The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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46 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2024 2024-25 BASKETBALL PREVIEW BY ANTHONY BROOME H ead coach Kim Barnes Arico has led Michigan women's basketball to heights some never could have imagined during her time in charge of the program. She is the all-time winningest coach in program history, with 261 victories and a .662 winning percentage in 12 seasons on the bench. This offseason, though, proved to be one of her biggest challenges yet, having to navigate a new-look land- scape in college sports in terms of roster construction. The Wolverines lost a handful of key contributors to the transfer portal, in- cluding their leading scorer in Laila Phe- lia (Texas). Three others — Chyra Evans (Utah), Taylor Woodson (Minnesota) and Elise Stuck (Ball State) — also left for dif- ferent destinations. But senior guard Greta Kampschro- eder, senior guard Jordan Hobbs, soph- omore guard Macy Brown and junior forward Alyssa Crockett — dubbed the "Quad Squad" — have kept the program afloat this offseason while the team takes on a new look with eight new players, including the best recruiting class in pro- gram history. "The 'Quad Squad' has been unbeliev- able," Barnes Arico told NBC at Big Ten Basketball Media Days in Rosemont, Ill., in early October. "We kind of rallied at the end of last season and just spent a lot of time together talking about this upcom- ing season and leaning into their lead- ership and having a new role that they haven't ever had before. "But we have three players from the transfer portal and five freshmen, and the eight of them have been unbelievable. They bring a smile to my face every day. They are so hungry and so eager to learn, to be a part of the Michigan culture, to be a part of the Michigan community and to learn from the four returners, to learn from our seniors. It's been really special." Michigan's freshmen, who have a chance to be a breath of fresh air for the program, are headlined by Syla Swords and Olivia Olson, ESPN's No. 4 and No. 20 players, respectively, making them the highest-ranked newcomers in program history. They are joined by a third guard in Mila Holloway and a pair of forwards in Te'Yala Delfosse and Aaiyanna Dunbar. "This class can be really, really, really special," Barnes Arico said. "They're leaning into our seniors, but … the five of them, they are connected. Syla was a lit- tle worried coming off the Olympics that she missed the summer with them. Was she going to be able to jell with them? She sat in my office and she's like, 'Coach, I just love my freshman class. I love how committed we are. I love how great they are as people, and I love how connected we are.'" Aside from the connectivity, this freshmen class is also raising the level of competition in practices in the lead-up to the 2024-25 season. "[The freshmen] are competitors," Barnes Arico said. "They want to com- pete every single day in practice. They're out there leading some of the stuff in practice. I've never seen people work as hard, and I've coached some of the great- est, greatest kids. I mean, they just com- pete at every single thing that they do." The meshing of the young pieces with the "Quad Squad" could be one of the defining trends of the season, and the returning players on the roster can feel that impact so far. "They're very, very mature players," Hobbs said at Big Ten Media Days, via The Michigan Daily. "I've never seen freshmen play like they do and make the passes that they do. Typically, when freshmen come in, the game is super-fast, and they're not getting the reads that juniors and seniors can make. But they can see those passes, and I just think they're very mature in their skill set and making the right shots or taking the right shots and making the right passes to people." "Despite all the talent that they have, I think they're hungry to get better and keep learning," Kampschroeder said. "So, they're always asking questions, whether it's to [veteran players] or to the coaches. They're just ready to take their game to the next level, which is going to be great for them in the long run. And I think they're setting a standard for everyone else in the program as well." Head coach Kim Barnes Arico was joined at Big Ten Media Days by a pair of veteran leaders in senior guards Jordan Hobbs and Greta Kampschroeder (pictured from left to right). PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS MESHING TOGETHER 'Quad Squad,' Joined By Elite Recruiting Class, Will Lead New-Look Wolverines