The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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MAY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 41 in program history, the Wolverines were one win away from a Final Four, and top-seeded Louisville awaited. "We have made history throughout this entire season, but we wanted to continue to keep doing things that have never been done before," Brown, who was second on the team with 14 points per game, said. "And to go through the highs and lows that we did this season, I wouldn't trade this team for anyone else, wouldn't trade this coaching staff for anyone else." "Every time we make history, I think about all the people before us," Hill- mon added, reflecting on earning an Elite Eight bid. "Some of the teammates that we had who wanted to get to this point, players who we don't know but have helped to build and establish what we have — our culture, our system — working toward putting Michigan on the map." U-M dealt with adversity through- out the season, from not winning the Big Ten regular-season title to get- ting bounced in its first game of the conference tournament by Nebraska, 76-73. Injuries played a factor in back- to-back February losses at Michigan State and at Northwestern, with Brown missing both contests due to an ail- ment. The Wolverines could have crumbled, but instead entered the postseason with motivation. "The great quality about this team and this program has been the ability to get back up every day and to come to- gether and say, well, now we have some- thing to prove," Barnes Arico explained. "It's really, really hard because I think in 20 years I'm going to look up and that Big Ten banner is not going to be there, and this team deserved it more than any I've been a part of and that's never going to go away." But the moment they had together after beating South Dakota couldn't be taken from them, and it's one she'll never forget, the head coach added. While U-M had lost to the Cardi- nals by 22 points earlier in the season, Michigan had its chances in the Wichita Regional Final. The Wolverines trailed by just two points with less than three minutes to go, but Louisville turned on the jets and scored the game's final 10 points. U-M missed its last eight shots of the game. "I don't think the final score is in- dicative of how that game went and how hard we fought and how much we put them on the ropes," Rauch, who aver- aged 5.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per outing this season, said. "We applied pressure as much as we could." In the Wolverines' typical fashion, they had plenty of perspective even fol- lowing a devastating, season-ending loss. "This is just a really special group," Hillmon said. "And not just the ones from this year but from my four years here." "For me, I didn't know if I was ever going to play a minute at Michigan and I just played in the Elite Eight as the starting point guard for this university," an emotional Rauch said. "I think that's something that's going to stick with me for a while, and the support that I've had. "We just played in the Elite Eight. Michigan women's basketball history is not written that way — and we made it that way. "So, leaving these four years and un- derstanding the impact that our class had, I wouldn't trade anything that I went through to get to this point, be- cause it all made it possible for us to be here." ❏ What's Next, And Who's Back? After the loss to Louisville, head coach Kim Barnes Arico was asked about seniors other than guard Leigha Brown potentially returning, but she didn't give a firm answer. U-M only has so many scholarships to go around, of course. Forward Naz Hillmon declared for the 2022 WNBA Draft and was selected by the Atlanta Dream with the 15th overall pick. Regardless of what happens with the others, the Wolverines' roster is in good shape. Barnes Arico is confident those returning will be able to keep the program on an upward trajectory. "They are leaving a legacy," the head coach said of the departing players. "They left their mark. Now it's the responsibility of the rest of us to continue on that path and learn from what they taught us — and that's their hard work, their perseverance, their never-quit attitude that all of them have." The backcourt should be strong, with Brown, the headliner, freshman Laila Phelia and junior Maddie Nolan set to return. Phelia averaged 8.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest and has 14 games of starting experience under her belt. Nolan, meanwhile, shot 40.5 percent from three-point range (seventh in the Big Ten) and added 8.9 points and 4.2 boards per game. For the first time since the 2017-18 season, U-M will be without Hillmon down low, but there's talent that will have to emerge. Sophomore forward Cameron Williams is in store for a bigger role after generating 2.7 points and 1.4 rebounds per contest this season, and junior Izabel Varejão (2.3 points per game) will have to take a big leap, too. The Maize and Blue also are bringing in a signing class rated No. 22 in ESPN. com's rankings released on signing day in November, headlined by Alyssa Crockett, a four-star, top-50 forward out of Westfield (Ind.) High. — Clayton Sayfie Guard Leigha Brown will be returning for a fifth year after ranking second on the U-M team with a 14-point scoring average in 2021-22. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY