Buy this photo.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cWe were preparing her and being like, you don\u2019t you might not understand what\u2019s about to hit you,\u201d Michigan assistant coach Justine Raterman told The Daily. \u201c\u2026 And I remember after the game, she was like, \u2018Man, I could have done this better. I could have done that better.\u2019 And I was like, \u2018You just handled that, you got us into offense. You didn\u2019t turn it over.\u2019 Her poise going against those guards, it set the tone.\u201d<\/p>\n
While her teammates racked up points in the narrow loss, Mila quietly controlled the game. She excelled as a point guard, distributing the ball, creating opportunities and making sophomore guards Olivia Olson and Syla Swords\u2019 jobs effortless. As the season wore on, she blossomed into a key guard alongside Olson and Swords, with the three becoming a dynamic trio whose chemistry became the Wolverines\u2019 heartbeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing she looks at is her assists,\u201d Raterman told the Daily. \u201c \u2018How am I getting people shots? I could have passed this. My past could have been a little bit better here. It\u2019s got to be on time, on target.\u2019 At the end of the day, we got a reminder she could score the ball. She\u2019s a great scorer as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even when scoring is within Mila\u2019s reach, her first instinct is to elevate those around her \u2014 the hallmark of a point guard who doesn\u2019t chase headlines, but rather focuses on her team functioning at the highest level.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet, that same selflessness can sometimes obscure her contributions on the national stage. While her teammates\u2019 high point totals grab attention, Mila\u2019s machinations that create those very points often fly under the radar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Mila, that doesn\u2019t matter, though. She simply tunes out the noise and focuses on the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cI say I go out there, I play my game,\u201d Mila said. \u201cNo matter what the media is saying, no matter what the commentators are saying, I\u2019m gonna go play my game. Do what I feel needs to be done to get a win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those around her, however, know what she is just now recognizing: as the heart and soul of the team, her impact is felt through the success of others \u2014 and she\u2019s capable of more. Mila herself is a driving force that can change the game, redefine expectations wherever she goes and step up to be whatever her team needs her to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI try to keep a chip on her shoulder, because I don\u2019t want her to be comfortable with that,\u201d Raterman said. \u201cI don\u2019t want her to just be like, \u2018Yeah, that\u2019s what I do.\u2019 I want her to push for more. I think she has greatness inside of her, and I think that she\u2019s going to reach it here at Michigan.\u201d<\/p>\n
That push is deliberate. Michigan\u2019s staff sees a player with no ceiling, one whose story is still unfolding. It was evident in how she stepped up at Legacy, in her Nike Nationals performance that led to her recruitment and in her poise and consistency throughout the season. Now, Mila\u2019s ready to expand her role as not only the team\u2019s biggest amplifier, but to take on scoring, leadership and even wider recognition too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a freshman anymore,\u201d Mila said. \u201cI\u2019ve taken on more of a leadership role, guiding (the freshman) throughout the process\u2026 I\u2019m also taking on more of a scoring role this year with (former guards Jordan Hobbs and Greta Kampschroeder) being gone, and I\u2019m excited to see how that plays out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mila\u2019s not just defying the expectations of others; she\u2019s building upon her own. Her greatness doesn\u2019t hinge on leading the scoreboard \u2014 it\u2019s in the rhythm she sets, the trust she commands and the pulse she gives this team elevating its place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019s been the steady tide that\u2019s carried the Wolverines forward and as she steps into her second year, she\u2019s grown into the compass that points Michigan in the right direction. Whether it\u2019s her basketball IQ, her seemingly innate selflessness that gives her teammates every chance to score or her ability to go beyond the call of order when necessary, Mila has shown that her impact goes beyond a statsheet, a headline or any external commentary. <\/p>\n
Rather, it\u2019s her game that speaks louder than it all.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n
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