I’m pretty sure that it Covid-shirts don’t count against the scholarship total. I certainly see an argument for Dilk to come back, but she may feel like returning to the court, and contributing on the best post-season run the team has had in their history is enough. And she may have other career-aspirations that she wants to get started on, instead of waiting another year.
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They do count against the total in 2022-2023 and forward. Only year that it was relaxed was 2021-2022
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Well, damn…
Kate Clarke can shoot the three and move along the perimeter and she has the size to play defense against a ton of different players at 6-foot-1. Chyra Evans is an Australian center who played 11 games in the Australian WNBL and scored 24 points. Of the two, Clarke is in a better position to make an impact.
I’d also not discount the sophomores next year. Jordan Hobbs has size and can play as a wing, Ari Wiggins is an incredibly dynamic player and the only true point guard on the team with Amy Dilk gone. I’d expect Wiggins to make a leap as well
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Yeah Wiggins I know was a well-regarded recruit.
It seemed to me like we need another person who can take and make threes other than Nolan, so I’ve been hopeful on Clark, just not sure if she was ready.
Agreed. The team is hurting for 3-point shooting outside of Nolan. That may not have been quite as big of a deal when you had post presence that could score like Naz, but they’re going to need some more outside shooting this season. Brown, and to a lesser degree, Phelia are serviceable from 3, but neither is likely to light it up from the perimeter.
I do like Phelia’s aggressiveness in getting downhill and finishing at basket, though. They might need that in late-clock situations.
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Do we know Dilk is gone for sure? I haven’t seen any announcement on it.
I would be shocked if she came back for a fifth year. The last two years haven’t been close to what she or any of us who watched her first two years expected. Naz has progressed, the staff has progressed and everyone else on the team has improved to push it to the point its at. Dilk… has not. Injuries have played a major part in that, but it’s still incredibly difficult psychologically to watch others get better and make bigger steps while you’re falling behind. Plus, you add Leigha Brown who steals your thunder as a Robin to Naz’s Batman, and the confidence you have built goes away. KBA went from constantly saying Dilk is “One of the best point guards in the country” her sophomore year to barely talking about her since January 2021.
I can see her going to another school with her fifth year and making an impact or trying to define herself, or I can see her moving on with her life in professional basketball or a life beyond basketball. I don’t think she’ll be back in Ann Arbor either way.
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With absolutely no information to back it up – just gut feeling – I would agree that would seem like the most likely scenario (if she decides to play another year). Even when she did play later in the season she was very clearly behind Danielle Rauch, and even Laila Phelia – who has a much higher upside as a scorer – was getting significantly more playing time. She was turnover-prone and didn’t play particularly well in general.
Of course, the combination of coming back from an injury that took place at the very beginning of the season and the psychological frustration that had to come with watching your teammates play without you had to be tough. I don’t want to discount those things and was both happy and proud that she was able to fight through that to get back at all.
That said, if she was offered a 5th-year and took it I definitely wouldn’t be upset. Any time you have veteran play – especially at the guard position – it’s a good thing. And she’s one of my daughter’s favorite players.
A really good article on Emily Kiser’s return from Ace: WBB: Emily Kiser's Return is More Important Than You Think
tl;dr Kiser plays a huge role defensively (she defended every opponent’s best post player and did it really well) and her return is huge for the team.
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Naz got her first career double double last night against the Connecticut Sun. Team got blown out but she had 13 points, 11 boards while shooting 60% from the field.
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And she got her first start the next game.
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A funny little fact: Michigan women’s basketball is trying to get their own Jordan Poole, just spelled Jordyn. You can read the tweet yourself for other offers, but she goes to high school about 30 minutes from where Leigha Brown went.
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Huge commitment. #3 player in the country in the 2024 class (per ESPN). Big time get for the women’s program. UConn, Stanford, Duke, Tennessee, Notre Dame all in her top 10. Beat out some powerhouses.
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but she’s not from in-state so it’s basically like getting hte #75 recruit if my translations are correct
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Your translations are not correct
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That pass at the 4:20 mark! 
Smoking!
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That video is one of the better highlight packages I’ve seen. It’s hard to believe that’s a 9th grader. Great handle, passing, shooting, and court-vision. Good speed too. She’s a much different player than Naz, but I think it’s possible that she has that kind of impact. And maybe she can recruit some other 5-stars to come with her?
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fourth clip makes the score 94-8…what in tarnation
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