The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/418536
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Duffy, a native of Dayton, Ohio, graduated from Notre Dame in 2006 and was selected 31st overall in the WNBA Draft by the Minne‑ sota Lynx. She has also played overseas with teams in Romania, Slovakia, Italy and Wales. The Wolverine: What were your responsibili‑ ties at George Washington and how did it help prepare you for this new opportunity? Duffy: "At GW I was the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. I had a lot of differ‑ ent responsibilities. I had my hands in a lot of aspects of running a program. "It was great for me to see it through the eyes of a first‑time head coach — Jonathan Tsipis had just taken over. It was a good dynamic being on the East Coast, but then I got this op‑ portunity to join Coach Arico again." The Wolverine: You are new to Michigan, but not to Kim Barnes Arico. What's your working relationship like with her and how has it been rejoining her staff? Duffy: "It's been a really easy transition coming into Michigan just for the fact that she's here. I was able to work with her for three years at St. John's, and we had a lot of success. "I understand what she expects out of her players and what she expects out of the staff. The culture that she brings every day, the work ethic is a big thing that we talk about a lot. "That part was easy, and now it's just getting to know Michigan and the area and the Midwest from a recruiting side of things. I'm just working on finding my niche within the staff." The Wolverine: Speaking of your niche, what is it? What do you bring to this staff? Duffy: "I came here to help take this team to the next level. I think they've done an awesome job in the last two years putting in Coach Arico's philosophy and culture. They've done a great job with recruiting, and now it's about getting them here and developing them. "From a personality standpoint, I'm very high energy. Being a former player, I can bring that dynamic of what it's like being out there. There are highs and lows through everything, and I try to communicate that to our players and show them the way to get through all of it." The Wolverine: Coming into a new situation, what does a coach do to try and Duffy is in her first season as an assistant coach at Michigan after previously working at George Washington, and with U-M head coach Kim Barnes Arico when she was at St. John's. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS