The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/213966
women's basketball clapping, calling for it, where other kids were shying away. I think that says a lot about her, that she had the guts to take the shot. And believed that she can make a difference. I was so proud to see her come through." Barnes Arico would never temper expectations for a team, but she knew coming into this year that it would be a "learning process." And what have the Wolverines learned through four games? They're not going to give up. In the third game of the year, Michigan once again forced overtime, falling to a tough Xavier squad, 79-75, in extra minutes. The Wolverines may be 2-2 on the year, but there is a "super-positive" energy in the Player Development Center, according to Barnes Arico, because of the way the team has played, even in the losses. "It's very encouraging," junior guard Shannon Smith said. "We're learning from each experience that we're going through, and we're continuing to learn how to play together as one. We're making strides to get better every day, and that's what counts right now." "The kids are really starting to buy into what we want to do," Barnes Arico added. "They're really improving every day. From a coaching perspective, the one thing that you can hope for is that they do buy into the culture, work hard and get better every day. It has been great. All of these games have given us experience — we're learning firsthand what it's like to be put in that position." Shannon Smith Off To A Hot Start With the loss of a senior class that won a program-record 80 games, the Wolverines knew they were going to need some big help from new contributors this year. Michigan returned just 186 total offensive points from the 2012-13 team, and the top five scorers all graduated. "I wondered all summer, after graduating that class, who would score the basketball for us," head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "That was a major concern, and Shannon [Smith] has picked up that slack." Smith, a junior in her first year with the program, won the 2010 North Carolina Miss Basketball Award before committing to play for North Carolina. After two years in Chapel Hill, Smith played one year at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, where she excelled and led her team to a national title. She joined the Wolverines this summer and immediately fit in. "Shannon is a great fit to this program," junior forward Cyesha Goree said. "I am so happy she came here. We click so well, on and off the court, and she gives us a lot of things we needed, from attacking the basket to a nice outside shot. "It's hard to defend her, because you never know if she's going to pull up or take you off the bounce. She can also kick the ball out. She is a great asset to this program." Smith led the team in scoring in