The Wolverine

February 2012

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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WOMEN'S BASKETBALL more people you have in your rota- tion, the more versatile and diverse your team is," he said. "You don't just have a specific style of play and certain players executing that style for 40 minutes. "As soon as you bring someone else onto the court, it changes what you do. Whether it's Kate Thompson or Kendra Seto or Nya, it changes who you are, changes your attack, particularly on the offensive end, be- cause you've got different people do- ing different things. I've always rec- ognized that, but I've always hated it. Hate isn't the right word — I've been hesitant." The Maize and Blue began to see Junior Sam Arnold provided U-M with a boost off the bench in a 73-62 victory over Ohio State Jan. 7, and was averaging 4.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game through Jan. 17. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN for them, too. If the group that's on the court is working, don't fix it. "But, as you wear down and get tired, you don't want to be predict- able. If you get a couple more players involved, it gives your team a differ- ent dynamic. I'm adapting to that, and telling myself to substitute more to stay in better shape and give us different looks." This year, nine players have played in all 18 games while a 10th — red- shirt sophomore center Kendra Seto, who's in her first year of eligibility after transferring from Vermont — has played in 16 games. Eight players are averaging at least 12 minutes per game. Just two players, senior point guard Courtney Boylan and junior Jenny Ryan, are playing more than 27 minutes a game. "I think sometimes, not only for Coach Borseth but for coaches in gen- eral, it's hard to build trust in players who maybe don't start," Boylan said. "With our team, he's been here four years now, that trust is starting to accu- mulate within the entire organization. "It's just good for your whole team atmosphere when people can come in off the bench and more people are contributing. It makes the at- mosphere that much better, because more people are involved in the 78 THE WOLVERINE FEBRUARY 2012 games." It's an incredible amount of bal- ance for a Borseth team — and it seems to be working. The Wolver- ines, sitting at 14-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten through Jan. 17, are off to the best start in program history. Instead of throwing the same five players at any given opponent, the Wolverines' roster is a constantly fluid experiment. Boylan may lead the way one game. Junior guard Kate Thompson, averaging 22.8 minutes a game off the bench, may lead them the next. Jordan, now a junior and still test- ing the strengths in her newly re- habbed knee, came off the bench for the first 15 games but is now jockey- ing for starting position with fresh- man Nicole Elmblad. Junior starting center Rachel Shef- fer — who is just 6-4 — has learned to defend players much taller than her, but depth in the post was a major concern before the year. The emer- gence of Arnold, also 6-4, and Seto, 6-1, has helped bolster the Wolver- ines down on the block. In short, Borseth's newfound open- ness to substitution has introduced a certain level of mystery to a lineup that has still yet to be set in stone. "I've always recognized that the the lineup deepening back in the summer, before Borseth was allowed to be around a voluntary practice due to NCAA rules. The team would meet for workouts or conditioning or pickup games at the Intramural Building, and the number of players stepping up in those sessions sur- prised some of the team's veterans. "Everyone was contributing," said Thompson, who's third on the team, above three starters, with a scoring average of 9.8 points per game. "Our open gyms were very competitive, and everyone was producing a lot. I knew we'd have a lot of talent and depth on our team. "I just like doing whatever can help the team. I do like coming in off the bench. When I check in, the person guarding me is already a little tired. They're not thinking about my tendencies as much. It's a good posi- tion to be in." Thompson has been the Wolver- ines' biggest weapon off the bench, on both sides of the court. In 18 games, she's posted 9.8 points per game, a team-leading 19 blocked shots and 3.5 rebounds per contest. "She does a lot," Borseth said. "On offense, obviously, she does a great deal. She scores, she shoots. She's kind of unorthodox on defense, but she's really long. She deflects passes, blocks shots, and because she long, tall and wide she's really tough to deal with. She gives you a big boost on the court." Arnold has been another impor- tant piece of the puzzle. In just 12.4 minutes a game, she's averaging 4.5 points and 1.1 rebounds and has been stalwart on defense, register- ing nine blocks and 11 steals.

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