The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/418536
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL lit up when asked about the incoming youngsters and believes they can take the program to heights that she never got to experience. "It's exciting, isn't it?" she asked rhe- torically. "I love it. There's so much talent with this freshman class. There is so much room for them to grow, but they are already so good. These girls are a very talented group, and there's another good class on the way. "I really want for Michigan women's basketball to be able to hang some Big Ten championship banners. Even if it comes when I'm not here, I'll still feel like I was a part of that. One of Coach's favorite things to say is that coming to Michigan isn't a four-year commit- ment, it's a 40-year commitment and I really feel that way. It's exciting to see where this program is headed." Spoken like a true leader. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • Head coach Kim Barnes Arico went 22‑11 in her first season as head coach at U‑M, tying the mark for most wins in a season in school history. She fol‑ lowed that up with another 20‑win season last year making her the first coach to accomplish that in program history. • Senior wing Nicole Elmblad was named the program's second‑ever Aca‑ demic All‑American last year, earning a second‑team nod. • Senior forward Cyesha Goree was one of four players that garnered pre‑ season All‑Big Ten honors, landing on the coaches' and the media's second team. Senior guard Shannon Smith, Elmblad and sophomore guard Siera Thompson each received honorable mention notice. • Michigan signed a five‑member re‑ cruiting class in 2014 that was ranked No. 23 in the country, the highest in pro‑ gram history. • Barnes Arico has high expectations for Goree and Elmblad in their final sea‑ sons. She knows they will lead the team in a way that exemplifies hard work and effort. "It's exciting for me to have both those players returning," Barnes Arico said. "Cyesha came off an outstanding year last year. She didn't play a lot prior to last year and finished the season as an all‑ conference second‑team player. "Nicole Elmblad sets an example each and every single day, and she plays ex‑ tremely hard. "I think rebounding a lot of times is effort, and we chart it every day in prac‑ tice. At the end of our first week of prac‑ tice, Nicole and Cyesha were at the top of the rebounding board. Now we just have to get a couple of the young ones up there as well." ❏ Sitting Down With Assistant Coach Megan Duffy Assistant coach Megan Duffy came to Michigan this June after spending the last two seasons at George Washington. The three years before that she was on the bench with head coach Kim Barnes Arico at St. John's.