The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/201975
proving to be one of the most dynamic rebounders on the roster this summer — will be out three to five months with a broken bone in her foot. (As a side note, injuries aren't nearly as worrisome as last year, when Mitchell, Driscoll, fifth-year senior Kendra Seto and sophomore Rebecca Lyttle all went down with ACL injuries before the first game of the season.) In the backcourt, Smith and Thompson have earned starting roles as a shooting guard and point guard, respectively. "I think my role is to make the people around me better," Thompson said. "Coach Arico wants me to be aggressive, but also run the team. I am doing whatever she needs me to do. If she puts me out there and tells me to do something, I'm going to do it." With Thompson taking the majority of the work at the point, it opens Smith up to be more of a roaming scorer. "My strength is probably scoring and shooting the ball, Smith said. "I like to pass a lot, too. "The two-guard is more of a scorer. You have to stop looking to pass as much, but you still have to find open teammates if they're there. It's more of being able to make big shots, whereas the point guard is more setting you up for the scoring. You can be a scoring point guard too, which is what I did at North Carolina. Both spots feed off each other." Ristovski, who spelled Ryan at point guard last year, will also rotate in at the one. But she will be more of an off-ball scorer this year. To prepare, she took more than 500 shots a day this summer, racking up some 25,000 shots. Ristovski went 9 of 22 from the floor and 2 of 8 from three-point range last year. "I was really able to work on my shot, because I knew that we would have other people that could be on the ball," Ristovski said. "I like that, because it frees up my game a little bit. I get to come off the ball a little more and really be more open to take more shots." Williams, more of a defense-first guard right now, had been expected to see heavy playing time, too, but she suffered a broken finger that required surgery, and she is expected to miss the first four-to-six weeks of the season. With an eight-player rotation, Rakers, who missed a few crucial weeks with an ankle injury this summer, and the forward trio of Lyttle, Seto and Driscoll will compete for playing time from now until November. With so little experience and so much to replace, the Wolverines will certainly face challenges this year. But Barnes Arico knows one thing for sure. "We're going to be the hardestworking team in America, whether that's in the classroom or on the court," Barnes Arico said. "Those expectations aren't for everyone. We talk about that during the recruiting process. "If you don't have a drive and a passion to be excellent, Michigan is probably not the place for you. That's the culture of our University, and that's what we stand for. Our incoming kids all have that drive and passion." ❏