The Wolverine

November 2015

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/589596

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 127 of 193

2015-16 BASKETBALL PREVIEW BY BRANDON BROWN I n three seasons at U‑M, Kim Barnes Arico has a 62‑40 re‑ cord and is the only coach in program history to record three 20‑win campaigns. She already ranks fifth all time at Michigan in total wins and first in winning per‑ centage (.608). The Wolverines have reached the postseason in all three of Barnes Arico's seasons, highlighted by a 2013 NCAA Tournament sec‑ ond‑round appearance and a 2015 WNIT semifinals berth. That success recently earned Barnes Arico a three‑year contract extension that will keep her in Ann Arbor through the 2020‑21 season. "When I came to Michigan three years ago, I really believed it was a place my family and I would be at for a long time," said Barnes Arico, who coached at St. John's for 10 years. "I left a top‑20 program and the region I grew up in because I believed in the vision of Michigan, everything it has to offer its student‑athletes and its commitment to excellence." That mission aligns with Barnes Arico's own, and she has coached and recruited at a level that the wom‑ en's program hasn't seen in the past. This, her fourth season, could prove to be one of her toughest chal‑ lenges yet. She'll have to replace three productive seniors from last year — Cyesha Goree, Nicole Elm‑ blad and Shannon Smith. "This year 's team is going to be completely different," Barnes Arico said with a nervous but excited laugh. "What Cyesha, Nicole and Shannon meant to our program and how much swag they had and how much intensity they brought every day — that is a big void. Those three were special. Cyesha and Nicole were the winningest players in pro‑ gram history. "For someone to fill their shoes im‑ mediately is not going to be easy. For us to be the team we were the last two seasons or so is not going to hap‑ pen right away. "We are going to look drastically different. Obviously Siera [Thomp‑ son], Katelynn [Flaherty] and Madi‑ son [Ristovski] have played signifi‑ cant minutes, but we lost our whole inside game when we lost Nicole and A NEW YEAR The Wolverines Will Try To Replace Three Key Seniors With Young Talent And A Different Style

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolverine - November 2015