Five Sign to Join Wolverines in 2018-19
11/8/2017 11:19:00 AM | Women's Basketball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan women's basketball head coach Kim Barnes Arico announced the signing of Amy Dilk, Naz Hillmon, Emily Kiser, Danielle Rauch and Ariel Young to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday (Nov. 8). The quintet will join the Wolverines for the 2018-19 academic year.
"I think it is one of the best classes we have coming in since I have been here, from top to bottom," Barnes Arico said. "It really targets each position that we need, one through five. These five young women are unbelievable basketball players, but they are even better people. They all come from great families, families who are basketball families. They each have a great understanding of the game and what it means to be part of a team. They know what it takes to be at the University of Michigan, on the court, in the classroom and in the community. They understand and embrace how special it is to be able to represent the Block M, not only while they are here, but also after they graduate. We have a lot of great talent in this group, but they want to create something special and win championships together."
Amy Dilk
6-foot Guard
Carmel, Ind. (Carmel)
Dilk, a playmaking point guard, comes in at No. 39 by ESPN after averaging 14.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 3.2 steals per game as a junior at Carmel. A core member of the Indiana Junior All-Stars, Dilk led the Greyhounds to a 2017 sectional title, scoring a game-high 24 points in the championship game. Dilk recorded a triple-double as a junior, going for 10 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists against Center Grove. She was named to the "Supreme 15" team for underclassmen by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association and helped Carmel to a top-10 ranking all season. She played AAU for the Indiana Flight Thunder.
"Amy is an incredible basketball player," Barnes Arico said. "She has an unbelievable IQ for the game and can see things happening two steps ahead of anyone else. She is a true point guard with tremendous size that we have not had at the position before. She has the ability to see over smaller guards and to really make everyone around her better. She can score in so many ways -- off the bounce, from the three-point line. She runs her team and has a great feel for the game. She has played for a great high school program, and we have watched her develop throughout the years into one of the top point guards in the country. She is going to have an immediate impact on this program."
"I picked Michigan because I value the academic and athletic opportunities that the university can provide," Dilk said of her decision. "The coaching staff saw my potential and are willing to help me improve in all aspects of my life. The team welcomed me and it is such a family environment. Family, friends and faith are everything to me; I love spending time with people who value the same things I do."
Naz Hillmon
6-foot-2 Forward
Cleveland, Ohio (Gilmour Academy)
Hillmon was named the Associated Press Division III Player of the Year last season after helping Gilmour Academy to the Ohio state championship, where she recorded 24 points and 17 rebounds in the title game. She averaged 15.8 points and 13.1 rebounds per game while topping the 1,000-point mark in her career as a junior. She was named the Division III Northeast Lakes All-District Player of the Year for the second straight season and was a finalist for Ms. Basketball. Hillmon was a finalist for the 2016 USA Basketball U17 World Championship team (2016) and is a four-star recruit (No. 57 by ESPN). She played AAU for Sports City U. Her mother, Nasheema, played basketball at Vanderbilt and in the American Basketball League (ABL) for the Nashville Noise.
"Naz is just a beast on the court," Barnes Arico said. "She has incredible toughness and doesn't shy away from, but embraces, contact. She is strong, she is tough and she is a finisher. She had a tremendous summer and a great season last year. She is another one who is going to have the opportunity to make an immediate impact. She comes from such a basketball family, it is in her blood. She has grown up in the gym. She has such an infectious personality and everyone wants to be around her. She is a great teammate and is going to be a great player and leader for us."
"I picked Michigan because of the abundance of opportunities, both in and out of the classroom," Hillmon said. "The high academic standards of the university was a huge component in my decision and really caught my eye. The chance to study at and graduate from one of the top universities in the country is an amazing accomplishment to put on a resume. On top of all of these academic opportunities, the athletics at Michigan is the icing on the cake. From the coaching staff to the girls on the team, it has been an amazing feeling knowing that they wanted me as a member of their family. The coaches are very specific in the student-athletes they recruit; they all have the same goal in mind to build this program into a contender and championship winner."
