The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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JUNE/JULY 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 43 2023 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY ANTHONY BROOME H ead coach Kim Barnes Arico has been busy building out the U-M wom- en's basketball roster for the 2023-24 season through the transfer portal this spring. The Wolverines added a pair of graduate transfers in late April after landing former Western Michigan forward Taylor Williams earlier in the month. The first is guard Lauren Hansen, who comes to Ann Arbor after three seasons at Missouri. She will spend her final year of eligibility in Ann Arbor as a graduate student. Hansen started every game for the Tigers over the last few years, averaging 10.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 26.2 minutes per game during her time at Mizzou. She is coming off a career-high in aver- age points (12.9 per game), rebounds (2.9) and minutes (29.3), while also adding 44 steals and 65 three-pointers last season at Missouri. Hansen, a Long Island, N.Y. , n a t ive , p l aye d h e r freshman season at Auburn and appeared in 25 games, averaging 7.9 points, 1.4 re- bounds and 1.6 assists per game. She was ESPN's No. 71 overall recruit coming out of Ward Melville High School, where she averaged 27.8 points, 6.0 re- bounds and 5.0 assists per game as a senior. "Lauren is such a dynamic player who can really score the basketball," Barnes Arico said. "She is a competitor who plays with a high level of energy and fire. "I have watched her since she was a little kid, and it's clear that she loves the game; the way she plays is reflec- tive of the way we play here. She will fit exceptionally well into our style as a tough, hard-nosed guard. She brings a different type of flair and energy to our team, as well as a lot of experience. She has had to play against some of the best guards in the country the last four years in the SEC, and we are going to look for her to help lead our team from multiple positions, whether that's running the point or playing off the ball." Michigan also added forward Elissa Brett to the roster on April 28. She spent the last four seasons at Bowling Green and has one season of eligibility re- maining. Brett led BGSU to the semifinals of the WNIT and t h e M AC c h a m p i o n s h i p game during her senior sea- son, earning All-MAC first- team honors. She led the Fal- cons in scoring at 14.7 points per game and was second on the team in rebounds, grab- bing 6.0 per contest in 30.9 minutes. Brett is a native of Ad- elaide, Australia, joining ris- ing sophomore Chyra Evans as one of two Australians on the U-M squad. "Elissa is a proven winner," Barnes Arico said. "She is such a competitor, and what is really important during the recruiting process is finding players who fit into our style. "One of our core values is competitive greatness; we want players who want to compete at the highest level and who want to win at ev- erything they do. She does all of those things, and I think she is going to be a candidate for our sticker award every single day. She is an excep- tional defender who takes charges and rebounds ex- tremely well from the guard position. She can get to the basket and made more than 90 three-pointers last sea- son, so she can really score from all over the court. She also brings a lot of experi- ence to our team, both in the regular season and in the postseason." Williams, who signed with U-M on April 1, averaged 14.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game last season while earning MAC All-Defense and honor- able mention all-conference honors for the Broncos. "Taylor is a great kid and an incredibly hard worker," Barnes Arico said. "She has tremendous length and such a high motor to the ball. She brings so much versatility to the court with her ability to ❱ WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RECRUITING Wolverines Add Six New Faces To 2023-24 Roster U-M head coach Kim Barnes Arico and her program recently landed three veteran transfers — including former Missouri guard Lauren Hansen — to go along with a trio of top-100 high school signees. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY