Players lost:

 
  GP/GS Min FG FGA FG% 3 Pt 3Pt A 3 Pt % FT FTA FT %
Ann Lemire 25/8 27.5 105 244 .430 29 77 .377 50 65 .769
Mandy Stowe* 6/0 11.7 10 18 .556 0 0 .000 7 12 .583

 

  Off Reb Def Reb Reb PF-D Assists Steals Blocks TO A/TO High Points Ave
Ann Lemire 32 88 120 30-0 68 32 3 52 1.31 22 289 11.6
Mandy Stowe* 6 17 23 11-0 1 2 0 8 0.13 12 27 4.5

*Mandy Stowe left the team early in the season

Players returning:

  GP/GS Min FG FGA FG% 3 Pt 3Pt A 3 Pt % FT FTA FT %
Stacey Thomas 30/30 32.6 189 421 .449 9 28 .321 59 95 .621
Anne Thorius 30/30 32.9 102 257 .397 28 90 .311 88 108 .815
Alayne Ingram 25/5 27.5 115 296 .389 37 113 .327 38 43 .884
Ruth Kipping 30/17 20.1 96 188 .511 0 3 .000 37 48 .771
Alison Miller 30/28 25.1 79 164 .482 0 1 .000 53 74 .716
Raina Goodlow 26/7 19.5 71 138 .514 4 10 .400 28 41 .683
Kenisha Walker 20/6 20.0 53 113 .469 0 0 .000 27 41 .659
Heather Oesterle 21/3 11.6 29 87 .333 3 21 .143 19 24 .792
Katie Dykhouse 16/0 3.6 3 14 .214 0 0 .000 3 6 .500
Susana Jara 1/0 1.0 0 0 .000 0 0 .000 0 0 .000

 

  Off Reb Def Reb Reb PF-D Assists Steals Blocks TO A/TO High Points Ave
Stacey Thomas 97 138 235 73-3 56 110 28 78 0.72 28 446 14.9
Anne Thorius 22 79 101 71-0 145 34 6 100 1.45 22 320 10.7
Alayne Ingram 10 44 54 31-0 58 32 3 65 0.89 22 305 10.2
Ruth Kipping 51 81 132 89-4 9 24 11 58 0.16 19 229 7.6
Alison Miller 86 101 187 91-4 24 39 8 59 0.41 14 211 7.0
Raina Goodlow 32 40 82 61-2 10 6 16 34 0.29 18 174 6.7
Kenisha Walker 41 39 80 36-0 11 32 0 35 0.31 27 133 6.7
Heather Oesterle 16 30 46 30-0 15 19 2 33 0.45 17 80 3.8
Katie Dykhouse 2 3 5 10-0 2 0 0 0 n/a 4 9 0.6
Susana Jara 1 2 2 1-0 0 0 0 1 0.00 0 0 0.0

Additions:

Lee Ann Bies 6'3  C  Lakeview Mi 
Infini Robinson  5'9 G Detroit Mi #53 Blue Star Index #89 All Star Girls Report

 

Sue Guevara will take virtually the same squad in 1999 that she did in 1998.  It's a squad that's heavy on perimeter players and short of players in the post.  Two of the players she will count on to score, Thorius and Ingram, are not particularly good shooter.

It's likely that they will again have to rely on defense to keep them in games.  Michigan is one of the more athletic teams in the Big 10 and that athleticism allows them to pressure teams and force turnovers.

But there are several teams in the Big 10 that look very potent offensively.  If Michigan is to improve on it's 98 record, they will have to score more points and rebound well enough to limit opponents second shots.   Most of that improvement will have to come from post players.  They don't have many big bodies, so they will usually be physically overmatched.  But Guevara will have to find a way to have a presence in the post.

She's also got to develop a home court advantage for her team.  Their 1998 record was comparable on the road and at home.  They frequently played better away from home than in the supposedly friendly confines of Crisler Arena.

Guevara is following the trend in the Big 10 by significantly toughening up her non-conference schedule.  They play such schools as Colorado, Colorado State, LSU and La Tech.  Their conference schedule gives the Wolves the opportunity to jump out to a 3-0 start.  

The Wolves will continue to be a dangerous team, and they likely will jump and bite some unsuspecting teams.  But it's hard to see them competing with the more potent teams in the conference.

By Position:

  Point guard.  Thorius is the second best point in the league, behind only PSU's Helen Darling.   She has a good assist-turnover ratio and she runs the team well, but she will need to score more and will need to shoot the ball better in order to do that.

  Swing players.  Thomas is an exceptional defensive player, but needs to score more.  She's not a bad shooter, but she doesn't look for her shot enough.  Walker and Kipping rotated at the small forward last year and will likely share minutes again.  Each had games where they were significant contributors.  One of them needs to play consistently and establish herself.

  Post players.  Miller was solid on the boards, but didn't score much.  Goodlow looks to have the potential to be a legitimate threat in the post.  They both need to step up.

  Bench.  Ingram and the freshman Robinson should provide decent depth at guard, but there doesn't look to be much frontcourt help from the bench.

Strengths:  defense, point guard, athleticism

Weaknesses: post play, offense, depth

Key games: Dec 30 Michigan St,  Jan 6 @ Indiana,  Feb 6 @ Ohio State

Key player:  Raina Goodlow.  She is the one player on the roster who has the physical capability to be a solid Big 10 post player.

Question Wolverine fans are asking:  Can we go to the next level or will we settle in at the middle of the pack in the Big 10?

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