On a roster full of inexperience, Michigan looking to its seniors

ROSEMONT, Ill. — In front of the media on Wednesday, Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico didn’t mince her words when the subject of roster turnover arose.

“It’s going to mean we’re very inexperienced,” Barnes Arico said. “We’re very young. We have a lot of new pieces. We have a large freshman class. We have a few transfers. So I think it’s going to take us a minute to figure it all out.”

The Wolverines are going to need a minute — a lot of them, actually, after an offseason defined by player departure saw Michigan lose over 75% of its total minutes. Following the transfer of leading scorer and guard Laila Phelia, and all regular starters besides senior guard Jordan Hobbs, Michigan’s roster is full of holes to fill.

And amid a roster riddled with rookies, Hobbs and senior guard Greta Kampschroeder are eager to step up.

It’s an understatement to say that Kampschroeder and Hobbs, the only seniors on the team, are familiar with the Wolverines’ brand of basketball. Between the two of them, they’ve seen star players shine in the program, a run to the Elite Eight and their fair share of losses — ranging from heartbreaking to head-scratching — all while being told their time is coming. Barnes Arico has watched Kampschroeder and Hobbs develop and grow for years, so the decision came naturally when she had to choose two players to bring to Big Ten Basketball Media Day.

“They were definitely an easy pick,” Barnes Arico said. “Just both of them, their commitment to our program has been unbelievable. Their sacrifices, their dedication, the way that they feel about our program and the effort that they put in to help us be successful is second to none.”

In a season that will be filled with questions, having confidence in the team’s leaders is important. Hobbs and Kampschroeder felt that firsthand when they were underclassmen, and now they’re ready to translate those lessons into their own roles on and off the court. 

For Hobbs, who led the team in assists last year and thrived as a play-maker, stepping up as a ball-handler will give her more opportunity to create shots for herself and her teammates.

“I’ll probably have the ball in my hands a little bit more,” Hobbs said. “ … I’m probably gonna have to just be a little bit more aggressive, and seek out my shots ahead of other people. Laila (Phelia) got a bunch of shots last year, and those are gone now. … But I also think my favorite part of basketball is making a good pass and getting an assist to my teammates.”

Off the court, the focus from the Wolverines’ new leaders has been on assimilating the eight newcomers. Hobbs and Kampschroeder recognized that it took longer than it should have last year for the team to gel, and they know that building chemistry starts in the summer. Afforded the luxury of less-intensive preseason training, the veteran duo has been doing everything they can to spark synergy, from taking the freshmen to breakfast before class to holding new teammates accountable on the practice court. 

But while their experience is undeniable, their ability to command a team remains unproven. With such an inexperienced group, nerves, turnovers and sloppy play are likely to mar the early-season slate. But in choosing Hobbs and Kampschroeder to represent Michigan at media day, Barnes Arico showed she’s already confident in the pair of seniors to lead the team.

Now, they just have to prove her right.

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