The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FEBRUARY 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 59 BY ANTHONY BROOME J an. 11, 2026, will go down as a key date in U-M women's basketball his- tory. That was when Michigan honored former star Diane Dietz, who held the program's all-time scoring record for 35 years, raising her famed No. 21 jersey to the rafters in Crisler Center. Dietz's jersey is the first to be hon- ored by the women's program, but it will not be the last. U-M also plans to honor Katelynn Flaherty and Naz Hillmon be- fore the 2025-26 season wraps up. But Dietz was the player who proved to be a natural starting point for the program to remember its roots and honor where it has come from. Dietz scored 2,076 points during her four-year run with the Wolverines from 1978-82, a mark that was broken by Fla- herty during the 2017-18 season. She now stands in fourth place, trailing only Flaherty, Hillmon and Hallie Thorne. Dietz is one of two Wolverines in the Academic All-America Hall of Fame and U-M's first female recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1982. Her name is attached to the team award that goes to the player who "best embodies the values and work ethic of a Michigan women's basketball player." Dietz is also a member of U-M's Hall of Honor and the Michigan Sports Hall Of Fame. And now, she is part of a his- toric set of names and jersey numbers hanging at Crisler Center. Only one of them — Cazzie Russell's No. 33 — is officially retired by the program. The others include Bill Buntin (No. 22), Phil Hubbard (No. 35), Glen Rice (No. 41) and Rudy Tomjanovich (No. 45). "When I was first hired here 14 years ago, I learned as much history as I could to learn who came before and who paved the way," head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "Diane Dietz was at the forefront of that. And her picture is all over the building. Over the last 14 years, she's become a very good friend of mine, she comes to my children's games. "She's super supportive of our pro- gram. She helps me in the community. … An incredible woman, and she was an incredible player inside our program. So, I do know her pretty well. And this is a long time coming. "This is an honor that she has de- served. We haven't had any women be honored in this way. And she's waited a long time." Dietz addressed the crowd on Jan. 11 at halftime after her jersey was raised to the rafters and she spoke on the gravity of the moment while reflecting on the journey that led her there. " I am not going to lie, this entire day is getting more surreal by the minute," Dietz said on the floor. "It has far ex- ceeded anything I could have dreamt in my wildest dreams. What an honor to be here and what an honor to share it ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Diane Dietz's No. 21 Is Retired, Making U-M Women's Basketball History Dietz (center right and inset) became the first Michigan women's basketball player honored by U-M with her No. 21 now hanging above the court at Crisler Center. PHOTOS COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY