The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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related to what Kate is doing," Thome explained. "It's easier to score if we're on the same side. Coach tries to put us both on the left side. It gives us a chance to pick and roll. If my post is late then there will be a mismatch somewhere. It's very convenient to have us both working together." The chemistry between Thome and Flaherty is still in the develop- mental stages, but it's easy to detect on the floor and when they speak about each other. Coaches and play- ers never like to get too far ahead of themselves, but with six other fresh- men and sophomores on the roster, both Flaherty and Thome can't help but think about how good they could be moving forward. "I'm definitely excited for what the future holds," said Thome. "We have a really young team, and it can only go up from here. If we keep working hard, pushing ourselves and being the hardest working team in America, I can't imagine what level we can get to. "I definitely think about the fu- ture," echoed Flaherty. "Games like our [74-67] loss against a top-10 team like Maryland show we're close. I think as we continue to grow and continue to understand the game, we will have what it takes to win those close games against good teams. "I still have a lot to learn as a soph- omore, and I think with each game, and next year and the year after that, we can be really good. I think Hallie will be one of the best players in the country by that time, too." Thome and Flaherty are playing at a high level, but with youth comes inexperience, and with inexperience comes mistakes. Barnes Arico tries to coach to their strengths and hopes that the on-the-job training will pay off in March and in the future. "Our team goes how they go," Barnes Arico said. "Young or not, any time you can have great players in your program is outstanding. "The hard part about it is that they are so young and they do make a lot of mistakes, especially on the defen- sive end of the court. They are both still learning and trying to under- stand things that you can only get with experience. "The more games and practices they have under their belt, the more comfortable and better they'll be on defense. Right now, though, they have to perform and learn on the job. They are performing at a high level while they're learning, which is a plus." ❏ Thomas, a senior, was an All‑Big Ten first‑teamer and the conference's Defen‑ sive Player of the Year, according to the media and the coaches after leading the team with 102 steals. She also averaged 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, which both led the team. At 5‑10, Thomas was listed at guard but played multiple positions. Entering the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed, Michigan lost to No. 9 Stan‑ ford in the first round, 81‑74 in overtime. — Brandon Brown