The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/544673
Hallie Thome, basketball — Michi- gan last featured a 6-5 or taller player in 6-6 Krista Phillips (2007- 10), and head coach Kim Barnes Arico understands the incredible impact a player of such height can have on her team. "The thing we were missing this last year is that length to alter other people's shots, and Hallie will have the ability to do that," Barnes Arico said. "She will need to get stronger, and she will need to adjust to college, but you can't teach 6-5." The Chagrin Falls, Ohio, native is a four-star prospect ranked No. 65 nationally by ESPN.com/HoopGurlz and No. 79 by BlueStarBB.com. In 2015, Thome was named a Pa- rade All-American, Ohio Miss Bas- ketball, and Cleveland.com's Girls Player of the Year, after leading her team to a 26-1 record. The standout averaged 20.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.6 blocks in the regular season, helping the Tigers amass a 22-0 record and win a Divi- sion II district title. "She's a lefty. She runs the floor extremely well — we don't want to change our style, so we need some- one that can run the floor and Hallie is definitely that," Barnes Arico said. Lauren Brozoski, basketball — Michi- gan graduates starting point guard Shannon Smith, and while junior Siera Thompson has her sights set on winning that job in 2015-16, Bro- zoski should immediately contend for minutes. The 5-6 Cambria Heights, N.Y., na- tive is a four-star prospect, ranked the No. 62 player nationally by Blue- StarBB.com and No. 86 by ESPN. com/HoopGurlz. In 2015, she was a Parade All- American and Miss New York after leading Long Island Lutheran to a 19-4 record and a Class AA state title. Brozoski scored 24 points in the 66-52 championship contest victory and averaged 18.3 points per game on the season. "She has that New York swagger, a little chip on her shoulder, and she will be able to find all of our weap- ons on the floor," Barnes Arico said. "The other thing about 'Boogie' is she can score so you can't step off of her." Leah Cardarelli and Maggie Bettez, field hockey — High school team- mates at Acton Boxborough in Ac- ton, Mass., Cardarelli and Bettez were both named first-team National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Americans in 2014. The two led the Colonials to a 23-0-1 record and a Massachusetts championship in their senior season (in addition to an ice hockey state title in 2015). The state's leading scorer with 25 goals and 33 assists as a senior, Cardarelli finished her prep career with 74 markers and 64 helpers. She was the Boston Globe Field Hockey Player of the Year. A defender, Bettez was named to the Lowell Sun All-State field hockey team, along with her teammate. A Dual County League All-Star, she was recently named to the U.S. Un- der-19 National team.