Deja Vu for Wolverines Headed to Italy, Greece

By Steve Kornacki

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- It's a case of déjà vu for University of Michigan women's basketball coach Kim Barnes Arico. Or is it a case of Deja Church?

Actually, it's both.

Barnes Arico glanced across her office to the wall with a framed photo mural from the last team trip to Europe in 2013, when record-setting point guard Siera Thompson was a true freshman. She ended up taking the reins on the team early, and now Church is taking her place as a true freshman and heading to Italy and then Greece for 11 days and three games beginning Monday (Aug. 21).

"I think we're going to have a freshman come in and play some point," said Barnes Arico. "We had a four-year starter who the first time she put on the Michigan uniform was on our Europe trip, and Siera Thompson ended up being one of the best point guards we've had in our program.

"So, Deja Church will do the same. Yeah, I can see the headline: ' 'Déjà vu, Deja Church.' The opportunity for them all to do it in an environment where there isn't any pressure, I think is exciting."

Church, a 5-foot-10 freshman from Southfield (Michigan) A&T, was a Michigan Miss Basketball finalist after averaging 24 points, 10 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game as a senior. Forward Hailey Brown (6-1), who recently won a bronze medal with Canada's U19 World Cup team and 6-foot guard Priscilla Smeenge of Jacksonville, Florida (21.6 points, 9.1 rebounds as a Celebration High senior), round out a talented freshman class.

Smeenge and Church should see more early playing time in Europe with senior guard Katelynn Flaherty injured and co-captain guards Danielle Williams (now a graduate assistant coach) and Thompson graduated.

Flaherty, who should become Michigan's career scoring leader early in the season and is the second Wolverine to surpass 2,000 points, will miss the trip because of an injury.

"Katelynn got hurt about a month ago," said Barnes Arico. "So, it has been limited for her and she's doing rehab. I think Katelynn's worried about that, but it's going to be OK because it's making other people have to step up and other players being put in situations they wouldn't be in if Katelynn were playing her normal minutes.

"And Katelynn is going to come back stronger than ever."

Flaherty, a two-time All-Big Ten first team selection, was the WNIT MVP when the Wolverines won that championship April 2 to bring about what will be the first banner raising in program history before the Nov. 10 game against George Mason at Crisler Center.

Wolverines junior center Hallie Thome, an All-Big Ten first team pick last season who tried out for the U.S. U23 team this summer, is significantly stronger (squat up from 135 to 300 pounds), was asked what the team can gain in Europe.

Thome
Hallie Thome

"Obviously, a confidence level," said Thome. "It starts with having a freshman coming in to be our point guard. She's doing incredible on the court, and in game situations you always have nerves. She's really funny and outgoing and not worried about making a mistake, though.

"Church is very calm as a freshman, which is interesting to see, which I love. She'll come in and run our press break, and she listens and retains it. She just goes with the flow, gives 100 percent and does her best. Still, she can get those (first-game) nerves out. Then we can all just connect and click on the court. We've been practicing, but to play games is different. We'll really become a team."

The coach looked up again at the photos of 2013, recalling that "bonding" time.

"That was the first time we went to Europe," Barnes Arico said. "Just the smile that picture right there puts on my face because of the experience and the excitement that our players felt when they got off that plane. They are going to get to see the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Olympic Stadium, play some great basketball. They will really see different points of the world and experience different things that they may never get to do again in their lives.

"From a bonding perspective, it's a wonderful opportunity, and especially with our new kids and (team) leadership. We're going to have team-building exercises and really develop the chance to develop our team chemistry. Italy and Greece will have great food, too, and great weather."

What are they looking forward to most?

"No. 1 is just to see our players' faces," said Barnes Arico. "They'll be almost in awe of places they never thought they'd have the opportunity to be in. Last time, we got to swim in the Adriatic Sea off Nice (France). We had players in the ocean who had never seen the ocean, and to see the thrill they had was really neat.

"It's always neat to see our freshmen put on the uniform for the first time, and to have that experience. And as a coach, during the season I really worry about preparing for our next game, the Xs and Os, getting ready for our next practice. This is an opportunity for me to really get to know them as people, and then for them to get to know me with my guard down, too, just having a good time and enjoying the culture."

They'll take a cruise on the Saronic Gulf and visit Sorrento and the Ruins of Pompeii, which were created in 79 A.D., after the Mount Vesuvius volcano erupted near the Bay of Naples in Italy and buried the ancient Roman city of Pompeii under a thick cover of volcanic ash.

Thome said: "Venturing off the court, it's Pompeii that I want to see. You always hear about it, and I think my mind is going to be blown. I've never been to Europe and getting to explore it with, basically my family, is going to be exciting. I know this is corny, but ever since I saw 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,' I knew I had to travel to Greece. I'm also excited about the food. We have to try a lot of gelato."

She'll also celebrate her 21st birthday on Aug. 30, the day of the cruise.

The Wolverines will play the Italian All-Stars in Rome and Sporting B.C. and Olympiacos in Greece, where they'll also put on a clinic for children.

"I think the competition this time is going to be greater than it was the last time (in Europe)," said Barnes Arico. "But it gives our kids a chance to play free, and it gives our freshmen an opportunity to gain experience. It's a very comfortable environment, and there's no pressure.

"I'm excited about our team this year after finishing third in the Big Ten and winning the WNIT championship. We're coming back with another level of accomplishment, and that's important for our seniors. Jillian Dunston and Maria Backman are very confident this year. The juniors in Hallie Thome and Nicole Munger and Katelynn have been great."

Now, they're all off to Europe, and Barnes Arico noted that she "is forever grateful" for the opportunity afforded her program by the school.

Williams is the only player from 2013 who will make the 2017 trip, having joined the coaching staff as a graduate student.

"That is so clutch for her," Thome said of Williams with a chuckle. "It's going to be crazy."