KBA Named Coach of the Year; Hillmon, Brown and Phelia Honored by Big Ten
3/1/2022 1:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- After leading the No. 10-ranked University of Michigan women's basketball team to a 13-4 conference record and 22 regular-season wins, head coach Kim Barnes Arico was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year by the coaches and media, with Naz Hillmon becoming Michigan's first-ever four-time All-Big Ten first-teamer as announced by the conference Tuesday (March 1). Hillmon also grabbed a spot on the all-defensive team, with Leigha Brown being named to the second team and Laila Phelia to the all-freshman team.
It is the second Coach of the Year honor for KBA, who also earned the nod in 2017. Michigan's 13 Big Ten wins is tied for the most in program history, with the 22 regular-season wins also tied for the most. U-M is currently ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press poll and was the No. 8 national seed in last night's (Feb. 28) NCAA Tournament reveal. Barnes Arico is the first coach in program history to earn the nod from the conference twice.
Hillmon is the first player in program history to earn four first-team honors as she was a unanimous pick by both the coaches and the media for the third straight season, while also earning a spot on the all-defensive team. Hillmon tallied 13 double-doubles during the regular season, averaging 21.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. With her 15 rebounds against Iowa (Feb. 27), she became the first player in Michigan basketball history to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. Hillmon scored in double figures in all but one game with 15 20-point games and was named the Big Ten Player of the Week four times. She is the fourth player in program history to earn a spot on the all-defensive team after showcasing her ability to guard all five positions on the court this season.
Brown grabbed a spot on the second team by both the coaches and media for the second straight season after averaging 14.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. She scored in double figures in all but three games she played, hitting the 20-point mark three times. Brown was named the MVP of the Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase after scoring a season-best 25 points against No. 5 Baylor (Dec. 19). Brown is one of 10 finalists for the Ann Meyers Drysdale award, given to the nation's top shooting guard.
Phelia is the first Wolverine since Hillmon (2018-19) to earn a spot on the all-freshman team, picked by both the coaches and media. She appeared in 24 games this season, starting nine times en route to averaging 8.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. She scored in double figures nine times this season, highlighted by a career-best 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting against Iowa (Feb. 6). She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice and the USBWA National Freshman of the Week.
Emily Kiser and Maddie Nolan each earned All-Big Ten honorable mention by the media. Kiser was one of two Wolverines to start every game, going for 9.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Nolan led Michigan from three-point range this season, hitting 60 triples on 44.1 percent shooting from distance. She appeared in all 27 games, starting 23 times while averaging 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Danielle Rauch was Michigan's sportsmanship honoree. Rauch started all 27 games for the Maize and Blue, averaging 6.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33.0 minutes per game. She recorded seven double-figure games this season after not reaching double digits in her first three seasons.
Michigan is the No. 3 seed for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament, starting action Friday night (March 4) around 9 p.m. in the quarterfinals. U-M will face either Illinois, Wisconsin or Nebraska.
