Kornacki: Why Flaherty, Wolverines Have Become Driven to Succeed
1/24/2018 10:12:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The Wolverines have become better and better because they now have pretty much an entire women's basketball team playing as confidently and efficiently as Katelynn Flaherty always has. The University of Michigan, unranked coming out of the gate, is now No. 16 and picking off everyone it comes up against, including No. 8 Ohio State last week in Columbus.
"I always thought we could play with anybody -- even when we were struggling," said Flaherty. "But now I think everyone around me believes it, and we all believe in each other, and that's something that I don't think has always been in the past. Just being able to pass and trusting somebody to hit the shot, and we struggled with that early on."
She said teammates used to look primarily for her as opponents schemed with various defensive approaches to get them off-balance.
"But now we're really looking for everyone else that's on the floor," said Flaherty. "That gives us, as individuals, confidence."
That development was clearly evident in Tuesday night's (Jan. 23) 74-48 home win over archrival Michigan State.
Michigan was quick, strong, fast and smart from start to finish. Teams only play that way if there is a trust among the five players on the court that any of them can make the difference on a given play.
And that feeling, that belief in one another, has sparked a five-game winning streak in the middle of the Big Ten season.
"I think we're just playing great together as a team," said Flaherty, who had game highs with 26 points and six assists. "Our chemistry is really building these past couple of games especially. A lot of people are stepping up."
Center Hallie Thome had 11 rebounds and eight points, shooting less than normal but making three of four shots. First-half foul trouble limited her to 27 minutes.
Forward Jillian Dunston, the guts and glue, had six points, six rebounds, five assists, zero turnovers, one steal and never backed down to anyone.
Freshman forward Hailey Brown got seven of her 10 points in the first quarter and added three rebounds. She continues taking giant steps in development.
Guard Nicole Munger hustled the whole 94 feet, scoring 13 points with three rebounds, two assists and two steals. She's one of the conference's top three-point shooters and seems to be everywhere.
Freshman guard Deja Church, sophomore guard Akienreh Johnson and sophomore forward Kayla Robbins are getting the most minutes off the bench. Each is showing glimpses of what she can become while becoming more and more a part of this team.
Munger (left) and Brown, double-digit scorers against the Spartans, have been keys to the Wolverines' growth as a team.
Michigan (18-4, 7-2 Big Ten) is in second place in the Big Ten behind No. 14 Maryland, and the Wolverines won't play the Terrapins until the final game of the regular season Feb. 22 at Crisler Center, which could really be something if the Wolverines continue improving.
Flaherty, averaging 23.3 points and 4.1 assists, ignites it all.
"I think that's why she's one of the best players in the country," said Wolverines coach Kim Barnes Arico. "She draws so much attention, but nobody's been able to stop her. And no one's found a way to stop her yet.
"I just think that's opening things for other people, and our team is continuing to grow."
Flaherty set the tone from the get-go. She scored nine points and added three assists in the opening seven minutes as Michigan took a 23-7 lead. U-M never led by less than double digits the rest of the way.
"We came out pretty much on fire," said Flaherty, "and so I think that really helped our momentum."
That momentum was the result of effective passing.
Flaherty drove and attracted attention in the paint but dished to Dunston for a baseline jump shot she swished. Flaherty drove again and the defense went with her again, and she passed to an open teammate again. Munger drained a three-pointer.
One of the point guard's prettier passes came from near the free throw line. She realized that a Spartan double-team left Brown unattended, and Flaherty quickly fed her for a layup.
The combination of crisp passing and effective screens has made for a quick, efficient offense.
"She's just extremely efficient," MSU coach Suzy Merchant said of Flaherty. "... I don't care if she's playing Michigan State, Ohio State, it doesn't matter. That kid is a great, great shooter. I have a great deal of respect for her because she works at her craft.
"You've got to tip your hat to kids that are really committed to being the best they can be. That kid has worked really hard to be a scorer. It's not a gene you're given; you've got to work at it. She's smart, she plays the point, she plays the two (guard), she gets an open look, it's down."
Flaherty has learned how to make opponents pay for the attention they give her, and she is now beginning to fully take advantage of the feel she's gained as a first-year point guard. She averaged 3.4 assists in the first 12 games but 5.0 assists over the last 10.
"We feel good," said Flaherty. "Last year, it was hard for me to get open because I didn't have the ball in my hand (as point guard). Now, when I have the ball, it's different. Sometimes we have people that are wide open.
"It's definitely been a process, but everyone's confident, everyone's in the gym. And it's them hitting shots that make me look good, catching my passes, and I throw some hard passes. And it's slowed down a lot for me -- not making kind of quick passes or not driving to the basket early in the shot clock. I've adjusted to that as the season goes on."
Barnes Arico said: "She really has a calmness about her now and doesn't force things. She was so efficient tonight. She had great looks and was able to knock them down early but also was able to do a tremendous job of finding her teammates. Just an outstanding last couple of games, locked into the scout(ing report) and game plan.
"It's taken some time to get used to it even with the pressure that she faces. She's always going against (the) other team's best defender, night in and night out, but she's so crafty with the ball in her hands. She's always been that way as a scorer, but now she's finding other people. She's letting it come to her and is getting better and better as the season progresses -- which is a great sign for our program and our team."
Flaherty the point guard is finding ways to beat defenses when they focus on Flaherty the scorer.
Both coaches used the word "efficient" to describe Flaherty, who was a point guard in high school but needed time to find her way back to the position as a college senior. She worked at point guard play all summer with her father, Tom, who was an accomplished guard at Seton Hall. Her mother, Lynn, also played basketball at The College of New Jersey.
So, "genes" also have been a contributing factor to her success.
Flaherty's always been driven -- check the Big Ten Network spot in which she talks about having to make 700 shots daily in practice -- and now plays on a team that's driven.
Barnes Arico said her team has been playing with "a chip on their shoulder" ever since getting "robbed" of an NCAA Tournament bid last season and quickly recovering to win the Women's NIT.
The Wolverines felt confident they had earned the NCAA berth by finishing third in the Big Ten, but losing their conference tournament opener to the Spartans by 10 points ended up costing them that invitation.
So, breaking a four-game losing streak to MSU in this game meant something extra.
"This is a game that is circled on the schedule," said Barnes Arico. "It's important to our university, it's important to the players in our program, it's important to our state. I mean, it's just important.
"And I'm going to go home and put my head on the pillow with a big smile on my face tonight."
