level takes a hit because everyone else already know how to run the drills and they know the plays,��� Borseth said. ���Freshmen just seem to get overwhelmed with studies, with November 2011��� ������ the wolverine��� 77

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