The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/589596
2015-16 BASKETBALL PREVIEW Cyesha. "That is an area that is going to be completely inexperienced and new. Just in terms of who is going to play there, Kelsey Mitchell is fighting for minutes right now with Jillian Dun‑ ston and Maria Backman, and also freshman Hallie Thome." Flaherty is expected to be the mar‑ quee player for the Wolverines this year after leading the team last sea‑ son in scoring (14.3 points per game) despite her limited starting role. Goree and Smith were No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in scoring, and with both of them now gone Flaherty might be under more pressure. How‑ ever, it doesn't feel that way to her. "I'm a lot more confident this year," Flaherty said. "I know what to expect now, and that makes it easier. I don't think it's really more pres‑ sure. There are a lot of people who can step up and score for our team. We also have good distributors, and Coach Arico does a great job with plays to get good looks. "If you're a scorer, you have to be‑ lieve in yourself and forget about a shot that doesn't go in. You have to believe that the next one will. I'm ready to do that for my team." Flaherty isn't the only guard with experience that's going to have to step up this year. Senior Madison Ristovski started just nine games last season, but provides solid leadership. "I think Shannon, Cyesha and Ni‑ cole had really great leadership qual‑ ities in different ways, and I learned a lot from them on and off the court," she said. "I hope that I can do this year what they did to the team. "I think I'm a mix of all three. Ni‑ cole was a great captain and always led by example. Shannon was some‑ body that wasn't afraid to say or do anything to motivate people. Cyesha just worked so hard." FRESHMEN FOURSOME Replacing the three decorated se‑ niors won't be easy, but Flaherty, Ristovski and the rest of the return‑ ers won't have to try alone. Arico brought in the No. 14‑ranked recruit‑ ing class in the nation, according to ESPNW HoopGurlz. The rookie group is made up of 6‑5, four‑star center Hallie Thome, four‑ star guard Nicole Munger, four‑star guard Boogie Brozoski and three‑ star forward Sam Trammel, and has a chance to make a big, and needed, impact. Thome, a post player, was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Ohio, and Brozoski, a point guard, received the same honor for New York. "I'm feeling excited about the whole team because we have new faces, and they are young, enthusias‑ tic and energetic," Barnes Arico said. "Hallie is going to have to come in and learn on the job. She's going to be thrown into the fire, just like Kate‑ lynn was last year. She has to be a factor for us. She is adjusting to prac‑ tice really well and impacts the game on both ends of the floor. "She's not Cyesha Goree in terms of experience and bounce, but she