The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/201975
rimeter and on the low block — basically, wherever the team needs her. The Wolverines will be very small this year. They have just one player (senior Val Driscoll, who missed last year with an ACL injury and has played just 80 total minutes in her ca- Junior Cyesha Goree, a 6-3 forward, has played in only 12 games the past two seasons, but U-M's coaches are excited about her defensive and rebounding abilities. photo by per kjeldsen reer) listed at 6-4 or taller. The rest of the Big Ten is lengthier, including last year's Big Ten champion Penn State, which has an impressive eight players taller than 6-1 (to Michigan's three), and Michigan State, which has the tallest player in the league: 6-7 red- shirt junior center Madison Williams. "With our conditioning, we're trying to combat our height with being able to go longer than any other team," Elmblad said. "We're emphasizing that everyone has a role in rebounding." Goree, 6-3, doesn't have a ton of experience, but Barnes Arico and her staff are very excited about her defensive and rebounding abilities. "I'm really excited for this opportunity," said Goree. "I have been working so hard. I have dedicated myself. I'm all in and ready for the season. "I have changed tremendously with my game. I can run up and down the floor a lot quicker. I can move quicker on defense. I've worked harder on and off the court, and focused on my eating habits." Goree collected just one rebound in her 24 minutes of action last year, but that number will drastically increase in 2013‑14. "I told Cyesha that in her first game her junior year she could possibly get more minutes then she has in her career here, which is kind of scary for me," Barnes Arico said. "She's going to have to rebound the basketball for us, and she's really going to have to do it on both ends of the floor. "That is probably our No. 1 concern, and that's a great question. I think we faced it a little bit last year, and we had more size then we do this year. We really put an emphasis every day in practice on boxing out and being able to chase balls down." Unfortunately, redshirt freshman Kelsey Mitchell — who missed last season with an ACL injury and was