The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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SOLID FOUNDATION NEW ERA, 2012-13 BASKETBALL PREVIEW 88-67 loss to Oklahoma last spring, there was obvious disappointment, but also cause for optimism. It was a benchmark loss for the W hen the final buzzer sounded on the Michi- gan women's basketball team's season-ending BY ANDY REID Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico Will Aim To Blend Veterans And Fresh Faces program, if there could be such a thing — because it happened in the NCAA Tournament, an event to which the Wolverines have rarely earned an invite. In the women's basketball pro- gram's 39-year history, Michigan has garnered just five bids to the tour- nament, and last year's was the first since 2001. With another strong sea- son, it could make consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the second time in program history (2000 and 2001). All signs pointed upward. For just second time in history, the Wolver- ines had strung together multiple non-losing seasons, going 21-14 while advancing to the WNIT in 2010, 17-13 with another WNIT appearance in 2011, and finishing 20-12 and in the NCAA Tournament last season. And a talented, battle-tested core of seniors was coming back: guard Jenny Ryan, center Rachel Sheffer, forward Nya Jordan, guard Kate Thompson and forward Sam Arnold. the Wolverines lost their head coach of five seasons, Kevin Borseth, when it was announced he and the univer- sity were parting ways. New head coach Kim Barnes Arico gained a solid reputation as a pro- gram builder after bringing St. John's out of the doldrums of the Big East to be a perennial NCAA Tournament team. When she came to Ann Arbor, it seemed to immediately bring a sense of urgency to the program. While the team is going through a transition, Barnes Arico's passion mixed with the Wolverines' experi- Shortly after the season, however, Barnes Arico is in her first season leading the Wolverines, after posting a 176-133 record with four NCAA Tournament bids in 10 years as the head coach at St. John's. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN ence has them hopeful for the future — in both the near and long term. "They are a phenomenal group of young ladies, and I am proud to be their coach," Barnes Arico said. "They are coming off one of the best seasons in program history, and these seniors have been a part of building some- thing really special here. All the credit goes to this group of kids. They have done things that haven't been done here before. every time we step on the court. We want to be the hardest-working team in America." "Our vision, and we talk about this all the time, is building a champion- ship program. That is a journey. All we want to do, each and every day, is to get better. I don't look at the big pic- ture. Our goal is to get to the NCAA Tournament, because every time you get there, you have a chance to be a champion. When you get there, it's one game. You can beat anyone on any given night. "Every day, we want to get better, FINDING SCORERS At Michigan media day, it was pointed out to Barnes Arico that, with the loss of Courtney Boylan and Carmen Reynolds to graduation, the Wolverines had lost a combined 21.3 points per game. She smiled and ad- mitted she did not realize the two had contributed that much. It leaves a huge gap in Michigan's offensive production — one the coaching staff has worked has worked hard to fill. Just one returning player, Sheffer, had a scoring average in double dig- its last season. She poured in a team- high 12.8 points per game. Sheffer has proven she can get to the basket, but there will have to be others to step up. One day this summer, Barnes Arico NOVEMBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 77