Emily Kiser
6-foot-2 Forward/Center
Noblesville, Ind. (Noblesville)
Kiser was named to the Indiana Junior All-Star team after averaging 19.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game as a junior. Ranked No. 86 by ESPN, she was named to the "Supreme 15" team for underclassmen by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association after her junior season. To start her senior campaign, she put together a 16-point, 15-rebound performance in her first game, followed by a 26-point, 17-rebound game in the next contest. She played AAU for the Indiana Flight Thunder and helped lead her volleyball team to the regional final this fall. Her brother, John, is currently a sophomore on the Valparaiso men's basketball team.
"Emily has been a little bit under the national radar, but we see her as someone who can be really special in our program," Barnes Arico said. "She is a strong, big, physical post player who has an incredible feel for the game. She has a great face-up game and a motor on both offense and defense. She has a knack for the ball and is a great rebounder. Her IQ for the game is really special, especially with the high-low. I think her with Naz (Hillmon), her with Hallie (Thome) and Hailey (Brown), can be something really special and play off each other really well. I think her basketball IQ is really what separates her and makes her such a special player."
"I chose Michigan because you get the best of both worlds," Kiser said. "Not only are the academics recognized worldwide, but the basketball program is top level. The players, coaches and community are all great. And there is nothing like Big Ten basketball. I hope to study in the business school but not sure where I will go after graduation."
Danielle Rauch
5-foot-8 Guard
Cicero, N.Y. (Bishop Ludden)
Rauch was named the 2017 All-CNY Girls Basketball Small School Player of the Year after averaging 17.9 points, 8.0 assists, 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 steals per game. She led Bishop Ludden to its first Section III Class B championship since 2006 and became the school's all-time leading scorer in the process; she enters her senior season with 1,484 career points. She also earned a spot on the all-state first team following her junior season. A three-star recruit by ESPN, she played AAU for I-90 Elite. Her father, Len, played for Michigan men's basketball head coach John Beilein at Le Moyne.
"She comes from another great basketball family," Barnes Arico said. "Coach Beilein always tells the story about how her dad changed his life because he was such an impact player for his program at Le Moyne. I think Danielle fits in that same mold. She is a fierce competitor who will run through the wall to chase down a loose ball; she will take a charge to win the game. She has a toughness about her, kind of old school that you don't really see in today's game. She has great leadership skills and can play multiple positions. Her toughness allows her to defend the other team's best player. She is a winner; she will sacrifice whatever she needs to in order to win the basketball game. She is just a hard-nosed, tough player who you need in your program, similar to Michigan great Jenny Ryan."
"I chose Michigan because after visiting, I had a feeling of belonging," Rauch said. "I felt that I could see myself going there for the next four years and being successful in all aspects of my life. I knew that attending Michigan would help me develop further as a player and a person. Michigan also gives me an opportunity to receive a great education, which was a big factor in my decision as well. I hope to go into coaching, athletic training or athletic administration."
Ariel Young
6-foot-1 Guard
Tallahassee, Fla. (Lincoln)
The first member of the class to commit, Young is ranked No. 96 by ESPN and is an athletic guard who can impact the game on both ends of the floor. During her junior season at Lincoln, she averaged 10.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. She was named the MVP of the Destin Holiday Classic and was named to the All-Big Bend second team. She played AAU for Central Florida Elite of the EYBL. Her mother, Carolyn, was a two-time All-American at Auburn, played for the Portland Fire of the WNBA and was a member of the 1992 US Olympic Team. Her father, C.Y., is an assistant coach for the Florida State men's basketball team.
"We always talk about how Ariel started things for us after being our first commitment of this class," Barnes Arico said. "That was a special day that really changed this class. Talk about another basketball family, with her mom playing in two Final Fours and her dad being a college coach. She grew up as an infant at WNBA games watching her mother play. She has basketball in her blood. She completes this class because she is a shooter, she is an athlete and she is a kid who can score in multiple ways. She can get to the rim and draw fouls, can hit a pull-up jumper and has three-point range. She has tremendous length and can impact the game on both ends. She can guard the other team's best player, she can be at the front of the press. She is another incredible kid who knows what the Michigan education can give her."
"The reason I chose Michigan was definitely because of the coaching staff and how much Coach Arico believes in me," Young said. "The school itself is amazing and I think getting my education from Michigan will help me get to where I want to be in the future. I committed to Michigan without coming on a visit but when I was finally able to see the campus and the culture of the women's basketball program, I truly fell in love. I want to be a pediatrician because I love kids and learning how the body works."
