The Wolverine

November 2021

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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NOVEMBER 2021 THE WOLVERINE 49 2021-22 BASKETBALL PREVIEW postgame press conference following the Wolverines' win over blue-blood program Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32, with the reason being that her team — not just her individually — was finally garnering attention and credit. Hillmon and Brown's supporting cast, Barnes Arico noted, is why she believes U-M can have a great year. "I believe that the difference in our team is those other pieces, and everyone buying into their role and everyone doing their role as good as they possibly can," she said. While the Wolverines lost two starters — guard Akienreh Johnson and forward Hailey Brown — from a year ago, there's plenty of experience still residing on the roster. Key returners whom Barnes Arico de- scribed as "glue players" include Amy Dilk, the team's starting point guard who missed the NCAA Tournament run due to "a medical issue;" her postseason re- placement and a team captain along with Hillmon, senior guard Danielle Rauch; and senior forward Emily Kiser. "Those are the kind of things that make great teams," Barnes Arico explained. "Obviously, you need great players like Naz and Leigha, but you need great pieces and you need players that are unselfish and want to do anything that they can to help the team be successful." Consider junior guard Maddie Nolan one of those players, too. She was pegged by several of her teammates as the team's top breakout candidate, after shining in a less-significant role last season (4.5 points in 21.5 minutes per game). A team that lost its top volume deep shooter in Hailey Brown will lean on Nolan, who connected on 36.8 percent of her triples last season, to do some of the heavy lifting in that regard. "She's arguably the toughest kid we have on our team," Barnes Arico raved. "She can do a little bit of everything." "We all saw how hard Maddie worked and how much she meant to this team, but I think this will be her breakout year," Hillmon said. "Coming in here, knowing that people believe in you, those teammates that be- lieve in me, is a huge thing," Nolan said, adding that she's much more confident this season. The Wolverines finally know what high-level success looks like, but they're not banking on last season to carry them this time around. If anything, the taste of accomplishment has whet their appetite even more. "We have the blueprint now," Hillmon explained. "We know that it started at this time [the preseason], and that we'll get better over time, but it starts now. And that's how it'll get the ball rolling." "There were a lot of stepping-stones throughout last season that gave us con- fidence," Barnes Arico added. And Michigan is intent on finding a similar stride this year. ❏ No. Name Pos. Height Class Hometown 00 Naz Hillmon F 6-2 Sr. Cleveland A first-team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year last season, she is the most decorated player in program history, having led the team with 23.9 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, while adding 1.3 assists per contest and shooting 62.3 percent from the field last season. 1 Amy Dilk G 6-0 Sr. Carmel, Ind. Averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and a team-high 3.9 assists per game last season, starting 18 of her 19 appearances, and was named to the All-Big Ten second team by the coaches. 3 Maddie Nolan G 5-11 Jr. Zionsville, Ind. Started four of 20 games last season, averaging 4.5 points and 3.3 minutes in 21.5 minutes. 5 Laila Phelia G 6-0 Fr. Cincinnati A two-time state champion (2019, 2021) at Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati, she averaged 16.4 points, 3.1 re- bounds and 1.8 steals per contest during her prep senior sea- son. She was a McDonald's All-America Game nominee and ranked as the No. 28 player in her class by ESPN.com. 10 Jordan Hobbs G 6-3 Fr. Springboro, Ohio A two-time second-team all-state selection, she registered 17.6 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game as a prep senior last season. 12 Ari Wiggins G 5-8 Fr. Indianapolis The runner-up for 2021 Indiana Miss Basketball and a four-time all-state selection, she posted 27.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.4 steals per game as a senior. 15 Taylor Gibson F 6-2 Fr. Upper Marlboro, Md. Her prep team played just five games last season, but she was nominated for the McDonald's All-America Game and averaged nearly 10 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior. 23 Danielle Rauch G 5-8 Sr. Syracuse, N.Y. Started in five of her 19 appearances in 2020-21, averaging 2.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 16.3 minutes. 24 Michelle Sidor G 5-9 Jr. Upper Saddle River, N.J. Played in 15 games off the bench last year, generating 2.3 points and 1.0 rebounds in 7.1 minutes per contest. 25 Whitney Sollom F 6-4 So. Hartland, Mich. Appeared in 10 clashes off the bench last season, notching 1.3 points and 1.4 rebounds in 3.5 minutes per game. 30 Elise Stuck G/F 6-1 So. Charlevoix, Mich. Competed in 10 tilts off the bench during her freshman cam- paign, averaging 1.1 points and 1.0 rebound in 6.7 minutes per contest. 32 Leigha Brown G 6-1 Sr. Auburn, Ind. The Nebraska transfer was tabbed to the All-Big Ten second team by both the coaches and media in 2020-21, her first season in Ann Arbor, after starting all 18 games in which she played and averaging 18.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 as- sists. 33 Emily Kiser F 6-3 Sr. Noblesville, Ind. Appeared in 17 games as a backup, averaging 2.4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.5 minutes of action per contest last season. 34 Izabel Varejão C 6-4 Jr. Vitoria-Espirito Santo, Brazil Did not see game action last season after experiencing travel issues in getting back to the United States, but registered 5.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2019-20. 44 Cameron Williams F 6-3 So. Chicago Saw action in 12 contests off the bench last season, recording 1.7 points and 1.0 rebound in 4.2 minutes of action per tilt. — Clayton Sayfie 2021-22 Women's Basketball Roster

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