The Wolverine

September 2022

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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SEPTEMBER 2022 THE WOLVERINE 57 BY ANTHONY BROOME S ophomore Greta Kamp- s c h ro e d e r j o i n e d t h e Michigan women's basketball program via the transfer portal this offseason, giving the Wol- verines their first McDonald's All-American in program his- tory. So far, the adjustment to Ann Arbor has been smooth for the talented young point guard. Kampschroeder was the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Illinois and the No. 32 recruit in the 2021 class per ESPN. The Naperville, Ill., native, was also a Jordan Brand C l a ss i c A l l -A m e r i ca n a n d Naismith Under Armour All- America honorable mention in high school. She averaged 17.8 points and 10 rebounds per game during her senior season and was the No. 8 recruit na- tionally according to Blue Star. During her freshman year at Oregon State, she played in 31 games with 25 starts, averag- ing 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest. She committed to Michi- gan May 1 and discussed what drew her to the program during a chat with Brian Boesch on the "Defend The Block" podcast in July. "One of the biggest things that stands out with this program is its competitive culture," Kampschroeder said. "Coach [Kim Barnes] Arico has done a really great job at turning this program into one that people should be scared of. They've been on the rise the past few years. "I want to help the team keep going forward and hopefully reach a Final Four. Also, the competitiveness and be- ing a little closer to home. There are a lot of pros to being here." Kampschroeder has Big Ten blood flowing through her veins, so it has been a natural transition. "I have tons of friends and family who have connections to the Big Ten," she said. "My dad went to Indiana, and my mom went to Illinois. I'm happy to be back in the Big Ten and getting to play closer to home, getting to see my family more often and seeing friends more often. "Growing up, I always thought I was going to play in the Big Ten. It's super cool, and I'm really excited." Kampschroeder was drawn to U-M for its recent success and improvement, but also the culture. Players are putting in the extra work to climb another step up the ladder after Sweet 16 and Elite Eight fin- ishes in the last two seasons, respectively. She has bought in completely. "Everyone's mentality is that we're going to work harder than anybody else in the country, and it's something you want to be around," Kampschroeder said. "I can already feel myself getting better quickly. It's not even just on the court; it's in the weight room. It's when we're doing conditioning. We had 7:30 a.m. conditioning [one morning] and girls are grind- ing it out. "Everyone embraces the challenge. It makes it so much more fun. When we say we're the hardest working team in America, there's no doubt that we are." Kampschroeder faced the Wolverines in person last sea- son and was on the wrong end of a 61-52 decision when Or- egon State and U-M met in the Daytona Invitational. She scored 5 points in the grind- it-out contest. Kampschroeder was aware of what was being built at U-M, given her interest dur- ing her high school recruit- ment. However, it did not sink in until she saw it in person. She knew that is what she wanted her team to look like. " T h e way t h a t t h ey 've improved and the way that Coach Arico has turned this program around is something that caught my eye," she explained. "I did see it in high school. They were getting better each year. Once we played Michi- gan when I was at Oregon State, there was just a moment in the game when I [realized] they were so gritty and so intense. It felt like they were at a whole different level. I wanted to play for a team like that. "It's not fun being on the other end when you're afraid of these girls who are working their butts off. They wanted it more. I wanted to be on the team that wanted it more, that is competing harder. That was something that caught my eye. "When I decided I wanted to leave Oregon State and I wanted more of that competitive culture, Michigan was one of the first schools that came to mind." ❏   MICHIGAN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Point Guard Transfer Greta Kampschroeder Is Embracing A Fresh Start Kampschroeder, a McDonald's All-American at Naperville (Ill.) North in 2021, joined Michigan in May 2022 after earning Pac-12 All-Freshman hon- orable mention honors at Oregon State last season. PHOTO COURTESY OREGON STATE ATHLETICS

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