Entering her eighth season as head coach of Michigan’s women’s basketball program, Kim Barnes Arico has achieved an unprecedented level of growth for the program.
The growth is shown by the team posting at least 20 wins in each of her seven seasons, a WNIT championship in 2017 and three NCAA Tournament appearances, two of which came in the last two seasons. On her way to becoming the winningest coach in Michigan women’s basketball history, she also oversaw the player development of Katelyn Flaherty, Michigan’s all-time leading scorer with 2,776 points over her four seasons.
Extending that constant growth into the future is her goal for the program even if she sometimes can’t help getting stuck dwelling in the moment.
“Sometime, I think as a coach, you never really reflect on, ‘Okay, where was the program when you got here, and where is the program now, and what are the next steps in terms of where we want to take the program?’ Barnes Arico told a full room at Michigan women’s basketball media day. “Because you are always worried about the moment, and, ‘Okay, what are we going to do today?’”
Barnes Arico and her team overcame loss to graduation of Flaherty last season by implementing a plan of spreading the offensive wealth around among a handful of players. She faces a similar dilemma this season, having lost a pair of graduating seniors, Hallie Thome and Nicole Munger, who contributed a combined 3,091 points to the Michigan offense over their four-year careers.
“I think at least it gives me hope,” Barnes Arico said of successfully replacing Flaherty’s offensive output last year. “After Katelyn left, when you lose that many points and she’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime player, you have to adjust.
“I didn’t think about it that much, but every person I talked to reminded me of it. So I was a little concerned going into last season, but we had Hallie Thome returning, who’d had a heck of a career, and Nicole Munger, who was a great shooter, returning.
“We knew that we were going to be in great shape. We knew we would have some pieces to fill that void.”
Big replacements are needed again in 2019-20.
“But now, here we go, losing 2,700 [points after Flaherty’s graduation two years ago] and another 3,000 [in Thome and Munger] on top of that,” Barnes Arico continued. “That’s a lot of points. So, if I lay down at night and think about it, it could give me a stomachache — but then I get up every day and go to practice, and I feel so excited about our team this season and where we are.
“We’re a different team than we’ve ever been before. We’re a long team and we’re a defensive team. We’re a team that can affect the game in ways other than the scoring that we relied on in the past.
“We sat down this week and wrote out individual goals and team goals. A lot of players on the team spoke about how we can affect the game on the defensive end. I was really happy when I read what they had written because we know that we may have to be a little bit different. With our length, we’re capable of doing that, and I think there are going to be some players that surprise the rest of the conference and the rest of the country.
“Two of those are [senior forward] Kayla Robbins and [senior guard] Akienreh Johnson. I think those two are going to be a surprise to the rest of the league.”
That difference in this season’s team will rely on the growth of that pair of seniors, Johnson and Robbins, and a pair of sophomores, Naz Hillmon and Amy Dilk.
Johnson and Robbins played much of their first three years as part-time players, but both stepped up progressively as last season wore on to the point where they both were major contributors when postseason games rolled around. The duo finished the year averaging a combined 11.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, but Robbins started to break out at the end of the year.
Though she never started, the 6-1 Robbins notched a career-high 15 points against Illinois in February and then broke into double digits in both of the NCAA Tournament games, two of the six times she did so last season.
“I think Kayla can affect the game like we’ve been talking about, on the defensive end with her length and athleticism in so many ways, but she’s a superb, next-level athlete that can do so many things for us,” Barnes Arico said. “She’s really playing [in preseason practices] with a lot of confidence. She’s really playing at a level right now where she’s going to really have an impact.
“I think that even if she doesn’t get drafted, she’ll play overseas after graduation.”
“Time goes fast,” Robbins noted. “I’ve been able to learn from seniors from past years and take what I’ve learned from them. I’m enjoying the leadership role.
“I’ve probably grown the most with my overall basketball IQ. When you go game by game and year by year, you start to get it. It starts to click on the court, whether it’s making a good pass or a good defensive play.”
The 6-0 Johnson also showed she was capable of big games down the stretch. She tied a career best with 19 points and pulled down seven boards against No. 13 Iowa in February and went for 12 points against Louisville in the second-round NCAA loss.
