The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1520409
42 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2024 2024 BASKETBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY JOHN BORTON M i c h i ga n wo m e n 's basketball never ex- perienced a recruit- ing class like the one ready to roll into Ann Arbor. Led by an un- precedented pair of McDonald's All-Americans, the fresh faces for Kim Barnes Arico's squad ap- pear ready to add rocket fuel to the already steady ascension by the program. "A class like this does not hap- pen without all of the players who have come before and laid this foundation," Barnes Arico told Mgoblue.com when the new blue crew signed last November. "They had an incredible belief to build something that wasn't here, and they built it. They be- lieved in what Michigan women's basketball could be and where we could go as a program. "It's because of what they ac- complished, what we have built and the banners we have hung that we could sign a class who believes they can win a national championship." Syla Swords and Olivia Olson — ranked by ESPN as the No. 4 and No. 20 recruits nationally following the season — abso- lutely believe it. The 6-foot-1 and 6-0 guards are joined in that belief by new classmates Mila Holloway, a 5-10 point guard; Aaiyanna Dunbar, a 6-2 forward; and Ta'Yala Delfosse, a 6-3 forward. ESPN ranked this aggregation the No. 7 class in college basketball, noting: "This is an extremely talented and balanced class … they have added elite perimeter play and versatility." They've also added tough- ness and incredible work ethic, according to Tim Ellef- son, head coach for Benilde St. Margaret's in St. Louis Park, Minn. Olson — his star player the past several years — possesses immense talent, but her overall makeup goes much deeper, Ellefson insisted. "The biggest thing is how hard she plays," he said. "You will find her diving for loose balls, rebounding. She'll be on the floor, making plays, all the time. It's just in her nature. She is the hardest- working player I've ever seen. "You add that with all the skill, and it's just a kid you want to root for. Maybe you remember the highlight of Dennis Rodman diving for the ball, midair, giving up his body — that's the kind of player she is. "Skill-wise, she led the state in rebounding, assists, steals and points last year — not this year, because she was hurt. She does it at every level. What's refreshing is, she will never try to show up another player. She'll never cel- ebrate a fancy play, or anything like that. It's all about going on to the next play. "That is a kid who hard-work- ing folks will especially appre- ciate. She's not out there show- boating. She's out there to do whatever she can do to win." Olson — who averaged 25.6 points, 12.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists as a junior — was doing whatever she could in her short- lived senior year opener. Soon, she couldn't do anything without pain. "She broke her hand about three minutes into the first game of the season," Ellefson recalled. "We're playing one of the top teams in the state. "I'm like, 'You need to go get that checked.' She says, 'I'm okay, I'm okay.' So then she goes back out there and tries to play. She gets a couple of rebounds and a couple of steals, then goes to shoot it, and the ball just goes flying out of her hands — she can't grip it. "She comes out of the game, and I told her, 'You need to go to the trainer.' She goes to the trainer and she comes back: 'I'm good to go, I'm good to go!' She played once again, goes for the ball, but once again, 'I can't feel the ball.' So you can't play. At halftime, she went and found out that it was broken. In the first game she could play after that injury on the very first Playing for Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran High, Swords ascended from No. 11 to No. 4 in the ESPNw/Hoopgurlz recruiting rankings this season. She and Olson both were named McDonald's All-Americans as well as the Gatorade Player of the Year in their respective states. PHOTO BY EJ ARROW/EJ'S EVALS MICHIGAN'S 2024-25 NEWCOMERS Player Pos. Ht. Hometown/High School Te'Yala Delfosse F 6-3 Ewing, N.J./Ewing Aaiyanna Dunbar F 6-2 Murfreesboro, Tenn./Blackman Mila Holloway G 5-10 Charlotte, N.C./Legacy Early College (S.C.) Olivia Olson G 6-1 New Hope, Minn./Benilde St. Margaret's Syla Swords G 6-0 Sudbury, Ont./Long Island (N.Y.) Lutheran Ally VanTimmeren* F 6-2 Allendale, Mich./Jenison/Boston College * transfer portal addition A Fantastic Five McDonald's All-Americans Syla Swords and Olivia Olson Headline Michigan's Best-Ever Class