The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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watched film and worked on get- ting Katelynn's confidence up, and it really paid off. She really came on strong in the second half of the year." Flaherty scored 20 or more points in seven of 23 games in January, Feb- ruary and March, and one game in April (once almost every three con- tests), after scoring 20 points in only a single contest among the Maize and Blue's first 12 outings. Michigan was an impressive 7-1 in the eight games Flaherty scored 20 points or more, largely because she helped spread the floor, creating greater offensive opportunities for teammates when she was hitting her target consistently. "[Departed senior] Cyesha Goree, who had her best year, really loved playing with Katelynn because now defenders have to make a decision — 'Who am I going to take away?'" Barnes Arico said. "When this kid really knocks down shots like she can, you have to pay attention to her. That would open up the middle for Cyesha and lanes for our guards to drive, or even create a little more space on the perimeter so that our kids were taking a shot with- out a hand in their face because their defender had one eye on Katelynn." Flaherty connected on 41.6 percent of her total attempts and 37.5 per- cent of her three-pointers in finish- ing with 499 points — second all- time by a Michigan freshman (Peg Harte scored 552 points in 1982). She also contributed 1.9 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game, both statistics she is eager to improve on next year. "In high school, I needed to be ev- erything with the team I was on, but my role freshman year here was to shoot and score," Flaherty said. "A lot of people think I'm just a shooter, and I want to show them I can create shots for myself and my teammates, that I can handle the ball and be a good defensive player. I want to be a complete player, and I think my team will need me to do a little bit of everything to help us win." Like in 2014-15, when she had to adapt to the grind of college athletics, Flaherty will face a new challenge and adjustment period. She spent her rookie season coming off the bench — and was named the Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year — but she will be a key cog in the starting rotation next season, maybe the most important player on the team. "Next year, opponents will think if they shut down Katelynn they shut down Michigan. She will face dou- ble-teams, players will get physical with her, coaches will match up their best defender on her. She's going to have to be that much better to be the leader we need her to be," Barnes Arico said. "A lot of kids struggle with the ex- pectations and with being No. 1 on everyone's scouting report. I've told her to go back and watch film of the games she struggled, see what teams did to take her out of her comfort zone, and how she can counter that. "She's committed herself to being the best she can be, and she has been working harder this offseason than she's ever worked before, in terms of her conditioning, her shooting, and