“Akienreh, too, is playing with a lot of confidence,” Barnes Arico said. “She’s healthy, knock on wood. It’s just amazing to watch, as a coach, their transformation in their senior year, how they’re attacking the year with the effort they’re showing in the preparation for the season in practice every day. They’re playing with confidence and Akienreh is doing really well.”
“My greatest area of growth on the court is in my communication,” Johnson said. “When I was a freshman, I don’t think I said a word on the court. Now, as a senior, I don’t think I ever shut up. I’m always talking whether it’s a passing drill, a shooting drill or scrimmaging. I think my voice has really grown throughout the four years.”
Hillmon and Dilk took advantage of summer playing experience to add to their on-court repertoires and confidence level.
Dilk, a 6-0 guard, started 29 times in her debut and averaged 7.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, leading all Big Ten freshmen in the latter category. However, the coach knows both her and Hillmon can be better in year two.
“For Naz and Amy, the offseason was critical,” Barnes Arico said. “Amy wound up playing with Akienreh and Kayla at the USA Basketball three-on-three tournament. I think that really helped them.
“It also allowed Amy to play against Sabrina Ionescu [of Oregon] who was the Player of the Year in the country. Amy got to match up with her and really see the best of the best and how she compared to that. I think that experience really fired Amy up and she came back thinking that she could really affect the game for her team and really be one of the best point guards out there.”
Meanwhile, the 6-2 Hillmon is coming off of a campaign in which she was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the media, the league’s Sixth Player of the Year and a consensus All-Big Ten first-team choice. The forward led the team with 13.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and was also No. 1 in field goal percentage with a 62.8 success rate, which ranked sixth nationally — making her the only freshman in the top 50.
“Naz had a similar circumstance,” Barnes Arico explained. “Naz played USA Basketball. Not only played, but she was a difference-maker on that team. She became a leader and a captain on that team because of the presence that she has.
“Last year, she made an immediate impact, but I think that was partially because we had Hallie [Thome] in the spotlight next to her. People were keying on Hallie, and I think that really helped Naz emerge. It will be interesting to see in her sophomore year how that goes because now she’s going to be at the top of everyone’s scouting report.”
Barnes Arico will also add an exciting incoming class of three freshmen: 5-9 guard Maddie Nolan, 5-8 guard Michelle Sidor and 6-4 center Izabel Varejao.
“Our freshmen are awesome,” the coach beamed.
Nolan — who hails from Zionsville, Ind. — missed most of her senior season with a knee injury but has been able to practice in the preseason. She was a core member of the Indiana Junior All-Star team and still finished as her high school’s all-time leading scorer despite playing just five games as a senior.
“She’s been getting stronger. She’s been rehabbing like crazy,” Barnes Arico said. “She’s a kid that can really score the basketball. High basketball IQ kid. Her mom was a basketball player, she comes from a basketball family. She’s a worker.”
Sidor was just the fourth player in New Jersey prep history to reach 3,000 career points after averaging at least 26.0 per game all four years.
“Prolific scorer,” Barnes Arico noted. “A jersey girl like Katelyn [Flaherty], I call her ‘Jersey strong.’ She can really score the basketball and I think that’s something we need, especially from the wing spot.
“She works like crazy, she’s in the gym all the time. We have to kick her out of the gym. She’s a first player off the bench type, is definitely going to see minutes. She’s going to impact our team.”
Varejao — the niece of longtime NBA player Anderson Varejao — was once a member of the U-18 Brazilian National Team and ranked as high as the No. 12 recruit in the land by All-Star Girls Report.
“Holy cow, biggest surprise thus far,” Barnes Arico exclaimed. “I knew that she was going to be a good player, but she could really be a special player for us. Her ability to score the basketball, to change the game with her length on the defensive end and also to pass the basketball has been incredible.”
Thanks to the incredible growth Barnes Arico’s program has shown lately, it will also enjoy a higher visibility this season, with three national showcase games on ESPN or ESPN2, in addition to participating in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase against Florida State Dec. 22 in Connecticut.
“That [national television exposure] speaks volumes and shows to the rest of the world that ‘Hey, Michigan’s women’s basketball is coming on and Michigan women’s basketball is a team we want to see on national TV,’” Barnes Arico said. “That’s really important because I think it plays into the NCAA Tournament [selection process].”
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